First, the thing nobody says out loud: on the iPhone, almost every third-party blocker here - Opal, Jomo, Freedom, one sec, ScreenZen, and Soren included - works through Apple’s Screen Time / Family Controls (or Shortcuts). None can block more deeply than Apple allows. So the interesting questions aren’t “does it block?” but how hard is it to weasel out of, what else does it do, and where does your data go?

Roughly, the category does one of four jobs. Most apps pick one. Knowing which job you want makes the choice easy.

Soft awareness / friction - nudge you, easy to override (Apple Screen Time, one sec, ScreenZen).
Serious but escapable blocking - strong sessions you can still end if you decide to (Opal, Freedom, Jomo, Forest).
Physical / hard commitment - a real-world step to unlock (Brick).
Analytics, not blocking - tells you where the time went (Rize, on desktop).

The comparison, at a glance

App	Approach	Can’t exit early?	Daily score?	Sleep?	No account?
Soren	One Soren Score + an unbreakable lock	No pause / skip / exit	0-100 daily	Yes	No account
Forest	Gamified focus timer (grow a tree)	You can give up	Focus stats	No	Mostly on-device
Opal	Polished blocker + Focus Score	“Deep Focus” locks	Focus Score	No	Account-based
Freedom	Cross-device website / app blocker	“Locked Mode” resists	Limited	No	Account / cloud
one sec	A pause (friction) before you open	A speed bump, not a wall	Optional logs	No	On-device
Jomo	Deep blocker + screen-time journal	“Strict Mode” locks	Habit insights	No	Mostly on-device
Brick	Tap a physical NFC tag to unlock	Tap the Brick	Minimal	No	On-device + hardware
Apple Screen Time	Built-in limits + Downtime	Easy to ignore	Usage reports	No	On-device / iCloud

Pricing changes often and varies by region, so we’ve left exact numbers out - check each app’s App Store page for current pricing. “Can’t exit early” describes what happens inside a session; any Screen Time-based app, Soren included, can still be undone by deleting it or resetting the device.

The apps, fairly

Forest

A gamified timer: you grow a virtual tree that withers if you leave, and earned coins can fund real tree-planting. It’s motivational and pleasant rather than a hard wall - you can always tap “Give Up.” Freemium. Best for people who respond to gentle gamification.

Opal

The most polished, popular screen-time app, with a daily Focus Score, rich insights, and “Deep Focus” sessions that lock. Powerful, but the strongest features sit behind a subscription that’s among the priciest in the category. If it’s the one you’re weighing, here’s a closer look at Opal next to Soren. Best for people who want a beautiful, data-rich blocker and will pay for it.

Freedom

The cross-platform veteran: its strength is syncing one blocklist and schedule across Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android, with a “Locked Mode” to resist quitting. Mobile blocking is lighter than desktop, and it’s account-based. Best for knowledge workers who need the same block everywhere.

one sec

Instead of blocking, it adds a few seconds of friction - a breath, a pause - before a distracting app opens. The maker cites a study with the Max Planck Institute reporting a large drop in app opens. It’s a speed bump, not a wall, and fully on-device. Best for breaking reflexive opening without locking yourself out.

Jomo

An unusually deep, well-crafted blocker: schedules, conditional unlocks, screen-time journaling, and a non-bypassable “Strict Mode,” at a friendlier price than most. The depth can feel overwhelming at first. Best for tinkerers who want maximum control.

Brick

A small magnetic NFC tag you physically tap to lock or unlock your apps - the deliberate real-world step is the whole point, and it’s hard to cheat. One-time hardware purchase, free app. Best for people for whom a physical ritual beats a software toggle.

Apple Screen Time

The free, built-in baseline: app limits, Downtime, and usage reports. Universal and free, but also the easiest to ignore (“Ignore Limit,” clock tricks) - the override is the whole subject of Soren vs Apple Screen Time. Best for casual users who want light awareness at zero cost.

Where Soren fits

Soren isn’t trying to win any one of those columns. Its point is the combination most of these apps don’t attempt:

A lock that actually holds. Several apps have “locked” or “strict” modes; Soren’s whole stance is that once you’ve locked in, it can’t be paused, skipped, or exited early - closer to Brick’s hard commitment, minus the hardware. Here’s the strict app blocker, explained.
One number, not a dashboard. Where others give you charts, Soren collapses focus, sleep and physical recovery into a single daily 0-100 Soren Score you can read in a glance.
Sleep, with no wearable. None of the focus apps above track sleep at all. Soren estimates your sleep duration and timing from your iPhone’s motion (stages are modelled and labelled as estimates) and writes it to Apple Health - covering a dimension the category ignores.
Private by architecture. No account, no servers, no trackers - everything is computed on your phone. (one sec, ScreenZen and Jomo also lean strongly on-device; Opal, Freedom and Rize use accounts and/or cloud sync.)

So which should you pick?

Want the least willpower-dependent block and a wellbeing score in one private place → Soren.
Need blocking across desktop and phone → Freedom.
Want the richest insights and polish, and don’t mind paying → Opal.
Want gentle nudges, not a wall → one sec or ScreenZen (free).
Want a physical ritual → Brick.
Want free and built-in → Apple Screen Time.

One honest caveat: Soren is iOS 17+, on the App Store, while several of these are mature, cross-platform, and have shipped for years. If you want the newest take - a private daily score plus a lock you can’t talk your way out of - that’s the trade.

Get Soren →

Comparisons reflect each app as of June 2026 and our reading of their official sites and App Store listings; features and pricing change. If we’ve got something wrong, tell us at hello@sorenlabs.xyz and we’ll fix it.