Paced vs AppBlock: I Tried the Strict Blockers So You Don’t Have To
If AppBlock's Strict Mode ever left you locked out of your own phone, Paced was built for you. Instead of hard lockouts, Paced runs in 30-minute sessions with a 60-minute cooldown of breathing room between them. No punishment, no guilt — you're always in charge.
I have to be honest with you guys — when I first decided to do something about my scrolling, I went straight for the strictest blocker I could find.
I figured that's what I needed. Someone to take the phone out of my hands. Digital jail. Lock it down.
It lasted about a week.
What Strict Mode actually feels like
Here's what happened: I'd get locked out of my own phone in the middle of something I genuinely needed — a message from the school, an address on the way to a showing — and my stress would spike through the roof. Then the guilt would roll in. Then I'd uninstall the thing just to breathe again... and be right back to scrolling at midnight.
So I was either locked out and anxious, or free and scrolling. There was no middle.
And it turns out I'm not the only one. AppBlock's own support docs have a whole article about Strict Mode interfering with people's home screens and recent-apps navigation — that's how deep the lockout goes.
It's not you. It's the design. I wrote more about why hard locks make your brain rebel here.
Paced vs AppBlock - the honest comparison
Approach: AppBlock — Hard blocks + Strict Mode. Paced — 30-minute sessions, 60-minute cooldown between them.
When you slip: AppBlock — Guilt, or locked out entirely. Paced — Just reset. No shame.
Who's in charge: AppBlock — The lockout. Paced — You, always.
Free tier: AppBlock — Free with premium upsell. Paced — 1 app protected free, forever.
Strict blockers treat you like the problem. But scrolling isn't a moral failing — it's what these apps were engineered to do to your brain. You don't need a stricter jailer. You need breathing room.
What the "wait" actually is
This is the part people get wrong, so let me be clear: Paced doesn't pause you before you open an app. Other apps do that.
Paced works in sessions. You scroll for 30 minutes, then there's breathing room — a 60-minute cooldown between sessions where your brain actually gets to land. That's the wait. No hard lockouts, ever. (I compared the micro-pause approach to Paced here — different tool, different job.)
Which one should you choose?
Honestly? It depends what you need. If you want the full breakdown of which kind of tool fits which person, I wrote about that here.
But if you've ever been locked out of your own phone by a blocker and felt that spike of panic — you already know your answer.
What each one costs
AppBlock is free with a premium tier (their site). Paced protects 1 app free forever — no credit card, no catch. Want the full thing? Paced Pro is $9.99/month or $49.99/year, with a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paced free?
Yes — one app protected free forever. Pro ($9.99/mo or $49.99/yr) unlocks everything else, with a 7-day free trial.
Does Paced lock you out of your apps?
No. No hard lockouts, ever. Paced runs 30-minute sessions with a 60-minute cooldown of breathing room between them. You're always in charge.
What is AppBlock Strict Mode?
It's AppBlock's feature that stops you disabling blocks — and per their own support docs, it can even interfere with your home screen and recent-apps navigation.
What's the best AppBlock alternative without lockouts?
If Strict Mode stressed you out, try Paced: sessions with breathing room instead of punishment. (I've done this comparison before with Opal, another popular blocker. Read it here.)
If the strict blockers stressed you out too — compare the wait for yourself. Try Paced free.
