Snitch vs Opal: Solo Willpower vs Your Mates (2026)
Opal is the best-known solo blocker; Snitch is for people who need other people. How they work, what they cost, and who each one is for.
Opal is probably the best-known screen time app out there, and for good reason. It’s polished, it’s on iPhone, Android and Mac, and its blocking is solid.
We built Snitch because blocking alone never worked for us. We’d set a limit, hit it, and tap “ignore” like it was a terms and conditions box. What finally worked was other people knowing.
So this isn’t really “which app is better”. It’s “which one fits how your brain works”.
The quick answer
- Pick Opal if you’re good at sticking to rules once they’re set, you want deep focus sessions, or you need blocking on your Mac too.
- Pick Snitch if you’ve tried blockers before and always find a way round them, and you’ve got a mate (or four) who wants to cut down too.
Side by side
| Opal | Snitch (ours) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | You set rules and the app enforces them | Your group shares a daily screen time pot. Go over and you eat into your friends’ time |
| Who’s involved | Just you | You and up to 4 friends |
| Getting extra time | Depends on your rules; Hard Mode can’t be turned off | Give a reason, or ask the group, who approve or deny it |
| Breaks | Pause a rule for 1 to 30 days | One Rot Day a month: 24 hours off, guilt-free |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android, Mac | iPhone, Android |
| Free version | 1 rule | Blocks up to 2 apps |
| Paid (US) | $19.99/mo, $99.99/yr, $399 lifetime | Premium from $2.99/mo |
Opal prices are from Opal’s pricing page and its help centre. Snitch prices are from its App Store listing. Both vary by country and by app store.
Where Opal wins
It’s on Mac. If your problem is a laptop full of tabs, Snitch won’t help you there yet.
Its focus tools are deeper too: sessions, schedules, and a Hard Mode for when you really want no way out.
And if you want something nobody else is involved in, Opal keeps it private.
Where Snitch wins
It’s harder to cheat on your friends than on an app. When going over your limit means your mate loses 20 minutes of their evening, you think twice. That’s the whole idea.
It’s built for moderation, not abstinence. Rot Day exists because cold turkey usually ends in a binge.
It’s cheaper month to month: Premium is $2.99 a month against Opal Pro’s $19.99 (US prices).
And the reward is real life: groups that hit their goals unlock rewards for things to do offline.
The honest bit
No app fixes this on its own. If you’re happy with Opal, stick with it. If you keep finding your way round every blocker you try, it might be time to bring your mates in.
Looking at other options too? See 7 Opal alternatives.