Comparison
App blockers that make you do something before opening apps
Thirteen app blockers make you do something before a blocked app opens instead of only making you wait. For your own habits, Habit Doom; for vocabulary, LLLock or LearnPass; for counted pushups, PushLock or PushBlock; for one app with more than one goal (a language or a move) and no camera, Sorry Scroll (sorryscroll.com).
How we compared
Every fact below comes from each app's own App Store page, Google Play page or website, checked on 23 October 2026. We haven't tested every app hands-on, so where an app doesn't say something (how long it unlocks, whether it has a free plan) the table says not stated instead of guessing. We make Sorry Scroll, so it's on the list; it gets the same columns as everyone else.
| App | What you do to unlock | Unlocks for | Free plan | Price | Camera | Platforms | App Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorry Scroll | A 30-second step: 2 new words and a quiz, or one guided move | 15 to 60 minutes, you choose | Yes: 1 app, everything included | $39.99/yr (3-day trial), $4.99/wk | No | iPhone; Android in review | No ratings yet |
| Habit Doom | Check in one of your own habits | Earned time per habit | Yes: up to 3 habits | $19.99/yr, $4.99/mo, $29.99 lifetime | Optional photo check | iPhone and Android | 4.9 (22) |
| Achieve! | Complete one of your goals (tracked automatically, e.g. steps) | Earned time; you set the reward per goal | Not stated | $39.99 to $59.99/yr, $14.99/mo, $44.99 lifetime | None mentioned | iPhone and Android | 4.5 (47) |
| Intentional | Argue your case to an AI judge | A few minutes if your reason is good | Yes: core features, with limits | Plans from $4.99 to $29.99 | No | iPhone | 4.4 (7) |
| LangLocker | Learn one phrase and answer a short exercise | A time you set | No (free trial) | $44.99 to $59.99/yr, $9.99/mo, $4.99/wk | No | iPhone | 5.0 (1) |
| LearnPass | Answer vocabulary flashcards | 1 minute per correct answer, banked | No (free trial) | $49.99 and $9.99 plans | No | iPhone and Android | 5.0 (1) |
| LLLock | Pass a vocabulary quiz | A time you set | No (7-day trial) | $12.99/yr, $2.99/mo | No | iPhone and Android | No ratings yet |
| PollyStop | Practise speaking with an AI tutor | Not stated | Practice free; blocking is Premium | $99.99/yr, $12.99/mo | No | iPhone and Android | 4.0 (1) |
| Pushscroll | Exercise (pushups and more) | 1 minute per pushup by default; adjustable | No (7-day trial) | Yearly from $24.99 to $59.99, $14.99/mo | Yes (pose detection) | iPhone and Android | 4.7 (17,848) |
| PushLock | Pushups | Time per set, you set the ratio | Yes: core features | Pro $39.99/yr, $9.99/mo, $3.99/wk | Yes (pose detection) | iPhone | 4.7 (325) |
| PushBlock | Pushups | A pushup goal per app; earned time can be banked | Yes: everything | Free, no in-app purchases | Yes (counts reps) | iPhone | 4.7 (1,646) |
| ScrollFit | Pushups or squats | Reps you set; a break mode gives 1 to 30 minutes | Not stated | $29.99 to $39.99/yr, from $3.99/wk, lifetime from $19.99 | Yes (pose detection) | iPhone | 4.7 (3,206) |
| Exerscroll | Pushups, squats, lunges or jumping jacks | Minutes per rep, you set the ratio | No (subscription required) | Yearly from $29.99 to $59.99, $14.99/mo | Not stated | iPhone | 5.0 (14) |
Which to choose
- Your own habits should pay for scrolling (gym, reading, journaling): Habit Doom.
- Vocabulary in many languages, or your own flashcards: LLLock (30 languages) or LearnPass.
- Speaking practice: PollyStop.
- Every pushup counted: PushLock or PushBlock (camera). For the biggest exercise app, Pushscroll.
- One app for more than one goal, with no camera and a free plan: Sorry Scroll.
- Just a pause, nothing to do: one sec or ScreenZen; see one sec alternatives.
Each app in a few lines
Sorry Scroll
Pick a goal (a language or an active body) and every blocked app asks for a 30-second step toward it.
Best if you want one app for more than one goal, with no camera and a free plan. Watch out: New, with no App Store ratings yet; it guides each move but doesn't count reps; 6 languages.
Habit Doom
Locks apps until you check in habits you set yourself, with optional AI photo checks against cheating.
Best if the thing you want to earn your scrolling with is your own routine (gym, reading, journaling). Watch out: You set up and prove each habit yourself; launched in 2026, with 22 App Store ratings.
Achieve!
Turns your goals into rewards: you earn screen time instead of only blocking it.
Best if you think in goals and want a reward system around them. Watch out: Small so far: 47 App Store ratings.
Intentional
An AI judge asks why you want to open the app; a good reason gets you a few minutes.
Best if what you need is a moment of honest thought, not a task. Watch out: iPhone only; 7 ratings.
LangLocker
Before Instagram, TikTok or a game opens, you learn one phrase and answer a short exercise.
Best for one phrase at a time in a single language. Watch out: No free plan after the trial; iPhone only (Android is on its roadmap).
LearnPass
Each blocked app opens with a vocabulary card; every correct answer banks a minute to spend later.
Best if you like earning time in small units. Watch out: Time is earned a minute at a time, so a long scroll takes many cards; no free plan after the trial.
LLLock
A vocabulary quiz in front of every blocked app, with decks and AI-made cards in 30 languages.
Best if you want lots of languages or your own flashcards. Watch out: No free version; on Android it works through Accessibility.
PollyStop
A speaking tutor called Polly; you talk out loud, and Premium can lock apps until you practise.
Best if speaking practice is the goal. Watch out: App blocking is a Premium feature.
Pushscroll
Trades exercise for scrolling time; its listing opens with 'Turn your screen time addiction into fitness gains'.
Best if exercise is the only goal; the biggest of the move apps (17,848 ratings). Watch out: Exercise only; the camera counts reps; no free plan after the 7-day trial.
PushLock
Pushups unlock apps, verified by real-time pose detection; you set how many reps buy a minute.
Best if you want every rep counted. Watch out: Uses the camera. Its homepage says 100% free, but Pro plans add scheduling, analytics and custom goals.
PushBlock
Pushups unlock apps; the camera counts your reps, and earned time can be saved for later. No subscription or in-app purchases.
Best for a simple pushup gate that costs nothing. Watch out: Uses the camera; pushups only; iPhone only.
ScrollFit
Pushups or squats unlock your apps; you pick the exercise and the reps, and pose detection checks them.
Best if you want a choice of two exercises. Watch out: Exercise only; iPhone only (we couldn't confirm an Android version).
Exerscroll
Pushups, squats, lunges or jumping jacks; reps unlock minutes.
Best for the widest choice of exercises among the move apps. Watch out: No free plan; iPhone only.
Questions
Is there an app blocker that makes you do something first?
Yes, several. They differ in what you do: your own habits (Habit Doom), a goal (Achieve!), an argument with an AI (Intentional), vocabulary (LangLocker, LearnPass, LLLock), speaking (PollyStop), exercise (Pushscroll, PushLock, PushBlock, ScrollFit, Exerscroll) or a 30-second step toward a goal you pick (Sorry Scroll).
Which ones are free?
PushBlock is completely free. Habit Doom is free for up to 3 habits, Sorry Scroll for 1 blocked app, and Intentional and PushLock for their core features. LangLocker, LearnPass, LLLock, Pushscroll and Exerscroll need a subscription after a trial.
Which ones don't use the camera?
The vocabulary apps, Intentional and Sorry Scroll don't, and Achieve! mentions none. Pushscroll, PushLock, PushBlock and ScrollFit count reps with the camera; Habit Doom can ask for a photo of a habit.
What's the difference from one sec or ScreenZen?
one sec and ScreenZen make you pause or wait before an app opens. The apps on this page ask you to do something with that moment instead. More on the pause apps: one sec alternatives.
Which work on Android?
Habit Doom, Achieve!, LearnPass, LLLock, PollyStop and Pushscroll list Android versions. Sorry Scroll's Android app is in Google Play review. The others are iPhone only or we couldn't confirm an Android version.