one sec vs Opal vs ScreenZen: An Honest Comparison (2026)

People often compare these three apps when they want to use their phone less. I've used one sec and Opal myself, along with Apple's Screen Time. I haven't used ScreenZen, so for it I rely on its listing, its website and its reviews.

Disclosure: I make YourPriority, which I mention at the end. All prices, plans and ratings were checked on the US App Store and each company's website on 9 October 2026.

one sec vs Opal vs ScreenZen at a glance

How does each app work?

one sec: a pause before the app opens

When you open an app you've chosen, one sec stops you for a few seconds with a breathing animation, then asks if you still want to continue. It's set up through an iPhone Shortcuts automation. It can also remind you to leave an app after a set time. The point is to turn an automatic habit into a choice.

There's real research behind it. In a 2023 study published in PNAS, people using one sec closed the app instead of opening it in 36% of attempts. After six weeks, they opened their chosen apps 57% less often. Two cautions: the study had no control group, and one of its authors built one sec.

Opal: blocking with rules

Opal is a full blocker. You set rules: a schedule, a time limit, or a limit on how many times you open an app. It also has focus sessions, a block screen designed to make you stop and think, and a "Hard Mode" that stops you from ending a session early. In mid-2026, Opal redesigned the app and replaced block lists with rules.

ScreenZen: a pause, plus limits

ScreenZen makes you wait before a chosen app opens, and the wait can get longer each time you open it. While you wait, it can ask "Is this important?" or show a breathing exercise. It also has limits by day and time, strict blocks, a settings lock, and streaks. In September 2026, it added an accountability partner who can unlock your settings, and a "Minimal" mode that it says shows Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Reddit without Reels, Shorts or endless feeds.

Which is cheapest?

ScreenZen, because it's free. Next is one sec: free for one app, or $19.99 a year for Pro. Opal is the most expensive at $99.99 a year, although students can get up to 50% off.

Over three years, that's $0 for ScreenZen, about $60 for one sec Pro, and about $300 for Opal Pro, if prices stay the same.

Which is hardest to skip?

A pause slows you down. A block stops you. So:

• Opal with Hard Mode (Pro) is the strictest of the three during a session.
• ScreenZen with its strict block and settings lock comes close, and it's free.
• one sec is the gentlest. Its strict block sessions need Pro.

Remember that you can skip any of them if you delete the app or turn off its access in Settings. Since iOS 26.4, turning off an app's Screen Time access in Settings → Screen Time asks for your Screen Time passcode, if you have one, although developers reported another way to turn it off through Settings → Apps on iOS 26.6. A passcode that someone else knows makes all three much harder to skip.

What do users complain about?

Based on recent US App Store reviews (September and October 2026):

• Opal: many recent reviews complain about bugs and crashes after the 2026 redesign, and about pressure to subscribe. Its overall rating is still high.
• one sec: people dislike that the free plan now covers only one app, and some find the Shortcuts setup hard.
• ScreenZen: very few complaints. A few people say it can be hard to pause, and it asks for ratings.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose one sec if one app is your main problem and you want a gentle pause backed by research.
• Choose ScreenZen if you want pauses and limits for many apps and don't want to pay.
• Choose Opal if you want strict schedules and focus sessions, will use Hard Mode, and are happy to pay (or can get the student discount).

What if none of them fits?

That was my situation. one sec's pause and Opal's blocking didn't fit what I needed. They were basically just blocking apps, and I wanted my phone to remind me of my priorities instead. So I built YourPriority. It works differently from all three:

• Doom Scroll Breaks instead of a pause. You can scroll normally, but after a set time (for example 30 minutes across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube together), those apps lock for a short break, then open again by themselves.
• Your priorities on the block screen, so the moment you're stopped is also the moment you see what to do instead.
• Free blocking: all day, at certain hours, or after a daily limit. Pro ($4.99 a month or $29.99 a year) only adds iCloud Sync between iPhone and Mac.

Its limits, to be fair: on iPhone it blocks apps but not websites yet, and it has no strict session you can't end, only a 20-second wait before you can remove a block.