---
title: "ScreenZen Alternative for iPhone: Unlockr vs ScreenZen (2026)"
source: https://unlockr.space/compare/screenzen-alternative
---

Unlockr vs ScreenZen · An honest comparison
vs
# Looking for a ScreenZen alternative?
Unlockr is a ScreenZen alternative for people who find a wait too easy to sit through. ScreenZen makes you wait before an app opens; Unlockr makes you do something: 20 squats, a plank or a quick Math round earns minutes that only count while you use the app. ScreenZen is free; Unlockr is free for one app.
Try Unlockr freeSee the comparison ↓ TT
Full disclosure: I make Unlockr, so I'm not neutral. I think ScreenZen is a genuinely good app, and this comparison plays it straight. Where ScreenZen is the better pick, I say so.
Tin, maker of Unlockr
## Unlockr vs ScreenZen at a glance
| Feature | Unlockr | ScreenZen |
| Price | Free for 1 app; Premium $34.99/yr | Free, optional tips |
| What you do to get in | Finish a challenge | Wait out a delay |
| Delay that grows each open | No | Yes |
| Exercise to unlock | Yes, counted on device | No |
| Strict block | No, you can always earn your way in | Yes |
| Schedules | Yes, up to 8 rules | Yes, per day and app |
| Breathing while you wait | Daily Breathe, once a day | Yes |
Pricing and features checked November 2026. Sources: ScreenZen on the App Store.
## What ScreenZen does well
- It is free, with no plan limits. Tips are optional.
- Very fine control: delays that grow with each open, limits, strict blocks by time range or number of opens, and per-day schedules.
- Locks on its own settings, so you can't quietly loosen them in a weak moment.
- Loved by its users: 4.9 stars from more than 53,000 ratings on the US App Store.
### When ScreenZen is the better choice
If you want a capable, completely free tool and you are happy to fine-tune delays and limits, ScreenZen is hard to beat. Unlockr is worth a look if waiting has stopped working for you, and you would rather spend those seconds moving or thinking than staring at a timer.
## Why try Unlockr
- Effort, not willpower — a set of squats, push-ups or a plank, or a Math or Memory round, stands between you and the app. Much harder to tap past on autopilot.
- Time that only counts while you use it — earned minutes tick down only while the app is open, so locking your phone never wastes them. They reset at midnight.
- Rules that follow your day — up to 8 rules for work hours, evenings or your own schedule, each with its own apps, challenge and reward.
- The camera stays on your iPhone — reps are counted on device. No frame is saved or uploaded, and Math, Memory and Breathe don't need the camera at all.
- Built and answered by one developer — Unlockr is made by Tin in Da Nang, Vietnam. When you email support, he answers.
## Frequently asked questions
**Q:** Is ScreenZen really free?
Yes. ScreenZen's features are free and tips are optional. Unlockr is free for one rule protecting one app, with Premium for more.
**Q:** Which one is stricter?
It depends on your settings. ScreenZen can strictly block apps for time ranges or after a number of opens. Unlockr always lets you back in, but only after a challenge.
## What people say about Unlockr.
★★★★★
> Really help me reduce screen time 🥹
★★★★★
> Very helpful app. Should use this to improve your health and reduce using your phone every day.
★★★★★
> This app is very useful. It offers different ways to improve your health, and it also helps curb overusing your phone for entertainment.
★★★★★
> Really suited to helping cut down daily phone use.
## Pricing
Free
$0
Free forever
Download free
- 1 rule protecting 1 app
- Every challenge, with your own target and reward
- Schedules, streak and stats
- Daily Breathe bonus
Premium Best value: yearly
$34.99/year
3-day free trial for eligible users · or $5.99/month, $2.99/week, $69.99 once
Start free trial
- Multiple apps, whole categories and websites
- Up to 8 rules for different times of day
- Everything in Free
- If Premium ends, your rules stay saved
Prices in US dollars. The App Store shows your local price before you buy.
## More comparisons
- Opal alternativeUnlockr vs Opal
- one sec alternativeUnlockr vs one sec
- Brick alternativeUnlockr vs Brick
- Screen Time alternativeUnlockr vs Screen Time
- Best app blockersSeven options side by side
## Ready to earn your screen time?
Start free with one protected app. It takes a minute to set up.
Download on theApp Store