Opal: Screen Time Control

The fun, free Screen Time app to improve your focus.

4.8•5 reviews•

472 followers

The fun, free Screen Time app to improve your focus.

4.8•5 reviews•

472 followers

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Achieve screen time control with the world’s most-loved screen time app! Opal is the fun, free Screen Time app to improve your focus and make the most out of every day. 5 to 6 hours. That’s the average time you’ll spend looking at your phone today, often without realizing it. It's time to fight back. With a combination of screen time control, app limits, app blockers, real time data, leaderboards and rewards, you will focus better and accomplish your dreams, just like Opal’s members.

The Best Opal: Screen Time Control Alternatives

The best Opal: Screen Time Control alternatives are Freedom, ScreenZen, Gertrude, Indistractable, and Arc.

Freedom

5.0 ·

Choose Freedom if...

✓you need cross-device blocks on desktop and mobile
✓you want to block the entire internet
✓you prefer recurring schedules for deep work

See details ↓

ScreenZen

5.0 ·

Choose ScreenZen if...

✓you want gentle friction instead of hard lockouts
✓you need granular iOS rules and timed windows
✓you like streaks and behavior-change gamification

See details ↓

Gertrude

Choose Gertrude if...

✓you need strict allowlist filtering for kids
✓you want remote parental controls via web dashboard
✓you need stronger anti-circumvention than Screen Time

See details ↓

Indistractable

5.0 ·

Choose Indistractable if...

✓you want a minimalist Android home screen
✓you prefer reducing temptation over blocking apps
✓you want fewer visual triggers and clutter

See details ↓

Arc

4.8 ·

Choose Arc if...

✓you want vertical tabs and better tab organization
✓you rely on split view for research workflows
✓you want a more focused browsing experience

See details ↓

What to Consider

Opal: Screen Time Control has become a go-to for people who want stronger-than-native screen-time enforcement, with just enough friction to curb compulsive app checking and clear, real-time usage visibility. But the alternatives landscape is surprisingly broad: some tools aim for cross-device “hard blocks” across desktop and mobile, others take a gentler iOS-first approach with delays and gamified guardrails, and some shift the battlefield entirely—reducing distraction at the launcher level or rethinking how you browse so you don’t generate the problem (tab sprawl, endless feeds) in the first place.

In evaluating options, we emphasized how difficult blocks are to bypass, cross-platform coverage, scheduling and flexibility (work focus vs off-hours boundaries), and whether the experience feels lightweight or heavyweight in daily use. We also weighed pricing/value, admin-friendly controls for families or schools, and what real users specifically praised or flagged as missing—especially around mobile parity, analytics quality, and the practicality of sticking with the system long-term.

Freedom

Freedom to focus on what matters most.

5.0 · 1 review

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If your biggest problem is distraction bouncing between laptop and phone, Freedom is built for synchronized blocking across macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and browsers. It’s a strong alternative to Opal: Screen Time Control when you need one focus session to follow you everywhere, rather than an app-first approach centered on mobile habits.

Freedom also leans into “big hammer” modes: you can block specific sites and apps, or block the entire internet with exceptions, which is ideal for writing sprints, deep work, and study blocks. Scheduled and recurring sessions make it easy to set consistent rules (like weekday mornings) without constantly reconfiguring blocks.

Compared with Opal’s behavior-shaping friction and focus scoring, Freedom’s advantage is breadth (more desktop support) and straightforward enforcement across devices. It’s especially compelling when your distractions are primarily websites and desktop apps, or when you want organization-wide focus windows with consistent rules.

Best for

Ideal for people who need cross-device blocking across desktop and mobile on a fixed schedule.

Standout features

✓Cross-device synced focus sessions
✓Block apps, sites, or all internet
✓Recurring schedules and routines
✓Allowlist exceptions for research
✓Desktop app blocking on Mac/Windows

ScreenZen

Build a balanced relationship with your phone

5.0 · 1 review

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ScreenZen takes a gentler, habit-first route to screen-time control by adding friction right before you open distracting apps. If Opal feels like a full focus system with scores and stronger lock modes, ScreenZen is a compelling alternative when you want lighter-weight guardrails that still stop the “just one more check” loop.

Its core advantage is granular iOS configuration: timed unlock windows, per-app/group rules, and launch delays that make impulsive opens less automatic. That approach is designed for people who don’t want to fully lock themselves out, but do want a consistent speed bump that makes intentional use more likely.

ScreenZen also fits well for users who respond to streaks, rewards, and awareness features instead of strict enforcement. For many, it’s the sweet spot between iOS Screen Time (too easy to override) and hard blockers that can feel overly restrictive.

Best for

Best for iPhone users who want gentle friction and granular rules over strict lockouts.

Standout features

✓App launch delays to reduce impulses
✓Timed unlock windows for quick checks
✓Per-app and group schedules
✓Streaks and gamified habit tracking
✓Website and domain blocking on iOS

Gertrude

Rethinking parental controls for macOS.

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Gertrude is a different class of alternative to Opal: Screen Time Control: it’s built for parental controls and school-like lockdowns, not self-imposed productivity. Instead of trying to nudge behavior with friction, it can default to “block everything unless allowed,” which is often what parents actually need for macOS homework setups.

A standout advantage is the remote admin experience—parents can control access from an admin-only web UI and handle exceptions without sitting at the child’s computer. The product also emphasizes practical workflows like unlock requests so kids can ask for a needed site and parents can approve quickly.

Gertrude goes beyond basic Screen Time patterns by focusing on circumvention paths and tightening the ecosystem, aiming for fewer loopholes than typical blocklists. If Opal is about personal focus blocks, Gertrude is the pick when you need enforceable, centrally managed boundaries for a child’s Apple devices.

Best for

Ideal for parents or schools who need strict, allowlist-based controls on Apple devices.

Standout features

✓Default-deny web filtering with allowlists
✓Remote admin dashboard from any device
✓Child unlock requests for blocked sites
✓Reusable allowlist bundles via keychains
✓Optional transparent monitoring tools

Indistractable

Your Path to Productivity

5.0 · 1 review

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A minimalist launcher changes the environment instead of fighting temptation with timers, and that’s where Indistractable shines. It’s a strong alternative to Opal: Screen Time Control for Android users who want to reduce screen time by making the phone less stimulating the moment they unlock it.

Because it operates at the home-screen level, it can reduce the constant cueing that drives compulsive opens—less icon clutter, fewer visual triggers, and a more intentional “search to open” flow. This can be especially helpful if your problem isn’t a handful of addictive apps, but the frictionless path from unlock → tap → scroll.

Indistractable pairs well with Android Digital Wellbeing or other blockers, but it can also stand alone as a softer intervention. If Opal’s core value is enforcement, Indistractable’s is redesigning the default experience so you reach for your phone less often in the first place.

Best for

Best for Android users who want distraction reduction via a calmer home screen.

Standout features

✓Minimalist home screen replacement
✓Search-first app launching
✓Hide and rename distracting apps
✓Screen-time glance on the launcher
✓Clean UI with customization options

Arc

A new web browser with a ton of personality

4.8 · 238 reviews

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Arc tackles distraction by reinventing how you browse, which makes it an interesting alternative to Opal: Screen Time Control when the web is your main rabbit hole. Rather than blocking access, Arc reduces the chaos that leads to context switching—turning tab overload into organized workspaces.

Its vertical tabs and Spaces feel designed for modern widescreen workflows, and the command bar can replace both address bar and tab search for faster navigation. Users also highlight split view and fullscreen UX as major productivity upgrades for research and writing.

The trade-off is that Arc isn’t a strict screen-time enforcer; it’s a better browser experience that can make focused browsing easier. There are also some rough edges—people note the mobile app still lags behind the desktop version, and the lack of persistent bookmarks can be frustrating if you treat your browser like a library.