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Screen Limiter vs Opal
Last updated November 2026
These two are not really rivals. Opal is a focus suite: an account, schedules, sessions, dashboards, scores, a hard mode with no unblocks, and the same app on Mac and Android. Screen Limiter is a metering tool for one habit — a small allowance that keeps coming back — with no account and nothing to look at afterwards.
What Opal does well
- Blocking that follows a calendar. Schedules and sessions let you protect a work block or an evening, not just cap an app.
- A genuinely hard mode. Opal's strict difficulty removes the unblock, which is the right answer for some people at some times.
- Structure and momentum. Stats, focus scores and streaks give people who like numbers something to hold onto.
- One system across devices. iPhone, Mac and Android, with the account carrying your setup between them.
What Screen Limiter does well
- No account. Nothing to sign up for, nothing syncing, nothing to cancel.
- No dashboards. No score to maintain, no streak to break. The app is quiet between limits on purpose.
- A window you choose. 30 minutes, an hour or two hours per group, rather than one daily number.
- Nothing measured. No analytics, no crash pings, no third-party SDKs, and no networking code to change that.
| Screen Limiter | Opal | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape of the limit | Allowance per 30 / 60 / 120 min, per group | Daily limits, schedules, focus sessions |
| Account | None | Required |
| Strictness | Easy / Normal / Hard, per group | Difficulty levels; a strict mode with no unblocks |
| Stats and scores | A 7-day window log, on device | Dashboards, focus score, leaderboards |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad | iPhone, Mac, Android |
| Price | Free (payments off) | Free tier + Pro subscription |
From Opal's App Store listing and help documentation, November 2026. Its free-tier rules have changed more than once — check its page before subscribing.
Which one you want
- Choose Opal if you want scheduled deep-work blocks, a strict mode you cannot unblock, cross-device coverage, and statistics that motivate you.
- Choose Screen Limiter if the problem is one or two apps that eat the day, you want a budget that returns hourly, and you would rather not have an account, a dashboard or anything that measures you.
- They compose better than they compete. Some people run a session blocker for work hours and an allowance for the rest of the day.
On privacy, carefully. Opal states that detailed app usage stays on the device; what an account carries is your setup, subscription and diagnostics. That is a normal trade and not a criticism. Screen Limiter makes the opposite trade — no account at all, so nothing can sync and nothing can be recovered if you lose the phone.
FAQ
Does Opal limit apps per hour?
Its limits are described as daily allowances and scheduled blocks. Screen Limiter's allowance is per 30, 60 or 120-minute window, which is a different shape rather than a bigger number.
Is Screen Limiter free?
Yes, in preview, with every feature available. Opal has a free tier with a Pro subscription above it.
Which is harder to bypass?
Opal's strict mode, by design: it removes the unblock entirely. Screen Limiter's Hard mode still allows one stop a day with an eight-second hold. If the goal is "no way through", Opal is the stronger tool.
Quiet, metered, on your phone
No account, no score, no analytics — just a small allowance that comes back when the window turns.
See how Screen Limiter works