Brick vs Unpluq: Which Is Better?

Brick vs Unpluq is a comparison between two hardware-based blockers built on the same basic idea, tap a physical NFC device to unlock your apps, but with a very different philosophy about where that device lives.

Quick Verdict

• Choose Brick if: You want genuine distance-based enforcement and are willing to leave the device somewhere inconvenient, like home or a locked drawer
• Choose Unpluq if: You want a lighter physical ritual (tapping a keychain you usually carry) with more unlock-method variety and stronger enforcement on Android specifically

Unpluq vs Brick: Same Comparison, Reverse Order

If you searched "unpluq vs brick" instead, you're in the right place. Both names point to the same two hardware blockers, and the breakdown below applies regardless of which one you typed first.

Brick in 30 Seconds

Brick, from Brick LLC, pairs a physical NFC device with an iOS and Android companion app. The phone must physically tap the Brick hardware to start or end a blocking session, layered on iOS with system-level restrictions consistent with Screen Time. It's a one-time hardware purchase; the exact device price isn't independently verified with a dated source as of this writing. The companion app itself is free with no subscription. An optional Strict Mode aims to prevent app deletion or setting changes during a session, and losing the physical Brick is mitigated by five "Emergency Unbrick" uses per account, after which unlocking requires an email request typically processed within about 48 hours.

Unpluq in 30 Seconds

Unpluq, based in Delft, Netherlands, pairs a physical NFC tag or keychain accessory with an iOS and Android app. Unlike Brick, the tag is designed to be carried on your person rather than left somewhere distant. The app is freemium (two apps and one schedule on the free tier), and a Premium subscription is required to use the physical Tag at all; the Tag itself is sold separately as a one-time hardware purchase. Beyond NFC, Unpluq offers several alternative "barrier" unlock types: tap pattern, shake, scroll, walk, and QR code.

Feature Comparison

	Brick	Unpluq
Price	One-time hardware purchase, price not independently verified; free companion app	Freemium app; Tag sold separately, one-time purchase, requires a Premium subscription to function
Platforms	iOS, Android (companion app)	iOS, Android
Mechanic	NFC device typically kept at a distance to start/end a session	NFC tag/keychain usually carried on your person, plus alternate barrier types
Bypassability	Strict Mode reported bypassable via iOS Screen Time settings by at least one reviewer	Independent review calls it "not a hard lock" since the tag travels with the user
Best for	Users who want distance-based enforcement they can't casually reach	Users who want a lighter physical ritual and more unlock-method variety

Key Differences

Distance vs Carry-On Enforcement

This is the entire philosophical difference in brick vs unpluq. Brick's design assumes you leave the token somewhere inconvenient, so the barrier isn't just physical, it's logistical: you have to go get it. An independent review of Unpluq notes the opposite pattern: because its tag is normally carried on the user's person, apps "stay unlockable at any time," describing the mechanism as app-based enforcement rather than mechanical, and explicitly weaker for deliberate cravings than distance-based tools like Brick.

Winner: Brick, on the strength of its own core premise. A device you're meant to leave behind is a stronger barrier in principle than one that rides in your pocket.

iOS Reliability of the Physical Mechanism

Neither hardware approach is airtight on iPhone specifically. An App Store reviewer reports Brick's Strict Mode can be bypassed in one tap through iOS Screen Time settings. Unpluq's own independent review goes further, stating the app is "significantly less effective on Apple devices" because of iOS restrictions on what third-party apps can intercept, and that disabling the block only requires going to Settings > Screen Time and toggling Unpluq off, gated only by the user's iCloud password.

Winner: Neither, clearly. Both run into the same Apple-imposed limits on what any third-party hardware companion can enforce on iOS.

Unlock Flexibility and Cost Structure

Unpluq offers more ways to unlock than a single NFC tap: tap pattern, shake, scroll, walk, and QR code, alongside NFC. Brick sticks to one mechanism, the NFC tap, but its companion app is free with no subscription required to use the base hardware. Unpluq, by contrast, requires an active Premium subscription just for its physical Tag to keep working at all.

Winner: Unpluq for unlock variety; Winner: Brick for cost structure, since it doesn't gate its core hardware behind an ongoing subscription the way Unpluq does.

Honest Concessions

Brick has its own documented friction: reviewers report scheduled unblocking sometimes failing to trigger and requiring a phone restart, the in-app screen time timer randomly resetting to zero, and an independent review noting the scheduler can't auto-end a session after a fixed duration, with no home screen widget on Android and website blocking not yet supported there either.

Unpluq's own reviewers note the physical Tag stops working entirely without an active Premium subscription, and the app has no manual "lock now" button, relying on scheduling as a workaround instead.

Which Should You Choose?

The brick vs unpluq decision really comes down to whether you want the device far away or close at hand.

You've defeated every software blocker and need a real physical barrier: Brick, specifically because its design forces distance between you and the device.

You want a physical ritual without giving up your keychain: Unpluq, since the tag is meant to stay with you.

You're mostly on Android: Unpluq's reviewers describe it as meaningfully stronger there than on iOS, where third-party interception is more limited.

You don't want an ongoing subscription just to use the hardware: Brick. Its companion app is free; Unpluq requires Premium for its Tag to function at all.

You want more than one way to unlock: Unpluq's tap pattern, shake, scroll, walk, and QR code options give you flexibility Brick doesn't offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brick vs Unpluq: which hardware blocker is harder to bypass? Brick's core design, distance-based enforcement, is the stronger concept, since Unpluq's own independent reviewer explicitly calls it "not a hard lock" because the tag usually travels with the user. On iOS specifically, both have documented ways around them: Brick's Strict Mode has been reported bypassable via Screen Time settings, and Unpluq can be disabled the same way.

Do I need a subscription for Unpluq's tag to work? Yes. Unpluq's Premium subscription is required for the physical Tag to function, on top of buying the Tag itself. Brick's companion app is free with no subscription needed to use its hardware.

Can I use Brick or Unpluq on Android? Both have Android apps. Unpluq's independent review specifically notes it performs more reliably on Android than on iOS, due to fewer platform restrictions on third-party interception.

What happens if I lose the Brick device or the Unpluq tag? Brick offers five "Emergency Unbrick" uses per account, after which unlocking requires an email request typically processed within about 48 hours. Sourcing on Unpluq's specific lost-tag recovery process wasn't independently verifiable at the time of writing.

Is there an option that doesn't require buying hardware at all? FaithLock blocks apps purely in software through Apple's Screen Time API, so there's no physical device to buy, carry, or lose. Instead of tapping an NFC token, unlocking requires answering a Bible quiz question, tying the friction to Scripture engagement rather than a hardware tap. See the Brick vs Opal comparison and the FaithLock vs Brick comparison for how the software and hardware approaches stack up directly.

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Sources: Brick, Brick Android, Brick on the App Store, Unpluq, Unpluq FAQ, Unpluq review, Unpluq review