What is a good free alternative to both One Sec and Opal?

PauseMate combines One Sec's mindful pause with a free, cover-every-app model, and adds an escalating sequence (breathe → reflect → wait) plus optional Focus Mode blocking. Everything stays on your device with no account or analytics.

Comparison

One Sec vs Opal: Which Should You Use?

Q: Is One Sec or Opal cheaper?

One Sec is generally the cheaper of the two — Opal is often cited as one of the more expensive screen time apps. That said, One Sec's free tier is limited to a small number of apps, so covering several feeds usually means its paid plan. If price is the deciding factor and you want something free that covers every app, PauseMate is worth considering. Always confirm current pricing on each App Store listing.

Q: Do I need to block apps, or is a pause enough?

For most everyday overuse, a pause is enough and tends to be more sustainable — a 2019 ACM CHI study found a brief pause before an app opened cut visits by up to 47%. Scheduled blocking like Opal's is stronger for genuine deep-work lock-outs. PauseMate offers both: a gentle escalating pause by default, plus an optional Focus Mode for hard blocking.

Updated July 2026 · 6 min read

The short answer: One Sec interrupts you with a mindful breathing pause before a distracting app opens — it's the cheaper option, but its free tier only covers a limited set of apps. Opal is a scheduled blocker with difficulty levels, gamification, and weekly reports — more structured, but subscription-led and one of the pricier screen time apps. Choose One Sec for a low-cost mindful pause; choose Opal for scheduled deep-work lock-outs. If you want free, mindful, and optional blocking, PauseMate is a third option built for exactly that.

These are two of the most-compared focus apps on iPhone, and they represent two different philosophies. One Sec believes the moment of interruption is what breaks the habit. Opal believes removing the option for a scheduled window is what protects your focus. Both work — the right one depends on which of those actually changes your behaviour, and how much you're willing to pay.

One Sec — the mindful breathing pause

One Sec popularised the friction approach. When you try to open a flagged app, it intercepts and runs a short intervention — a deep breath, sometimes a reflection — before letting you continue or turn back. Many people say the breath alone is enough to make them put the phone down. It leans on Apple Shortcuts to trigger the interception, and its makers cite research (with the Max Planck Institute) showing meaningful reductions in social media use.

The catch is coverage: the free tier protects only a limited number of apps, so most people who want to cover several feeds end up on the paid plan. Even then, One Sec is usually the cheaper of the two apps here.

Best for: people who respond to a calm, deliberate ritual and want the most affordable way to add a pause.

Opal — scheduled blocking with structure

Opal is a polished, structured blocker. You create focus sessions that block chosen apps and sites for a set period, with several difficulty levels (from a gentle nudge to a genuinely hard lock-out). It gamifies progress — streaks, gems, comparing with friends — and sends detailed weekly reports. It's iPhone-first, effective, and well-designed.

The trade-offs: it's subscription-led and frequently cited as one of the most expensive options, and it's account-based, so your usage is tied to a profile rather than kept purely on-device.

Best for: people who want scheduled, structured lock-outs with tracking and gamification, and don't mind paying for it.

App	Signature approach	Escalation	Price model	Privacy
One Sec	Mindful breathing pause / intervention	Intervention-based	Free tier (limited apps) + paid plan; cheaper of the two	Check current App Store privacy label
Opal	Scheduled focus sessions + gamified tracking	Difficulty levels per session	Subscription-led; often the pricier option	Account-based
PauseMate	Escalating pause (breathe, reflect, wait) + optional Focus Mode	Built-in: breath → reflect → wait	Free, with optional upgrade	On-device only — no accounts, no servers

Pricing, features, and privacy practices change frequently — always confirm the current details on each app's App Store listing before deciding.

The deciding factor

It comes down to pause versus schedule, and price. If a mindful moment is what stops you mid-reach — and you want the cheaper app — One Sec is the pick. If you want to pre-commit to blocked windows with structure and tracking, and the cost isn't a barrier, Opal earns it. But notice what neither leads with: One Sec's mindfulness and a free, cover-everything model and optional hard blocking, all in one. That gap is where the third option lives.

PauseMate — free, mindful, and it escalates

PauseMate combines One Sec's mindful pause with a free, cover-every-app model, and adds what both leave out: escalation. The pause builds in stages — a breath first, then a reflection prompt, then a timed wait if you keep coming back — so the friction matches your behaviour in the moment instead of being the same every time. When a pause genuinely isn't enough, an optional Focus Mode gives you Opal-style hard blocking. Everything stays on your device — no account, no analytics — and it's grounded in the same 2019 ACM CHI research as the apps above, where a pause cut app visits by up to 47%. See how PauseMate works →

Quick recommendation

Want a mindful pause on a budget? → One Sec (or PauseMate)
Want scheduled, structured lock-outs with tracking? → Opal
Want free + mindful + escalating + optional blocking, on-device? → PauseMate

Don't pay a premium to take back your focus

PauseMate gives you One Sec's mindful pause and Opal's optional hard blocking — escalating from breath to reflect to wait — for free, with everything kept on your device. No account, no tracking.

Download PauseMate — Free

Frequently asked questions

One Sec vs Opal — which is better?

It depends on what changes your behaviour. One Sec uses a mindful breathing pause and is the cheaper of the two, though its free tier covers a limited set of apps. Opal is a scheduled blocker with gamification and weekly reports, but it's subscription-led and one of the pricier options. Pick One Sec for a mindful pause on a budget; pick Opal for structured, scheduled lock-outs.

Is One Sec or Opal cheaper?

One Sec is generally cheaper — Opal is often cited as one of the more expensive screen time apps. But One Sec's free tier is limited to a few apps, so covering several usually means its paid plan. If you want something free that covers every app, PauseMate is worth a look. Always confirm current pricing on each App Store listing.

Do I need to block apps, or is a pause enough?

For most everyday overuse, a pause is enough and more sustainable — a 2019 ACM CHI study found a pause before an app opened cut visits by up to 47%. Scheduled blocking is stronger for deep-work lock-outs. PauseMate offers both: a gentle escalating pause by default, plus an optional Focus Mode for hard blocking.

What's a good free alternative to both?

PauseMate combines One Sec's mindful pause with a free, cover-every-app model, adds an escalating sequence (breathe → reflect → wait), and includes optional Focus Mode blocking. Everything stays on your device with no account or analytics.