minimalist phone vs one sec
We give minimalist phone a 2.8 GPA and one sec a 3.0, out of 4.0. minimalist phone grades higher on value for money. one sec grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
minimalist phone
Text-only home screen and app blocker for Android and iPhone
one sec
Screen time app that adds a pause before distracting apps open
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAminimalist phoneGood | 3.0GPAone secVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe US App Store lists $2.99 or $4.99 a month, $9.99 or $19.99 a year, and $29.99 to $69.99 for lifetime. Even the higher yearly price is well under what a typical focus app costs. The annoying part: nothing says which amount a new subscriber pays, and the vendor's own site publishes no prices. | B$19.99 a year covers your phone, tablet, Mac and browser. That's cheap next to Opal at $99.99 a year or Freedom at $39.99. But ScreenZen does a similar wait-before-it-opens trick for nothing. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free plan. The monthly and yearly plans come with a 7-day free trial, and then you pay. Lifetime is charged at once, with a 7-day refund in place of a trial. | BFree forever with no ads, but for one app or one website only. Pick Instagram and TikTok is on its own. The yearly Pro plan starts with a 1-week free trial. |
| Features | BA text-only home screen, app and website blocking, a 15-second delay before chosen apps open, and a time limit you set each time you open one. Solid. But hiding apps and notifications, monochrome mode and short-video blocking are listed for Android and not on the iPhone page. | BLots of ways to slow you down: breathing, a mirror, a maths task, being kicked out after 5 minutes, scheduled blocks. Not all of it is on every platform, though. Its help centre table marks strict block sessions and website blocking as missing on Android. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as far as we'll go. On Android it simply takes over as your home screen. On iPhone the layout is built from text-based widgets, which is more of a workaround. | B4.8 from about 23,700 App Store ratings. Setup on iPhone was the big complaint for years, with a Shortcuts automation to build for each app. The notes for version 6.0, from September 2026, say it's one tap on the newest iOS. |
| Platforms and integrations | CAndroid and iPhone, so phones only. The iPhone app needs iOS 17 or later and isn't offered for iPad, and there's no desktop or browser version. No integrations are listed. | BiPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. No Windows or Linux app, so there it only works inside the browser. It hooks into Structured, LENGO and Apple Health. |
| Best for | a text-only home screen that makes your phone boring | people who open Instagram on autopilot |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: minimalist phone and one sec. How we grade
Where they differ
- minimalist phone starts at $2.99 / month or $9.99 / year (US App Store; several amounts listed). one sec starts at $3.99 / month, or $19.99 / year (US web store price).
- one sec has a free plan. minimalist phone does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only one sec lists a macOS app.
- Only one sec lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| minimalist phone | one sec | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.99 / month or $9.99 / year (US App Store; several amounts listed) | $3.99 / month, or $19.99 / year (US web store price) |
| Free plan | None | The breathing interruption and Re-Intervention for one app or website, with no ads. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans; lifetime is charged at once with a 7-day refund | 1-week free trial of one sec pro; the web store attaches it to the annual plan |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hachi Media OÜ | riedel.wtf apps S.L. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | web.one-sec.app |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
minimalist phone
- People who open social apps out of habit and want friction first
- Android users who want a text-only launcher in place of app icons
- Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
one sec
- 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
Worth knowing
minimalist phone
- There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial you choose a monthly, yearly or lifetime purchase.
- No prices are published on the vendor's site. The US App Store lists several amounts for each plan, and Google Play shows a range of $0.29 to $59.99 per item.
- The iPhone app requires iOS 17 or later and is not offered for iPad; there is no desktop or browser version.
- Hiding apps and notifications, monochrome mode and short-video blocking are listed for Android but not on the iPhone page.
one sec
- 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.
- one sec's pages disagree on Android: its help table marks website blocking and strict block sessions as unavailable, while the Play listing describes blocking apps and websites.
Key features
minimalist phone
- Icon-free home screen
- A text-only list of apps takes the place of the icon grid. On Android the app is a launcher that replaces the default home screen; on iPhone the layout is built from text-based widgets.
- App and website blocking
- Block chosen apps and websites for a few hours, or put apps into a detox mode that the Android page says can run for 30 days.
- Mindful launch delay
- A 15-second pause before a chosen app opens, intended to interrupt the habit of opening apps without thinking.
- In-app reminders
- Set a time limit each time you open an app. A reminder appears while you are in it, and you are pushed out when the time is up.
- Blocking schedules
- Recurring windows in which chosen apps are blocked, for work, study or sleep. The vendor's iOS page lists them, while its App Store description still says they are coming soon.
- Notification filter and monochrome mode
- On Android you can hide apps and their notifications and show selected apps in black and white. The Google Play listing also mentions blocking short videos.
one sec
- 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.
Plans
minimalist phone
Monthly Plan$2.99 or $4.99
per month, US App Store; two amounts listed
Subscription with a 7-day free trial. The listing shows $4.99 and $2.99 and does not say which one a new subscriber pays.
Annual Plan$9.99 or $19.99
per year, US App Store; two amounts listed
Yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial, listed at $19.99 and $9.99.
Lifetime access$29.99 to $69.99
one-time, US App Store; four amounts listed
One-time purchase listed at $29.99, $49.99, $59.99 and $69.99. It is charged immediately, with a 7-day refund in place of a trial.
one sec
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.
Ways to pay less
minimalist phone
- Lifetime license
Lifetime access for a one-time payment
A lifetime option is sold alongside the monthly and yearly plans. The US App Store lists it at $29.99 to $69.99, and the vendor says it is charged immediately with a 7-day refund.
one sec
- 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.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On October 9, 2026 the web store's price list set the annual plan at ₹429 with tax for India, and showed ₹363.56 before tax when read from there. Read from the United States it showed $19.99.
