Brick alternative: Stint vs Brick
Pick Brick if you want a physical key: tap your phone on it to block apps, and walk back to it to unblock. Pick Stint if you'd rather not buy a device and want a group to keep you going, with an entry fee in a prize pool that everyone who finishes the challenge splits.
Updated
Stint vs Brick at a glance
Price, platforms, blocking, how hard it is to get around, and where money comes in.
| Feature | Stint | Brick |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download. Each pool has its own entry fee. Stint Pro is optional, US$5.99 a month. | US$59 once for the Brick, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The app has no subscription. |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18 or later). Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge coming soon. | iPhone and Android. |
| How it blocks | Apple’s Screen Time on iPhone. Only the apps you choose are blocked, and only while a session runs. Focus counts only in your work apps. | You pick apps in the Brick app, then tap your phone on the Brick, a small physical device, to start. You tap it again to end. |
| Getting around it | You can unlock a blocked app, but Stint asks first and it ends that day’s session. Miss the goal on the days the pool requires and you don’t qualify. | Ending a session needs the Brick. Strict Mode stops you deleting the app or changing settings, and there are five Emergency Unbricks for when you can’t reach it. |
| Solo or group | Group only. Join a public pool, or a private one with friends shared by a code or a link. Hosting a pool takes Stint Pro. | Built for your own phone. One Brick works with as many phones as you like, so a household can share one. |
| Money involved | Everyone pays the same entry fee up front into a prize pool. Everyone who qualifies splits it. You’re never charged more than your entry fee. | The one-time purchase only. Nothing is paid in or paid out for meeting a goal. |
Brick details from getbrick.com and Brick's App Store page, checked 2 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and can change.
When to pick Brick instead
Brick does some things Stint doesn’t. If any of these matter most, it’s the better fit.
Pick Brick if
- You want physical distance: leave the Brick in another room and the only way out is to walk over to it.
- You want to pay once and never again. Brick has no subscription, and it never asks for an entry fee.
- You use Android. Brick works with it today; Stint is iPhone-only for now (Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge are coming).
- You want something for the whole household, or you simply want to be offline for a while rather than to work.
Pick Stint if
- You don’t want to buy or carry a device. Stint is an app, free to download.
- You want focus measured: time counts only in your work apps, and your phone reports each minute.
- You want other people in it with you: a pool of strangers or friends taking the same challenge.
- You want finishing to pay off: everyone who qualifies splits the prize pool.
Friction or a reason
Brick works by friction. Your blocked apps are a walk away, and that small effort is often enough to break the habit of reaching for your phone.
Stint works by giving you a reason to stay. You and your pool each paid the same entry fee, your phone verifies the time you spend in your work apps, and everyone who meets the daily goal splits the prize pool. Leaving a session is possible, but it costs you that day. See how Stint works.
How Stint works
A group, a daily focus goal and a prize pool. Your phone keeps score.
- Step 1
Join a pool
Every member pays the same entry fee into the prize pool. The goal, length and any platform cut are shown first.
- Step 2
Focus
Time counts only in your work apps. The apps you chose to block stay blocked during a session.
- Step 3
Your phone verifies it
Your phone reports each minute of a session to Stint. No self-reporting.
- Step 4
Qualify and split
Meet the goal on the days the rules require. Everyone who qualifies splits the prize pool equally.
The full rules are on how Stint works, and the arithmetic of the split, with a worked example, is on how prize pools work.
Questions people ask
Is there a Brick alternative without a device?
Yes. App-only blockers work without hardware. Stint is one: it blocks the apps you choose on iPhone during a session, and instead of a device it uses an entry fee in a group prize pool to keep you going.
How much does Brick cost?
US$59 for the Brick, paid once, according to getbrick.com in October 2026. Brick says its app has no subscription or monthly fees, and it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can you get around Brick?
Brick says ending a session needs a rescan of the Brick, and its Strict Mode stops you deleting the app or changing settings. It also gives you five Emergency Unbricks for when you lose the device.
Does Stint need any hardware?
No. Stint runs on your phone. On iPhone it uses Apple’s Screen Time to block the apps you pick, only while a session runs, and counts focus only while you’re in your work apps.
What does a Stint pool cost?
Each pool sets its own entry fee, shown before you join, and the entry fees make up the prize pool. Everyone who qualifies splits it equally. You’re never charged more than your entry fee. Stint Pro is optional at US$5.99 a month.
No device needed
Stint is free to download. You pay a pool’s entry fee only when you join one.
