# Foqos

> Free open-source iPhone app blocker using NFC tags or QR codes

Foqos is a free, open-source app blocker for iPhone that uses Apple's Screen Time APIs to block the apps and websites you choose. A blocking session can be started or stopped in the app, by tapping an NFC tag, by scanning a QR code or barcode, or on a timer, so the way out can be a physical object kept somewhere else. It needs no account, shows no ads, and keeps profiles and session history on the phone.

- **Category:** Focus Apps
- **Made by:** Ambition Software Inc.
- **Website:** https://www.foqos.app
- **Runs on:** iOS, macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Foqos is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Free on the App Store with no subscription, ads or account. The listing shows three optional tips for the developer, at $1.99, $4.99 and $9.99.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Foqos | $0 | The full iPhone app and the Mac companion: app and website blocking, NFC and QR strategies, timers, breaks, widgets and insights. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foqos-tap-to-block/id6736793117 on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Foqos before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.9 out of 5 from 5,164 ratings in the United States, read Oct 9, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6736793117

## Works with

Apple Shortcuts, Siri, iCloud

**Tags:** Site & app blocker, Open source, Local-first, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [Brick](https://toolgpa.com/tools/brick): Physical device you tap to block distracting phone apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brick-vs-foqos)
- [Unpluq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/unpluq): Phone app blocker with an optional NFC key fob. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foqos-vs-unpluq)
- [Bloom](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bloom): Metal NFC keycard you tap to lock distracting phone apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bloom-vs-foqos)
- [Opal](https://toolgpa.com/tools/opal): Screen time app that blocks distracting apps on phone and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foqos-vs-opal)
- [ScreenZen](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screenzen): Free app that delays and blocks distracting apps and sites. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foqos-vs-screenzen)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://www.foqos.app/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foqos-tap-to-block/id6736793117
- https://www.foqos.app/mac.html
- https://www.foqos.app/support.html
- https://www.foqos.app/privacy.html
- https://www.foqos.app/brick-app-alternative.html
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/awaseem/foqos/main/README.md

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/foqos
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).