unhookd blocks apps by default with no single-tap bypass, a genuinely rare starting point. This page is for the moment PRO's uncapped peeks or the free tier's app limit make you want something the plan can't quietly loosen.
unhookd isn't a weak product when people look elsewhere. Blocking apps by default with no single-tap bypass is a genuinely rare design choice, and unhookd's typed-reason Peeks are real friction, not decoration. The search for an alternative usually comes from a specific detail: PRO removes the daily cap on peeks entirely, or the free tier's 3-app limit doesn't cover the full list.
This page compares options by that specific gap. For the direct two-product breakdown, read Fella vs unhookd. Below, alternatives are grouped by whether you want a similarly strict default, a different friction model, or a fixed limit that doesn't move with your subscription.
| Option | Best reason to consider it | Core approach | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Screen Time | You want a free option with no tiered access to manage | App Limits, Downtime, reports, device controls | No typed-reason friction or slots-style scheduling |
| ClearSpace | You want a different friction mechanism, not a bypass count | A breathing exercise or short activity before an app opens | The exercise still lets you through once completed |
| Fella | You want a cap that never changes no matter what you pay | Selected apps blocked by default, one controlled exception | No scheduled slots, no per-app free tier |
| Freedom | You need the same discipline on a computer or browser too | Scheduled session blocking across devices and websites | No typed-reason peek system; opt-in Locked Mode instead |
The comparison that matters isn't blocked-by-default versus not. unhookd already gets that part right. What's worth comparing is whether the exception mechanism, a typed reason with a cap that scales by tier, is the specific structure you want, or whether a fixed cap that never moves matters more.
PRO's uncapped peeks change the math. Five separate 20-minute peeks on a PRO account adds up to 100 minutes of access in a single day, with no sixth peek stopped by anything but your own willingness to keep typing a reason. The friction is real, but it's cleared by effort, not blocked by a rule.
The free tier's app count is genuinely limited. 3 apps, 2 slots, and 5 peeks a day covers a narrow starting habit. Once the pattern spreads to a fourth or fifth app, the PRO upgrade becomes less about better blocking and more about needing the cap raised.
Scheduled Slots can become the new default. A lunch or evening slot that opens automatically every day is convenient right up until it becomes the thing your scrolling gets built around, rather than a deliberate exception.
ClearSpace uses a different mechanism to earn the same kind of access. Instead of typing a reason, it asks for a breathing exercise, a short mindfulness check-in, or a physical rep before a restricted app opens. It's a comparable philosophy to unhookd's Peeks, friction instead of an outright bar, executed differently.
Both share unhookd's core tradeoff. Any friction that can be completed with effort can eventually be completed on a bad day too. Switching the mechanism changes the shape of that tradeoff, not whether it exists.
Apple Screen Time costs nothing and has no tiered app limit. It won't replicate unhookd's typed-reason peeks or scheduled slots, but App Limits and Downtime are a real free starting point. See the wider field in the best free iPhone app blockers guide.
Fella's one 5-minute unlock per session is identical on every plan. There's no PRO-equivalent tier that removes the daily limit and no per-app cap that requires an upgrade to raise. Selected apps stay blocked by default, and the exception doesn't scale with what you're paying.
That also removes unhookd's Slots entirely. There's no scheduled window that opens itself at lunch or after work. The only access is the one unlock per session, spent deliberately in the moment, not pre-planned days in advance.
It's the wrong pick if scheduled, planned access is what you actually need. If a recurring lunch or evening slot covers your real use of social apps, unhookd's structure gives you more built-in flexibility than Fella's single fixed exception.
Choose Screen Time when free and untiered both matter. No app-count cap to upgrade past, though also none of unhookd's structured friction.
Choose ClearSpace when a different kind of earned access appeals to you. Its exercise-based friction is a genuine alternative to unhookd's typed-reason peeks.
Choose Freedom when the habit spans more than your phone. Its cross-device blocklist reaches further than unhookd's current scope.
Choose Fella when you don't trust a cap that can move. It fits selected iPhone apps and one exception per session, fixed regardless of tier. For the direct comparison against unhookd, continue to Fella vs unhookd. For the wider market, see the best app blockers for iPhone.
It depends on whether unhookd PRO's uncapped peeks are the issue or the app-count limit on free is. ClearSpace offers a different friction model at a similarly low app count on free. Fella keeps its one unlock per session fixed on every plan, with no tier that buys more access. Screen Time is the free, ungated baseline.
Apple Screen Time is included with iPhone at no cost. unhookd itself already has a free tier covering 3 apps, 2 slots, and 5 peeks a day, so confirm whether you actually need more apps or fewer peeks before assuming a switch is necessary.
Blocked-by-default is a real, rare strength unhookd shares with very few competitors. People switch specifically because unhookd PRO removes the daily cap on peeks, meaning access can scale with what you pay rather than staying fixed.
Fella is the closest match on that specific point: apps are blocked from setup onward, with no single-tap way around it, and the one 5-minute unlock per session doesn't change with the plan you're on.
Fella has no per-app cap tied to a subscription tier. Every plan covers however many apps you choose to block, so there's no separate purchase needed just to add a fourth or fifth app.
