Most screen-time apps are freemium. They hand you a taste, then lock the part that works behind a monthly fee. A few give you a real, usable free core. This list is sorted by how much you get for nothing.
Free should mean free, not a three-day trial. Here is what each app actually gives you without paying, and which one stands on its own.
Most screen-time apps are freemium. They hand you a taste, then lock the part that works behind a monthly fee. A few give you a real, usable free core. This list is sorted by how much you get for nothing.
The whole loop is free: the pause, one guided breath, a better thing to do, and the learning that figures out what works for you. No account, no data collection, works offline. It was designed around how habits break, not around keeping you in the app, so it works whether or not you ever pay.
What's free: the entire core experience. That is the point.
ScreenZen's friction prompts and app delays are free and unlimited. It is light and honest. It will not learn your habits or give you an alternative, but as a free speed bump it does the job.
What's free: the core friction layer.
The basic breath-pause on one app is free, but using it across multiple apps and the deeper features need a subscription. A good free taste of the pause idea.
What's free: a single-app pause.
Opal has a free tier, but the scheduling, deep focus and stats that make it worthwhile are behind Opal Pro. Polished, but you will hit the paywall fast.
What's free: limited blocking; the rest is Pro.
The honest test of a free screen-time app: does the free version actually change anything, or is it just bait for the upgrade screen? An app built to keep you subscribed has a reason to stay sticky. An app built to give you your time back has the opposite incentive, the better it works, the sooner you put your phone down.
Anása was built on the second idea. The free core is the real product, and it stays on your phone with nothing sold.
On iPhone and Android. No account, no tracking, nothing sold.