Reviews and comparisons
Opal review: is the blocking app worth the price?
Opal is one of the best-known apps for cutting screen time. It blocks the apps you choose, gives your days a score and offers a mode you can't get out of. Here is what it really does, what it costs, and who it suits.
Transparency. This article is written by the Livetime team, another solution against screen time. We've tried to be fair: the facts and prices come from Opal's official website, checked in October 2026, and the links are at the bottom of the page.
In short
What we like
- A very polished app that's pleasant to use.
- A Hard Mode that can't be switched off during a session.
- Available on iPhone, Android and Mac.
What falls short
- The price: $99.99 a year for the full version.
- A free version limited to a single rule.
- It blocks, but changes neither the home screen nor the apps: Reels and Shorts stay.
What Opal does
- Focus rules block the apps you choose on a schedule, a time limit or a number of openings.
- The focus timer locks apps for a set length of time, with ambient sounds.
- The Opal Score sums up each day in one number, based on sleep, focus and rest.
- Gems reward the hours of focus you build up.
- Hard Mode, in the paid version: impossible to switch Opal off during the session.
- Allow Only, also paid: everything is blocked except a list of allowed apps.
How much it costs
| Plan | Listed price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | One rule, simple timers, app blocking, the day's Opal Score |
| Pro yearly | $99.99 a year | Unlimited rules, Hard Mode, Allow Only, score history |
| Pro monthly | $19.99 a month | Same as the yearly plan |
| Lifetime | $399, one-time | Same as the yearly plan |
Students can get up to 50% off on request. Prices are listed in dollars on Opal's website and may differ in the app.
Does it work?
Opal claims an average of 1 hour 23 minutes of screen time saved per day, calculated across more than 300,000 users. That's the company's figure, not an independent study. The principle, on the other hand, is sound: blocking the apps that spill over, in advance, works as long as you keep the block. That's the whole question.
Its real limits
- A layer on top of the phone. Your home screen, your icons and your reflexes stay the same. Opal steps in once you've already opened the app.
- All or nothing. An app is either blocked or open. When it's open, its Reels, Shorts and suggestions are there, untouched.
- The strongest mode is paid. Without Hard Mode, a block is easy to switch off.
Who is it for?
Opal suits someone on iPhone who wants to firmly block a few apps at set times, and who is ready to pay for a subscription. If you're on Android and want to keep Instagram and YouTube without their endless videos, a solution that works inside the home screen and inside the apps will fit better.
Our verdict. A very good blocking app, one of the most accomplished. But blocking is only part of the problem: as long as the home screen and the apps are built to hold on to you, you end up bargaining with yourself. The other options are in the full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is Opal free?
There's a free version, limited to one blocking rule and the day's score. The full version, Opal Pro, costs $99.99 a year according to the official website.
Does Opal work on Android?
Yes. Opal is available on iPhone, Android and Mac.
Can you get around Opal?
With Hard Mode, which is only in the paid version, Opal says it can't be switched off during a session. Without it, a block is easy to lift.
Written by Emile Clement, a student and the creator of Livetime, after two years of testing almost every screen-time solution out there.
