Bloom vs Foqos

Bloom

• People who keep dismissing software-only screen time limits
• Keeping social apps locked at work or in the bedroom by leaving the card elsewhere
• Parents who want a physical key to the apps on a child's phone
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

Foqos

• iPhone users who want a free alternative to hardware app blockers
• Tying a block to a tag or printed code kept in another room
• People who want a blocker with no account, ads or tracking

Bloom

• There is no free plan: the app is a free download, but the site sells its features as part of a card purchase from $39.
• Without the card, apps unlock only through Emergency Exits: three to begin with, plus one more each month.
• Phone only for now: the FAQ says MacBook and iPad versions are still in development. The iPhone app needs iOS 17.6 or later.
• Blocking of adult content, in-app purchases and app installs is listed as iOS only.

Foqos

• The App Store lists it as iPhone only, needing iOS 17.6 or later. The site says it is made for iPhone and points Android users to other apps.
• Foqos for Mac is a companion, not a standalone blocker: it blocks websites synced from iPhone profiles and needs macOS 14 or later and the same iCloud account.
• NFC strategies need an iPhone with NFC and tags you buy yourself; QR codes and the manual and timer strategies need no hardware.
• The App Store listing shows optional tip purchases of $1.99, $4.99 and $9.99, although the site's FAQ says there are no in-app purchases.

Bloom

Tap to lock and unlock

Pick the distracting apps and websites in the app, then tap the phone to the card to start a focus session. They stay locked until the card is tapped again. The card has no battery to charge.

Schedules and breaks

Focus periods can be scheduled to start and stop automatically, and 5-minute breaks allow limited access, with settings for how often and how long breaks run.

Emergency Exits

All apps can be unblocked without the card up to three times, and the FAQ says one more Emergency Exit is added every month.

Strict Mode

By default, deleting Bloom unblocks everything. Strict Mode is an optional setting that prevents apps from being deleted while a focus session is running.

Website and content blocking

Websites can be blocked as well as apps. On iOS, blocking an app also blocks its website in Safari, and adult content, in-app purchases and app installs can be blocked too.

Child Mode

Parents can lock a child's apps and websites so that only the parent's card changes the settings. It prevents app deletion, turns off Emergency Exits and locks schedules.

Foqos

App and website blocking

Profiles for work, study or bedtime each block a chosen set of apps, app categories and website domains through Apple's Screen Time APIs. Adult content and app installs can be blocked too.

NFC tags and QR codes

Tap a standard NFC tag such as an NTAG213, or scan a QR code or barcode, to start or stop a session. A profile can be set so that only an approved tag or code will stop it.

Twelve blocking strategies

The README lists twelve strategies that combine manual, NFC, QR, timer, pause-timer and temporary-access rules, for example starting in the app but stopping only with a tag.

Breaks and temporary access

A profile can carry a break allowance that is split across several breaks, a short pause before blocking resumes, or a set number of brief opens that do not end the session.

Siri, Shortcuts and widgets

Sessions respond to Siri phrases and iOS Shortcuts actions, widgets (Control Center ones included) give quicker profile control, and a Live Activity shows status on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Foqos for Mac

A companion app for macOS 14 or later takes a profile's blocked websites from the iPhone through iCloud and blocks them on the Mac during focus sessions.

Bloom

• Bloom Card$39

  one-time purchase per card

  One stainless steel NFC keycard with lifetime access to every feature of the iPhone and Android apps. Sold with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Bloom Pod$59

  one-time purchase

  A magnetic pod for a desk, nightstand or fridge that locks apps with a tap of the phone, listed at $59 on its own product page.

• Bloom Set$59

  one-time purchase, 1 Pod + 1 Card

  One Bloom Pod and one Bloom Card together, shown at $59 with $98 crossed out and labelled as a 40% saving.

Foqos

• Foqos$0

  The full iPhone app and the Mac companion: app and website blocking, NFC and QR strategies, timers, breaks, widgets and insights.

Bloom

• Other savings

  25% off two cards, 35% off three

  The Buy Now page prices 2 Cards at $59 instead of $78 and 3 Cards at $75 instead of $117, and adds free shipping on the three-card bundle.

• Education

  20% discount for college students

  Bloom's student discount page says its founders, two UCLA students, give all college students 20% off, claimed through a link on that page.

Foqos

No public discounts listed.