Alternatives roundup · Reviewed June 23, 2026
Jomo Alternatives
Jomo is a polished, affordable iOS app blocker built on Apple's Screen Time API. If its scheduled blocks and limits have stopped working for you, the fix is usually either a different friction tool or a different mechanism entirely. A verified-exercise lock you cannot wait out. Six options below, with honest "best for" framing.
ScreenFine is the only product in this list that turns an overage into a consequence you have to work off. Cross your daily total and your target apps hard-lock until you complete 25 verified pushups, 1,000 steps, or 10 mindful minutes (camera or HealthKit). Every slip triggers a personalised AI villain roast and can be redeemed within a week. There is no override button, which is the point: people leave Jomo when they learn to wait out the block, and there is nothing to wait out here. Going over never charges your card beyond the flat $1 weekly fee.
Pros
- + A verified-exercise consequence on overage, not just a block
- + A single daily cap across the whole device
- + No override to wait out or toggle off
- + AI villain roast plus Wall of Shame and partner mode
Cons
- - No free tier (7-day trial only)
- - iOS only
- - No website / Safari blocking
- - No lifetime purchase option
Opal is the premium, mature option in the category, built around scheduled Deep Focus sessions and Safari domain blocking. It is more expensive than Jomo but more refined. Like Jomo, it relies on blocks you can end or wait out, so it suits people who respect their own schedules rather than those who break them.
Pros
- + Most polished UX in the category
- + Web blocking in Safari, not just apps
- + Strong scheduled-focus model
Cons
- - Among the most expensive ($80-100/yr)
- - Focus sessions can be ended early
- - No real consequence after a block lifts
One Sec inserts a breathing pause before you open a distracting app. It is the cleanest friction-pause tool and cheaper than Jomo, but it does not enforce a daily total, so you can still scroll for hours once you are past the pause.
Pros
- + Best-designed friction-pause experience
- + Cheaper than Jomo
- + One free app on the free tier
Cons
- - No daily total cap
- - The pause becomes part of the loop for some users
- - No consequence once bypassed
#4 · Best for: Free, mindful, cross-platform
ScreenZen
Free + paid Pro iOS, macOS, Android, Windows
ScreenZen is the free, indie-built, mindful-friction tool with a generous free tier and cross-platform support. Like One Sec, it relies on you honouring the prompt rather than enforcing a hard limit. A good free starting point before paying for anything.
Pros
- + Free for the core experience
- + Cross-platform
- + No dark patterns, lean on data
Cons
- - No daily total-device cap
- - No consequence to ignoring prompts
- - Less polished than paid options
Roots grades the quality of your screen time with a Digital Dopamine tracker and a Daily Balance Score, and uses calming unblock activities (breathe, pet a dog) before opening blocked apps. More insight-heavy than Jomo, and gentler. Best if you want to understand your usage rather than be penalised for it.
Pros
- + Best-in-class wellbeing insights
- + Calm, supportive tone
- + Free tier available
Cons
- - Unblock activities are dismissible
- - More expensive annually than Jomo
- - Gentle approach may be too soft for heavy habits
Apple Screen Time is free and built into iOS. For parents with Family Sharing it is the right tool. For solo adults it has an "Ignore for today" button that turns the limit into a suggestion, which is why most people who try it alone end up looking at apps like Jomo and ScreenFine.
Pros
- + Free and already on every iPhone
- + OS-level integration
- + Best for parents with Family Sharing
Cons
- - "Ignore for today" bypasses the limit in two taps
- - No consequence beyond a banner
- - Reports are easy to ignore
