Bloom vs Opal

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

Opal

• Phone users who want distracting apps blocked automatically by rule
• People who want a block that cannot be switched off once it starts
• Students, who can apply for half-price yearly Pro

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.

Opal

• The free plan allows 1 rule and shows the Opal Score for the current day only.
• Hard Mode, Allow Only, unlimited rules and score history all require Pro.
• No Windows, Linux or web version is listed, and the App Store lists the iOS app for iPhone only.
• Opal's Mac page lists app limits and sync with the iPhone app as still to come on Mac.

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.

Opal

Focus Rules

Rules block chosen apps automatically on a schedule, after a time limit or after a set number of opens. The free plan allows 1 rule and Pro removes the cap.

Focus Timer

Pick what to work on, set a duration and stay locked in until the timer runs out. Advanced timers and soundscapes are part of Pro.

Hard Mode

A Pro setting under which Opal cannot be turned off while a block is active.

Opal Score

A single daily score built from sleep, focus and rest signals. Free accounts see today's score; the history needs Pro.

Mac app

Sessions block distracting websites and apps on macOS 13 or later, with the same Normal, Timeout and Deep Focus levels as the iOS app.

Opal for Schools

A separate school program in which administrators block set apps during school hours and follow usage on a dashboard.

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.

Opal

• Free$0

  App blocking with 1 rule, basic timers and soundscapes, and the Opal Score for the current day.

• Opal Pro (yearly)$8.29

  per month, billed annually ($99.99)

  Unlimited rules, Hard Mode, Allow Only, advanced timers and soundscapes, and Opal Score history.

• Opal Pro (monthly)$19.99

  per month, billed monthly

  The same Pro features paid month to month; the pricing page puts the cost at $239 over a year.

• Opal Pro (lifetime)$399

  one-time purchase

  Pro features for a single payment with no subscription.

• Opal Teams ProCustom

  Everything in Opal Pro with a single invoice, advanced support and training, and an account manager.

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.

Opal

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing costs about 58% less than monthly

  Opal Pro is $99.99 billed annually ($8.29 a month) against $19.99 billed monthly, which the pricing page totals at $239 a year.

• Education

  Student discount: 50% off Opal Pro

  Students can apply for 50% off the yearly Opal Pro plan, shown as $49.99 billed annually ($4.19 a month).

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Opal Pro for a one-time payment

  The pricing page lists a lifetime Opal Pro option at $399, paid once.