The best free app blocker for iPhone

By the edgi team Updated October 23, 2026 Facts checked October 23, 2026

The best free app blocker for iPhone is edgi. Its Focus lock blocks any app you pick, lets each one open only as many times a day and for as long as you choose, and asks for a 60-second Lesson to get in. It's free for every app you lock, and each Lesson becomes a card on a Map of what you've learned, so blocking TikTok leaves you smarter instead of just bored. For a plain pause, ScreenZen and one sec are free too.

We make edgi, and we built Focus to be the blocker you don't resent.

The free iPhone app blockers, compared

Details from each app's own site or listing and independent reviews, as of October 2026.

Why edgi comes first

Every blocker on this list does the same thing at heart: it stands between you and the app. The difference is what happens in that moment. A wall says no. A pause says "are you sure?" edgi says "learn something first," and that's the only one of the three that leaves you better off whether or not you open TikTok afterward.

You set it up once, in edgi's Settings under Focus:

1. Pick the apps through the iPhone's own Screen Time picker.
2. For each one, choose how many times a day it can open (1 to 30), for how long (1 to 60 minutes), and on which days.
3. Choose whether a Lesson is the price of every open or only the first one of the day.

From then on, tapping TikTok gets you "One lesson opens TikTok for 5 minutes." The Lesson takes about a minute: you guess, tap and test one idea, answer a question, and the card is yours. Want to loosen the rules? Changes take effect at midnight, so a late-night change of heart waits until tomorrow.

Why the free apps are worth blocking

Social apps cost nothing because you pay with time. That's the business model, and it has a name:

Attention Economy When information becomes abundant, human attention becomes the scarce resource that platforms and advertisers compete to capture.

60-second Lesson

Attention Economy

Free apps are paid for your hours, and there are only 24 of them, so every app is competing with your sleep.

Play it here Read about attention economy

A good blocker takes some of those hours back. A great one spends them on something you're glad to have.

A whole app behind the lock

Behind edgi's lock is an app built to make learning the easy habit. One Lesson a day keeps your streak, and a widget on your home screen shows it. Every Lesson is a card, cards turn foil and then gold as you come back to the idea, Sets give you a finish line, and your Map fills in as you go. There's a feed of short videos from educational creators for when you want to scroll, and you can make a Lesson on any question you have.

Studying? See how to block apps while studying. Deciding between the two pause apps? See ScreenZen vs one sec.

FAQ

What is the best free app blocker for iPhone? edgi. Its Focus lock blocks any apps you pick and opens them after a 60-second Lesson, for the opens and minutes you choose. It's free for every app.

Is there a completely free app blocker for iPhone? Yes. edgi's Focus is free for every app you lock. ScreenZen is free and supported by donations, and Foqos is free and open source.

Can I block apps on iPhone without an app? Screen Time can set a daily limit for an app, but when you hit it there's an Ignore Limit button. edgi puts a 60-second Lesson in front of the app instead, for the number of opens you choose.

Is edgi free? Yes. edgi is free on iPhone, Focus included.