Brick Alternatives for iPhone (2026): Do You Need the Hardware?

Brick is a physical puck you tap your phone against to block distracting apps. It costs $59, one-time, with no subscription, and it works on iPhone and Android.

The friction is real: leave the Brick in another room, and you physically cannot unblock your apps. But $59 and an object to carry isn't right for everyone, and that's why most people end up searching for a Brick alternative.

Here's what's worth switching to, and when the hardware is genuinely the better buy.

Why people look for a Brick alternative

Three reasons come up repeatedly:

• The price. $59 is a real outlay when free software blockers exist.
• Carrying it. The Brick only works if it's where you need it. Leave it at home and you can't start a session away from your desk.
• Losing it. Brick includes five Emergency Unbricks in the app for exactly this, which unblock everything if the puck goes missing. More are available by emailing their support, but the number isn't unlimited.

What Brick genuinely does better

Worth saying plainly: physical separation is the strongest friction available on a phone.

Every software blocker, including the ones below, ultimately asks you to not undo it. An object in another room doesn't negotiate. If you've tried four apps and defeated all of them, the hardware is not a gimmick: it's the thing that works.

The best Brick alternatives

Pause: free, no hardware, strict enforcement

Disclosure: we make Pause.

Pause is free with no account required. It gives you five blocking methods: Session, Schedule, Time Limit, Open Limit, and Friction Lock, plus Strict Mode, which locks session editing and App List changes until the session ends. Friction Lock requires solving a challenge before access returns.

Nothing to buy, nothing to carry, nothing to lose. What Brick does better: you can't put software in another room.

Foqos: free, open-source, and NFC-based

If the tap-a-tag mechanic is what you want but $59 isn't, Foqos does it for free. It's open-source, privacy-first, takes no account or subscription, and works with any NFC tag, including a printed code you leave somewhere inconvenient. The closest thing to Brick without the price.

ScreenZen: free, and more capable than most lists admit

Delay timers, scroll interruption, daily goals, strict blocking by time range or number of opens, and settings locks with an accountability partner. Free, funded by optional tips. A genuinely strong option and often the right first try.

AppBlock: best value paid software

Blocks apps and websites with a Strict Mode that prevents editing rules or uninstalling for a set period. Around $4.99 monthly, $29.99 yearly, or $89.99 lifetime.

Apple Screen Time: free, and the weakest

Already on your phone, but when you hit your limit, iOS offers "Ignore Limit for Today," one tap away. A starting point, not a solution. How to remove Ignore Limit on Screen Time.

Brick vs Pause

Who should buy the Brick anyway?

Be honest with yourself here. If you've already tried two or three software blockers and found a way past each one, more software probably isn't the answer; you need the object. $59 once is cheap against the hours it buys back.

If you haven't tried a strict software blocker yet, start free. Most people never need the hardware.

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