Opal alternative: Stint vs Opal
Pick Opal if you want a strong app blocker for yourself on iPhone, Android or Mac. Pick Stint if you keep switching your blocks off and want a group, focus time your phone verifies, and an entry fee in a prize pool that only the people who finish the challenge split.
Updated
Stint vs Opal at a glance
Price, platforms, blocking, how hard it is to get around, and where money comes in.
| Feature | Stint | Opal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download. Each pool has its own entry fee. Stint Pro is optional, US$5.99 a month. | Free plan with one rule. Opal Pro is US$19.99 a month, US$99.99 a year or US$399 once. |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18 or later). Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge coming soon. | iPhone, Android and Mac. |
| 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. | Blocks the apps and websites you choose on a schedule, with daily limits and a focus timer you lock in to. |
| 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. | You choose the difficulty. Opal says Deep Focus “won’t let you cancel or bypass at all”, and Pro adds Hard Mode: “You can’t turn Opal off.” |
| 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 one person, with a leaderboard to challenge friends. A Teams plan is sold to companies. |
| 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 subscription only. Nothing is paid in or paid out for meeting a goal. |
Opal details from opalapp.com and Opal's App Store page, checked 2 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and can change.
When to pick Opal instead
Opal does some things Stint doesn’t. If any of these matter most, it’s the better fit.
Pick Opal if
- You need blocking on Android or a Mac today. Opal runs on both; Stint is iPhone-only for now (Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge are coming).
- You want a lock you truly can’t undo. Stint lets you unlock an app and costs you the day instead.
- You want blocks that run every day on a schedule, with time and open limits. Stint blocks only during a session.
- You’d rather not put any money down, or you’d rather focus on your own. Opal has a free plan.
Pick Stint if
- You keep switching blocks off. An entry fee in a shared prize pool gives you a reason not to.
- You want focus measured, not just distractions blocked: time counts only in your work apps.
- You work better with other people taking the same challenge, whether strangers or friends.
- You like the idea that finishing pays off: everyone who qualifies splits the prize pool.
The real difference
Opal is built to make distractions hard to reach: rules, schedules, limits and, if you want it, a lock with no way out. It works on its own, for one person.
Stint blocks only what you pick, and only while a session runs, so the lock is lighter. What keeps you there is the group: everyone paid the same entry fee, your phone reports each minute you spend in your work apps, and the people who meet the goal split the prize pool. If you don't qualify, the most you can lose is your entry fee. See how prize pools work.
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
What is the best alternative to Opal?
There isn’t one best pick; it depends on why you’re leaving. For another way to block on your own, Brick uses a physical key and Forest a free focus timer. If Opal’s blocks are easy for you to switch off, Stint adds a reason to keep going: an entry fee in a group prize pool that only the people who finish the challenge split.
How much does Opal cost?
Opal has a free plan with one rule. Opal Pro is US$19.99 a month, US$99.99 a year or US$399 as a one-time payment, according to Opal’s pricing page in October 2026.
Is there a free alternative to Opal?
Stint is free to download and its free plan blocks up to five apps, but joining a pool means paying that pool’s entry fee. Stint Pro is optional at US$5.99 a month. Opal also has a free plan of its own.
Can I use Stint with friends?
Yes. Private pools are invite-only and shared by a code or a link, so you can take a challenge with friends, classmates or a team. Public pools let you join strangers with the same goal. Hosting a pool takes Stint Pro.
What happens if I give up during a Stint session?
You can unlock a blocked app, but Stint asks you first and it ends that day’s session. If you don’t meet the goal on the days the pool requires, you don’t qualify and you forfeit your share. You’re never charged more than your entry fee.
Try a pool instead
Stint is free to download. You pay a pool’s entry fee only when you join one.
