Bloom vs one sec

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

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• People who want a pause before social apps rather than a hard block
• Using one purchase across iPhone, Android, Mac and desktop browsers
• Teams and schools buying multi-seat licenses

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.

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• The free version covers a single app or website; adding more needs one sec pro.
• The price depends on where you buy: one sec's web store charges $3.99 a month in the US, while the US App Store lists the monthly purchase at $6.99.
• No Windows or Linux desktop app is listed; on those systems one sec runs only as a browser extension.
• Not every Pro feature is on every platform: the help center's table marks strict block sessions and website blocking as unavailable on Android.

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.

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Interruptions before an app opens

A short pause appears before a chosen app or site opens. Types include a breathing exercise, a mirror, a math task, rotating the phone and typing random text.

Re-Intervention

After a set time inside an app, for example 5 minutes, one sec sends you out and asks you to go through another interruption to unlock more time.

Block sessions and schedules

Chosen apps and sites can be blocked completely during a block session or at scheduled times, and interruptions can be limited to set weekdays and hours.

Browser extension

Adds interruptions and blocking to websites in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge on Windows, macOS and Linux, under the same account as the phone apps.

Intention and emotion tracking

Prompts ask why you are opening an app or how you feel, alongside journaling and nudges toward alternative activities such as reading or calling a friend.

Progress statistics

Charts and comparisons show how app use has changed and how much time the interruptions have saved.

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.

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• Free$0

  The breathing interruption and Re-Intervention for a single app or website, with no ads.

• one sec pro (annual)$19.99

  per year, after a 1-week free trial

  Unlimited apps, other interruption types, website interruptions, block sessions and time tracking. Same price on the US App Store.

• one sec pro (monthly)$3.99

  per month, US price on the vendor's web store

  The same Pro features paid month to month. The US App Store lists its monthly in-app purchase at $6.99.

• one sec pro (lifetime)$99.99

  one-time purchase

  Pro features for a single payment, at the same price on the web store and the US App Store.

• Multi-seat planFrom $9.99

  per seat / year, at 50 or more seats

  Team and school licenses from the web store: $15.99 per seat a year for 4 to 9 seats, $12.99 for 10 to 49 and $9.99 for 50 or more.

• Family Plan$29.99

  per year, US App Store in-app purchase

  Also listed at $9.99 a month or $149 for a lifetime family unlock. The listing does not say how many people it covers.

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.

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• Annual discount

  Annual billing costs about 58% less than monthly

  On the web store's US prices, one sec pro is $19.99 billed yearly against $3.99 a month, which comes to $47.88 over twelve months.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime one sec pro for a one-time payment

  The web store and the US App Store both list a lifetime unlock of one sec pro at $99.99, paid once.

• Education

  50% discount for students

  one sec's help center says it offers students a 50% discount on one sec pro. The article does not describe how to claim it.

• Other savings

  Lower per-seat prices from 4 seats

  In the web store the annual US price per seat falls from $19.99 to $15.99 at 4 seats, $12.99 at 10 seats and $9.99 at 50 seats.