Brick Alternatives: Block Apps Without the $59 Puck (2026)

Brick alternatives: quick answer

The best Brick alternatives in 2026 are Habit Doom (habit-gated blocking, free tier, no hardware), Unpluq (a physical tag with schedules, subscription based), One Sec (a breathing pause, software only), Opal (scheduled focus sessions with analytics), and Foqos (a free open-source NFC blocker). Each solves a different version of the problem. Pick by how you actually fail, not by feature count.

Why people look for Brick alternatives:

• Price: the Brick device runs around $59, which is a real spend for what is, at heart, an NFC tag.
• Physical friction: a tag only helps if you leave it behind. Carry it and the block is one tap away.
• No free version: the block depends on buying the hardware.
• Manual, not productive: tapping to unlock is a choice you can make any time. Some people want the block tied to finishing something first.

Below: five alternatives worth testing, with current pricing and what each one actually does differently.

What Brick does (and what it does not)

Brick is a small NFC puck, about the size of your palm, with a magnet on the back so it sticks to a fridge or a desk. You set up a "mode" in the Brick app (which apps to block), then tap your phone to the puck to lock them. They stay locked until you walk back and tap again. The device is a passive NFC tag, so there is no battery and nothing to charge, and it is a one-time purchase with no subscription. It works on iOS 16.2 and up.

That design is the whole pitch: the friction is physical. Leave the Brick at home and you cannot unlock your apps until you are back, which is genuinely useful for people who want a hard boundary between locations.

What Brick does not do:

• It does not have a free tier. The block is tied to the hardware.
• It does not track habits or tie unlocking to finished work.
• It does not stop you carrying the tag with you, which defeats the point for anyone who will.
• It does not run schedules on its own. Blocking is manual, by tap.

Most people searching for a Brick alternative want to fix one of those four things. The five apps below each cover at least one.

The 5 best Brick alternatives in 2026

1. Habit Doom: best for turning the block into earned screen time

The pivot: Instead of tapping a puck, you unlock your apps by finishing your habits. Read, exercise, study, whatever you pick. Apps stay locked by default and open when the work is done. The friction is still there, but it points at something productive instead of a manual tap you can undo on a whim.

What it solves that Brick does not: No hardware to buy, carry, or lose, and a block you cannot defeat by keeping a tag in your pocket. Habit tracking is built in, so the unlock is a behavioral loop rather than a physical ritual.

Built on: the Apple Screen Time API, the same enforcement layer serious blockers use. The lock is tamper-resistant: it holds through uninstall, force-quit, and system clock changes.

Anti-Cheat (free): when you check a habit off, the camera opens and you snap a real-time photo, which an AI model running entirely on your iPhone verifies against the habit in under half a second. The photos never leave the device. Brick has no equivalent because Brick does not track what you actually did. See the habit tracker you cannot cheat breakdown.

Price: free with 3 habits, app blocking, custom alarms, streaks, and Anti-Cheat. $2.99/month, $24.99/year (3-day trial), or $79.99 lifetime for unlimited habits.

Switch from Brick if: you want the block tied to finished work, or you do not want to buy and carry a physical device.

Download Habit Doom

2. Unpluq: best if you want the tag ritual with schedules

Unpluq is the closest hardware peer to Brick. It is a physical NFC tag you scan to open blocked apps, with the same "make it slightly annoying to unlock" philosophy. Where it goes further than Brick is scheduling: you can set custom windows (work hours, evenings, weekends) so apps block automatically, and it offers several unlock barriers beyond scanning the tag, like shaking the phone or tapping a sequence of buttons.

The tradeoff is the money. Unpluq runs on a subscription: about $79 for the tag with the first year of Unpluq+ included, then roughly $35 per year after that. Brick is a one-time buy. So if you like the physical tag but want built-in schedules, Unpluq is the pick. If you hate recurring fees, this is exactly where Brick wins and Unpluq does not.

Switch from Brick if: you want the tag but also want automatic schedules and do not mind an annual fee.

Visit Unpluq

3. One Sec: best software-only friction

There is no hardware and no hard block here. One Sec interrupts the moment you open Instagram with a breathing pause, then asks whether you still want to continue. What it gives you that Brick does not is portability and awareness: nothing to carry, and it tracks how often you decided not to open the app after the pause, which is concrete data on your impulse control over time.

The catch is the flip side of the design. After the pause, you can proceed. There is no physical wall like leaving a Brick at home, so for anyone who needs a genuine boundary during set hours, One Sec is gentler than Brick. It runs free with limits, or $3.99/month, or $14.99/year for premium.

Switch from Brick if: you found the hardware fiddly and want awareness rather than a physical block.

Visit One Sec

4. Opal: best for scheduled focus sessions

The pivot: Opal blocks distracting apps during scheduled focus sessions and gives you polished analytics on where your time went. No hardware, no tap. You set the windows ("Deep Work 9 to 12"), pick the apps, and Opal enforces the schedule.

What it solves that Brick does not: automation and data. Brick is manual and location-based. Opal runs on the clock and shows you detailed trends, which suits people who want reporting alongside blocking.

The catch: it is the priciest option here at $19.99/month or $99.99/year, and the free tier is limited. You are paying for polish and analytics, not a hard physical boundary.

Switch from Brick if: you want scheduled sessions and analytics instead of a manual, location-based tap.

Visit Opal

5. Foqos: best free take on Brick's model

Foqos is a free, open-source app blocker that uses the same NFC tap idea as Brick: you scan a tag to start and stop a blocking profile. Because it is open source and free, you supply your own NFC tags (cheap stickers work), which makes it the closest thing to "Brick, but without the $59." It is the honest answer to anyone searching for a free Brick alternative that keeps the physical-tap ritual.

The tradeoff is polish and support. You are trading a finished product and a warranty for free and open. If you are technical enough to buy your own tags and set them up, Foqos does the core job Brick does at no cost.

Switch from Brick if: you like the tap-a-tag model but want it free and do not mind a little setup.

Visit Foqos

Habit Doom

Lock distracting apps until your habits are done. No sign-in required.

★★★★★ 5.0 on the App Store

Download Free

Quick comparison: Brick vs alternatives

Is there a free alternative to Brick?

Yes, and there are two honest paths depending on what you liked about Brick.

If you want the block without the hardware: Habit Doom's free tier covers up to 3 habits, real app blocking through the Apple Screen Time API, custom alarms, and streaks, with no card required. The lock is tamper-resistant, holding through uninstall, force-quit, and clock changes, which is the part most free blockers skip. Instead of tapping a puck, you unlock by finishing your habits, so there is nothing to carry and nothing to lose.

If you want to keep the tap-a-tag ritual for free: Foqos is open source and free. You buy your own NFC stickers (a few dollars) and set up profiles, then tap to block and unblock the same way Brick works. You trade Brick's finished hardware and support for zero cost.

What is not really free: Brick itself has no free version, since the block depends on the device. iOS Screen Time is free and works as a backup layer, but its Ignore Limit button defeats the block in one tap for the person who set it.

Which alternative fits which Brick user?

If you left Brick over the price: Habit Doom (free tier) or Foqos (free, bring your own tags).

If you liked the physical tag but wanted schedules: Unpluq, as long as the subscription does not bother you.

If carrying the puck was the annoying part: Habit Doom, One Sec, or Opal, all software only.

If you want the block tied to finished work, not a manual tap: Habit Doom is the only option here that gates your apps behind completed habits.

If you want scheduling and analytics: Opal for the polish, Unpluq if you still want a tag in the loop.

Disclosure: Habit Doom is our app. We have tried to give every alternative on this list a fair read, but factor that in. Brick is a genuinely good product for people who want a tangible object and hate subscriptions. The best alternative is the one that fits how you actually fail, not the one with the longest feature list. For broader context, see the best iPhone app blockers of 2026 or the task-based app blockers roundup.

The honest take

Brick works because it makes the block physical: leave the puck behind and your apps are gone until you are back. That is a real, clever boundary. But a physical object is also the weakness. It costs $59, you have to carry it or leave it on purpose, and the moment you slip it in your pocket the whole thing collapses. The alternatives here remove the object in different ways. Habit Doom ties the unlock to finished habits, Unpluq keeps the tag but adds schedules, One Sec and Opal drop the hardware entirely, and Foqos rebuilds Brick's model for free. Pick one. Use it for two weeks. If it does not stick, try the next. Cycling between blockers without committing is the slowest path to less time on your phone.