Alternatives
Opal alternatives for Android: 6 options compared
Opal is one of the best-known screen-time apps, and since 2025 it runs on Android. But its paid plan is expensive, and its own help center says the Android version doesn’t yet match the iPhone one. Here are six alternatives, compared fairly.
Opal on Android, in short
- Availability: Opal launched on Android in the summer of 2025. On Google Play it has more than 500,000 downloads.
- How it blocks: on Android 14 and newer it uses Android's accessibility service to detect and cover blocked apps.
- Feature parity: Opal's own help center says it has "not yet implemented feature parity" on Android, and lists the Emergency Pass as coming soon.
- Price: the free plan includes one rule. Pro costs $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $399 for life on Opal's website, with up to 50% off for students. Prices inside the Play Store app can differ, so check there before you buy.
If Opal works for you, it's a polished app, and its "Deep Focus" sessions can't be cancelled once started. People usually look elsewhere for two reasons: the price, and features still missing on Android.
Opal alternatives for Android at a glance
| App | Free version | Paid | How it stops you | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opal | 1 rule | $99.99/yr, $399 lifetime | Blocks apps in sessions and schedules | Reference point |
| ScreenZen | Everything | Donations only | A waiting delay, daily open limits, schedules | Free and gentle |
| one sec | 1 app | Pro, about $19/yr | A breathing pause before the app opens | Cutting reflex opens |
| AppBlock | 3 apps, 3 sites, 3 schedules | Subscription or lifetime | Schedules, quick block, strict mode | Classic blocking |
| Freedom | Trial | $8.99/mo, or $99.50 "Forever" (on sale) | Block sessions synced across devices | Phone and computer |
| Digital Wellbeing | Built in | Free | Focus mode, App timers | Trying before installing |
| Night Bandit | Blocking, curfew, walk to unlock, streaks | Plus: €19.99/yr, €2.99/mo or €39.99 lifetime | Walk to a spot at home and scan it; each walk buys less time | Bedtime scrolling |
1. ScreenZen: the free one
ScreenZen is completely free and funded by donations. Instead of a hard block, it makes you wait a few seconds before an app opens and asks whether you really want to continue. You can also cap how many times a day an app opens, set schedules, and turn on a lock mode. It has over a million downloads on Google Play. Pick it if you want something gentle and free. Skip it if a waiting screen is easy for you to tap through.
2. one sec: the research-backed pause
one sec shows a short breathing exercise before a chosen app opens. It's the app behind a peer-reviewed field study (PNAS, 2023): over six weeks, 280 participants closed the app on 36% of their attempts to open it, and their attempts fell by 37%. One of the co-authors is the app's developer, worth knowing when you read the numbers. The free version covers one app; Pro costs about $19 a year according to its help center. Pick it if your problem is opening apps on autopilot.
3. AppBlock: classic schedules
AppBlock has been around for years and has over 10 million downloads. Its free Android tier blocks up to 3 apps and 3 websites or keywords, with up to 3 schedules. Paid plans remove the limits and add a strict mode that's harder to cancel, with a lifetime option as well as a subscription. Pick it if you want straightforward schedules for work and evenings.
4. Freedom: phone and computer together
Freedom blocks apps and websites across your phone and your computers at the same time, from one schedule. It costs $8.99 a month, or $99.50 for its "Forever" plan (on sale from $199 when we checked). Pick it if your distractions follow you from the phone to the laptop.
5. Digital Wellbeing: the one you already have
Every recent Android phone includes Google's Digital Wellbeing or its own version of it. Focus mode pauses chosen apps on a schedule, and App timers set a daily limit. It's free and a good first step, but its pause can be ended with a tap. Our guide explains how to lock apps at night with it, step by step.
6. Night Bandit: the one you have to walk for
Night Bandit is our app, so take this section with that in mind. It locks your chosen apps and websites every night at bedtime, and during the day once your scroll budget runs out. Instead of an override button, the way back in is physical: walk to a spot you registered at home, such as your kettle, and scan it with the camera. Each walk buys less time the same day (10, 5, 3, then 2 minutes). Calls, texts, your alarm and Settings are never blocked, and if the camera can't recognise your spot within 90 seconds you get in anyway. Loosening the rules (unblocking an app, a shorter curfew, a bigger budget) waits 24 hours. There are streaks, XP and a raccoon called Nox who takes your phone at night. It's free to start; Plus is planned at €19.99 a year, €2.99 a month or €39.99 for life. It's in closed beta on Android.
Pick it if your problem is the evening and "just one more video". Skip it if you need your phone and your computer blocked together (Freedom does that better).
How to choose
- You want free: start with Digital Wellbeing, then ScreenZen.
- You open apps without thinking: one sec.
- You need work-hours schedules: AppBlock.
- Your distractions are on the laptop too: Freedom.
- Your problem is scrolling in bed: Night Bandit.
Questions
Is Opal available on Android?
Yes, since the summer of 2025. On Android 14 and newer it uses the accessibility service to block apps. Its help center says the Android version doesn’t yet have full feature parity with iPhone.
Is there a free alternative to Opal on Android?
Yes. ScreenZen is completely free (donations only), Digital Wellbeing is built into Android, and AppBlock and one sec have free tiers. Night Bandit’s core is also free.
How much does Opal cost?
On Opal’s website: a free plan with one rule, then Pro at $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $399 for life, with student discounts. In-app prices on Google Play can differ.
Which Opal alternative is hardest to cheat?
Apps with a strict mode (AppBlock, Freedom) or a physical step (Night Bandit’s walk to a spot at home, or NFC gadgets like Brick) are harder to bypass on impulse than a one-tap pause.
Martin Michaux, founder of Night Bandit. Martin is the solo developer of Night Bandit, based in Belgium. He built it because every screen-time limit on his own phone was one tap away from being ignored.
Sources
Prices and features checked on 25 September 2026. They change; follow the links for the current version.