Honest comparison · Reviewed June 23, 2026 # ScreenFine vs Unpluq Unpluq is a physical NFC tag (about $79, then $35 per year) that keeps your chosen apps locked until you tap the tag. ScreenFine charges $1 per week and hard-blocks your target apps when you cross your daily total, unlocking only after 25 verified pushups, 1,000 steps, or 10 mindful minutes. Unpluq adds physical friction. ScreenFine adds a consequence you have to earn back. [See the table](#table) [Get ScreenFine](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/screenfine-screen-time-limit/id6760267071) ## Is ScreenFine a good Unpluq alternative? Shopping for a Unpluq alternative? Here is the honest, no-spin head-to-head. Unpluq: A physical NFC tag paired with an app. Your chosen apps stay blocked until you tap the tag, adding a deliberate, friction-heavy step between you and the scroll. Schedules and screen-time stats are included. ScreenFine takes a different approach to the same problem. The comparison table below, and the where-each-wins breakdown after it, show exactly where each tool pulls ahead and who should switch. Side by side ## ScreenFine vs Unpluq Feature ScreenFine Unpluq First-year cost ~$52 ($1/week) ~$79 (tag + 1 yr) Ongoing cost $1/week ~$35 / yr Requires hardware App only Physical NFC tag Unblock requires effort 25 pushups / 1,000 steps, verified Tap the tag Total-device daily cap The whole point Schedules + selected apps App blocking limit No app cap iOS capped at 49 apps AI personality / roast notification Six villains Public accountability Wall of Shame + partner mode Works if you lose the device Nothing to carry Tag needed to unlock Best for People who want a behavioural consequence People who want a physical, ritual barrier Last fact-checked June 23, 2026. [See Unpluq for yourself](https://www.unpluq.com/). Where ScreenFine wins - ### Nothing to carry, lose, or leave behind Unpluq depends on a physical tag. If you leave it at home or lose it, the system breaks one way or the other. ScreenFine is software only. The consequence travels with you because it is your own steps and pushups, not an object you have to keep on hand. - ### A consequence, not just a barrier Tapping the Unpluq tag is friction, but it costs you nothing once the tag is in your hand. ScreenFine's lock costs 25 verified pushups or 1,000 steps per overage block. The barrier is effort you actually have to spend, which is harder to game than a tap. - ### No app cap On iOS, Unpluq limits you to 49 blocked apps. ScreenFine enforces a single daily total across your whole device, so there is no per-app ceiling to manage or hit. - ### Personality and public stakes ScreenFine adds an AI villain roast on every slip plus a Wall of Shame and partner mode. Unpluq is a quiet hardware barrier with no social or motivational layer. For people who need outside accountability, that layer is the difference. Where Unpluq wins - ### Genuinely hard to bypass A physical tag is one of the hardest barriers to defeat in a weak moment. You cannot talk yourself past an object that is in another room. If raw bypass-resistance is what you need, Unpluq (like Brick) is very strong. - ### No recurring weekly charge After the tag, Unpluq is a flat annual subscription of about $35. ScreenFine bills $1 every week. Some people prefer paying once a year over a recurring weekly line item, even if the annual totals are close. - ### A satisfying ritual The deliberate tap-to-unlock is a small ceremony that many users genuinely like. ScreenFine's consequence is exercise, which is effort, not ritual. If you want the act of unlocking to feel intentional and physical, Unpluq delivers that. - ### Schedule-based blocking Unpluq blocks selected apps on a schedule (work hours, evenings, weekends). ScreenFine is built around a daily total rather than time windows. If you think in schedules, Unpluq maps to that more directly. ## Pick ScreenFine if - + You do not want to carry or rely on a physical object. - + You want the barrier to be real effort, not a tap you can do anytime. - + You want a daily total cap rather than scheduled blocks on selected apps. - + You want accountability and personality, not a silent hardware gate. ## Pick Unpluq if - + You want the hardest physical barrier you can get and do not mind carrying a tag. - + You prefer a flat annual cost over a weekly charge. - + You like the deliberate ritual of tapping to unlock. - + Scheduled blocking of specific apps fits how you think. via schemas[]) --> Common questions ## About ScreenFine vs Unpluq ### Is ScreenFine a good Unpluq alternative? If you like the idea of hard blocking but do not want to depend on a physical tag, yes. ScreenFine delivers a strict, hard-to-game consequence in software, so there is no object to carry, lose, or leave behind. ### Which is harder to bypass? They are hard in different ways. Unpluq is physically hard to bypass because the tag can be in another room. ScreenFine is behaviourally hard to bypass because the lock has no override. You either do the verified exercise or you let the slip stand and post. ### Which is cheaper, Unpluq or ScreenFine? The first year is similar: Unpluq is about $79 (tag plus a year), ScreenFine about $52. After that Unpluq is roughly $35 per year versus ScreenFine at $1 per week (about $52 per year). Unpluq is slightly cheaper in steady state; ScreenFine has no hardware cost up front. ### Can I use Unpluq and ScreenFine together? Yes. Unpluq's tag for deep-focus windows plus ScreenFine's daily cap for the rest of the day is a workable stack. They do not interfere. ## Compare ScreenFine with other tools - [See the full Brick comparison](/compare/vs/brick/) - [See the full Freedom comparison](/compare/vs/freedom/) - [See the full Cold Turkey comparison](/compare/vs/cold-turkey/) - [See the full Opal comparison](/compare/vs/opal/) - [See the full Apple Screen Time comparison](/compare/vs/apple-screen-time/) - [See the full One Sec comparison](/compare/vs/one-sec/) - [See the full ScreenZen comparison](/compare/vs/screenzen/) ## Related reading - [Commitment devices: the mechanism behind verified-exercise locks](/guides/commitment-devices/) - [How to reduce screen time: a 5-step plan](/guides/how-to-reduce-screen-time/) - [How the fine jar works](/features/fine-jar/) - [AI villain: the consequence delivery layer](/features/ai-villain/) - [Screen Time Cost Index 2026 (data report)](/data/screen-time-cost-index-2026/) - [Unpluq alternatives roundup](/alternatives/unpluq/) ## Ready to put real exercise on the line? $1 per week via Apple IAP. 25 pushups per 15-minute overage block. No variable charges. [Get ScreenFine](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/screenfine-screen-time-limit/id6760267071) [See all comparisons](/compare/)