Fitlock vs Opal: an Opal alternative that changes your behaviour
Opal and Fitlock are both screen-time apps built around blocking, but they ask you to do different things to get back in, which is why Fitlock works as an Opal alternative.
How Opal works
Opal is a focus and screen-time app for iOS, Android and Mac. You set up “Focus Rules” to block chosen apps, or start a one-tap “Focus Timer” that locks you out for a set block of time you choose. Its optional “Hard Mode” makes a session impossible to turn off early, and an “Opal Score” tracks how your sleep, focus and rest line up over time. Opal has been on the App Store since December 2020, well before Fitlock, and its feature set around focus sessions (rules, timers, scoring, rewards) is broader than Fitlock’s.
How Fitlock works as an Opal alternative
Fitlock blocks apps until you complete a real health goal instead of waiting out a clock. Set a schedule, pick the apps or websites to block, and choose a goal: steps, an exercise session, or push-ups and squats counted by your phone’s camera. On Fitlock’s default schedule level, the block lifts once Apple Health, or the camera, confirms you’ve done it. You can also take a break (each one harder to use than the last) or switch the schedule off. In Strict Mode (Fitlock Pro), neither of those is available: the block only lifts once the goal is met.
The trade-off
A timer blocker asks for patience: wait, and the apps unlock regardless of what you did with the waiting. Fitlock asks for effort instead: nothing unlocks until you’ve moved. If you already respect your own timers, Opal’s approach is lighter, more configurable, and available on more platforms. If you’ve caught yourself waiting out a timer and scrolling anyway, Fitlock removes that option entirely: waiting alone buys you nothing.
What Fitlock does differently
- Movement gates the unlock, not time.
- Push-ups and squats are counted by your phone’s camera, alongside steps.
- Escalating breaks. You can take a break, but each additional one makes the next wait longer.
- Free blocks up to two apps behind one schedule and one goal; Fitlock Pro removes the two-app limit, adds allowlist mode, every goal type, and lets you combine goals with AND. See pricing for what’s included at each tier.
Where Opal may suit you better
Opal has a longer track record, a wider set of focus-session features, and apps for Android and Mac as well as iOS. Fitlock is iOS only, because it depends on Apple’s Screen Time and HealthKit frameworks. So if you’re on Android, or want a broader toolkit for structured focus sessions rather than movement, Opal is the better fit. If you’d rather compare a friction-based approach, see how Fitlock stacks up against one sec.
What Fitlock does with your data
Analytics are anonymised, so we can’t identify you from them, and the only personal details we hold are ones you choose to share with support. Screen time data is securely managed by Apple and inaccessible to us. Health data is stored only on your device and never externally. We never sell user data to third-party companies.