Blocky
Blocky vs ยท Freedom
A Freedom alternative that unblocks when the run is done
Freedom blocks apps and sites on every device until the session ends. Blocky is a habit tracker: the apps you pick wait until your habit shows up in Apple Health.
If you're looking for a Freedom alternative, you already know what a session is worth. Freedom blocks apps, websites or the whole internet for the length you set, and it does it on your Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook at once.
That reach is what Freedom does best. One session, every screen. You can schedule sessions ahead, make them repeat, and turn on Locked Mode, which in Freedom's words makes sure you can't quit a session early. Freedom says it keeps no streaks, points, leaderboards or rewards, and tracks no personal activity.
But a session can't answer one question: did you do the thing you were putting off?
The clock didn't run. You did.
A session ends when the clock says so
A two-hour session ends in two hours, whether you trained or sat on the couch for it. The clock is all it checks, and without Locked Mode, ending early is a tap.
That's a good way to use an app less. But if the goal is the habit, the app is only the leverage, and nothing here checks the habit.
Blocky starts with the habit
Exercise first, Instagram second.
Blocky is a habit tracker. You pick the habit you keep skipping, then the apps that wait for it. It stays blocked until the habit is done, not until the session runs out.
- Run with Strava or your watch. When your 30 minutes reach Apple Health, Instagram is unblocked.
- Water, fasting, sleep, weigh-ins and meditation work the same way.
- A workout can't be ticked off by hand. Apple Health has to show it.
- It bends for real life. Halfway there can unblock some apps early, and Phone, Settings and the apps you choose are never blocked.
Side by side
| Blocky. | Freedom | |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks apps | Yes | Yesapps, sites or the whole internet, for a session you set, schedule or repeat |
| Unblocks when you do the habit | Yes | No |
| How you get around it | A gem buys 15 minutes, and it's on the record | End the session, unless it's in Locked Mode |
| What it tracks | Exercise, sleep, water, fasting, weight, meditation, meals, medication and your own habits | Nothing, by design |
Which one is for you
If your problem is the laptop as much as the phone, Freedom is the one that blocks both, and it's on Windows, Android and Chromebook, where we aren't. If you want a block with no score attached, Freedom is built that way on purpose.
If what you want is the workout, pick the habit tracker that knows whether you went.
Seven days free, on iPhone.