Brick vs Freedom: Which Is Better?

Brick vs Freedom is a comparison between two blockers that solve different halves of the same problem. Brick makes the barrier physical and puts it in one place. Freedom makes the barrier software and puts it everywhere at once.

Quick Verdict

• Choose Brick if: your phone is the whole problem, software toggles have never held you, and a device you can leave in another room is the barrier you actually need
• Choose Freedom if: blocking your phone just pushes you to a laptop, and you need one block list running on iPhone, computer, and browser simultaneously

Freedom vs Brick: Same Comparison, Reverse Order

If you searched "freedom vs brick" instead, this is the same page. The two names point to the same pair, and the breakdown below applies whichever one you typed first.

Brick in 30 Seconds

Brick, from Brick LLC, pairs a battery-free magnetic NFC device with a companion app for iOS and Android. Your phone must physically tap the Brick to start or end a blocking session, layered on iOS with system-level restrictions consistent with Screen Time. You build custom modes (Deep Work, Family Time, Sleep, Study, Social Time), one Brick can pair with several phones and vice versa, and an optional Strict Mode aims to prevent app deletion or setting changes during a session. The hardware is a one-time purchase and the companion app is free with no subscription; the exact hardware price is not independently verified with a dated source here. Losing the device is mitigated by five "Emergency Unbrick" uses per account, after which unlocking requires an email request typically processed within about 48 hours.

Freedom in 30 Seconds

Freedom, from Eighty Percent Solutions Corporation, syncs one block list across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Chrome, Safari, and Firefox extensions. On iOS it combines Apple's Screen Time API for app blocking with a local VPN profile, the "Freedom Profile," for cross-browser website blocking, with traffic never leaving the device. On Android it uses Device Admin, Accessibility, and a local proxy or VPN. Locked Mode prevents editing or stopping an active session, allowing one early exit every seven days. Ambient focus sounds and recurring session scheduling are built in. Verified on freedom.to/pricing on 2026-08-15: free plan $0, Premium $8.99 per month, Premium annual billed upfront at $3.33 per month, lifetime $99.50 shown as 50% off a $199 list price.

Feature Comparison

	Brick	Freedom
Price	One-time hardware purchase, amount not independently verified; free app, no subscription	Free plan $0; Premium $8.99/month, $3.33/month annual billed upfront, $99.50 lifetime, per freedom.to/pricing checked 2026-08-15
Platforms	iOS, Android (companion app to the NFC device)	iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, browser extensions
Mechanic	Physical NFC tap to start and end a session	Screen Time API plus local VPN on iOS; local agent and extensions on desktop
Session control	Ends only when you tap the Brick again; an independent review notes the scheduler cannot auto-end after a fixed duration	Scheduled and recurring sessions, synced across devices
Bypassability	An App Store reviewer reports Strict Mode is defeatable in one tap through iOS Screen Time settings	Freedom's own docs say Locked Mode does not stop disabling its Screen Time permission on iOS unless a separate passcode is set
Recovery if it goes wrong	Five Emergency Unbrick uses, then a support request processed within about 48 hours	One early exit from Locked Mode every 7 days

Key Differences

Coverage: One Device or All of Them

This is the largest practical gap between them. Brick covers the phone it is paired with. Freedom covers the phone, the laptop, the desktop, and every major browser from a single block list, so a session started in one place applies in all of them.

The reason this matters more than it sounds: blocking Instagram on an iPhone while a browser tab remains one click away on a laptop is not blocking Instagram. For anyone who works at a computer all day, Brick alone leaves the larger surface untouched.

Winner: Freedom, decisively. Nothing about Brick's design attempts cross-device coverage.

An Object You Have to Keep Track Of, or Software That Is Already Everywhere

This is the real axis of brick vs freedom, and it cuts both ways.

Brick's barrier is an object with a location. Unlocking requires the Brick to be within arm's reach, which means you are always making one of two trades: carry it and keep the flexibility, or leave it behind and keep the discipline. Leave it in a drawer downstairs and getting back in requires walking, which gives the impulse time to pass. Carry it in a pocket and the barrier is roughly a two-second hold.

Freedom has no object. The block is a software state synced to every device you own, so there is nothing to carry, forget in a hotel room, or lose. The flip side is that a software state, on iOS, is reachable through Settings.

Both have documented weak points at this exact spot, and they are worth reading side by side. App Store reviewer C Parlee reports Brick's Strict Mode can be bypassed in one tap by disabling the restriction directly in iOS Screen Time settings. Freedom's own support documentation states that on iOS, Locked Mode does not by itself prevent disabling Freedom's Screen Time permission in Settings, unless a separate Screen Time passcode is also configured.

The difference is what remains once that route is closed. Set a Screen Time passcode you do not hold, and Freedom becomes a genuine software lock while Brick becomes a genuine software lock plus a physical object you still have to go find.

Winner: Brick, narrowly, and only if you actually leave the device somewhere inconvenient. A Brick on your desk is worse than Locked Mode.

Cost Structure and What Happens When You Stop Paying

Brick asks for money once. Buy the hardware, and the companion app carries no subscription fee. Freedom is a subscription product with a lifetime escape hatch: $8.99 per month, $3.33 per month on annual billing paid upfront, or $99.50 once, all verified on freedom.to/pricing on 2026-08-15.

Two caveats keep this from being a clean win. Brick's actual hardware price is not independently verified with a dated source here, so check the manufacturer's site before assuming it is cheaper over five years. And Freedom's Trustpilot reviews report refund difficulties and billing described as not transparent, which is a real cost if the trial converts on you.

Winner: Brick on structure, since a one-time purchase with no recurring fee removes an entire category of problem. Freedom's lifetime option is the closest equivalent if you prefer software.

Honest Concessions

Brick has documented rough edges beyond the Strict Mode issue. Reviewers report scheduled unblocking sometimes failing to trigger and requiring a phone restart, and the in-app timer randomly resetting to zero. An independent review notes analytics are limited to daily usage duration with no habit tracking, and that on Android there is no home screen widget and website blocking is not yet supported.

Freedom has its own. App Store reviews report a limited block accidentally blocking "the entirety of the internet," and one case where the app made an iPhone unusable until reinstalled. An independent review reports that outside an active Screen Time session, the iOS app can show a blocked message rather than genuinely preventing an app from opening, and that switching browsers, using a proxy, or uninstalling gets around it.

Which Should You Choose?

You only lose time on your phone: Brick, and leave it in a different room than the one you sleep in.

You lose time on a computer too: Freedom. This is not close.

You have uninstalled every software blocker you ever tried: Brick, because uninstalling the app does not conjure the object back into your hand.

You want blocks that start and stop on a schedule without you touching anything: Freedom. Brick's scheduler cannot auto-end a session after a fixed duration, per an independent review.

You hate subscriptions: Brick, or Freedom's $99.50 lifetime option if you prefer software.

You travel constantly: Freedom. A physical token you must carry and not lose is a liability on the road, and Brick's Emergency Unbrick allowance is finite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brick vs Freedom: which one is harder to get around? Both have the same documented weak spot on iPhone, Settings, Screen Time, and both are substantially stronger once a Screen Time passcode is set by someone other than you. With that in place, Brick adds a physical layer Freedom does not have, but only if the device genuinely lives somewhere inconvenient.

Can I use Brick and Freedom together? It is not recommended. Jomo's public troubleshooting documentation names conflicts with other Screen Time apps as a common cause of blocks failing to engage or failing to release, and both Brick and Freedom rely on Screen Time on iOS. Pick one enforcement layer.

Does Brick block websites like Freedom does? Not equivalently. Freedom's local VPN profile filters websites across every browser on iOS. Review coverage of Brick notes website blocking is not yet supported on Android, and Brick's overall design is oriented around app blocking rather than cross-browser web filtering.

Which is cheaper over time, Brick or Freedom? Brick is a one-time hardware purchase with a free app and no subscription, which is structurally cheaper than a monthly plan. The exact hardware price is not independently verified here, so compare it against Freedom's $99.50 lifetime option rather than against the monthly rate.

Is there an option with no hardware and no subscription lock-in? FaithLock blocks apps through Apple's Family Controls (Screen Time) API with nothing to buy or carry, and the way back into a blocked app is reading a Bible verse and answering a question about it. It is iOS only, so it does nothing for a laptop, and it is a self-accountability tool rather than a parental control. If you are weighing Brick and Freedom because neither a physical tap nor a synced schedule quite addresses why you pick the phone up, it is a different angle worth considering. See also the Brick app blocker guide, the Freedom app blocker guide, and Brick vs Opal.

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Sources: Brick official site, Brick for Android, Brick on the App Store, reviews, Digital Reviews, Brick, Cybernews, Brick, Freedom pricing, Freedom Locked Mode, Freedom on iOS blocking, Freedom on the App Store, Freedom on Trustpilot, Blok.so Freedom review