A free Opal alternative? Here’s what each app gives you without paying.
Opal has a free version, but its paid plans go from $4.99 a week to $99.99 a year. Lampi is a pet that shines when you put your phone down and keeps the important stuff free: the daily limit, the shield and the expeditions. Here’s what each one gives you for free, what it doesn’t, and other options that cost nothing.
Lampi and Opal at a glance
| Lampi | Opal | |
|---|---|---|
| What’s free | The important stuff: Lampi and her shield, the daily limit, expeditions and postcards, breathing with her and night mode. | According to its listing: unlimited rules, unlimited instant sessions and one recurring scheduled session. |
| Paid | Lampi Plus, optional: $6.99/month or $49.99/year, with a 7-day trial on the yearly plan. It adds exclusive areas, the strict shield (no “5 more min”) and your stats. | Paid plans from $4.99/week to $99.99/year. Some reviewers say the strictest mode, Deep Focus, is paid. |
| How it works | You pick the apps and a gentle daily limit. No sessions to start: Lampi follows along on her own with Apple’s Screen Time. | You schedule sessions and time blocks (work, sleep, routines) and Opal blocks the chosen apps while they last. It uses Apple’s Screen Time. |
| If you slip | She takes a nap. If you open an app past your limit, she asks if you really want to go in; you can stop, breathe with her for 20 seconds or ask for 5 more minutes. She never gets sick or dies, and tomorrow starts fresh. | Depends on the mode: you can take breaks, and Deep Focus can’t be bypassed or cancelled. |
| Where | iPhone. Android in private beta. | iPhone and Android. |
What Opal does better
- Its free version blocks more. With unlimited rules and instant sessions you can set up several blocks without paying. Lampi has a single daily limit for the apps you pick.
- Track record, and already on Android. 4.7 stars from about 90,000 ratings in the US. Lampi on Android is still in private beta.
What Lampi does differently
- The important stuff is free. The daily limit, the shield that shows up when you overdo it, expeditions with postcards and breathing with her. You don’t have to pay for Lampi to work.
- No sessions to start. Set your limit once and Lampi follows it all day with Apple’s Screen Time.
- No grades, no punishment. If you overdo it, she takes a nap and asks if you really want to go in; you can stop, breathe with her or ask for 5 more minutes.
- If you ever pay, it costs less. Plus is $49.99 a year, compared with $99.99 for Opal’s yearly plan. And it’s optional.
Which one is right for you?
If you want to block several apps on a schedule without paying, Opal’s free version goes a long way. If blocks only last you two days and you’d rather put your phone down for someone you like, Lampi is free where it matters. And if you just want a limit and nothing else, look at these other options.
Other truly free options
- Apple’s Screen Time. It comes with your iPhone: app limits, downtime and a passcode so you don’t skip it. No pet and nothing to cheer you on, but free and nothing to install. How to set it up, step by step.
- ScreenZen. Completely free, with optional tips: a wait before each app opens, app limits and schedules. 4.9 stars from about 52,000 ratings in the US. If you want a free Opal-style blocker, it’s one of the best there is.
Give Lampi a day
Pick your thief apps and a gentle limit. Tonight she might bring you her first postcard.
Download on the App Store Android: ask for the beta
Free on iPhone. On Android, Lampi is in private beta: write to us and we’ll invite you.
Sources
- Opal on the App Store (US)
- Opal on Google Play
- ScreenZen on the App Store (US)
- Lampi on the App Store
Prices and features from the store listings, checked on October 20, 2026 (dollar prices are from the US store). They may change: if you spot something outdated or unfair, write to [email protected] and we’ll fix it. Opal is a trademark of its owners; Lampi is not affiliated with them.