ScrollBuddy
vs Opal.
A schedule you set in advance, against a day you earn back one task at a time. We make one of these, so every fact below links to where it came from.
The table scrolls sideways when it does not fit.
| ScrollBuddy | Opal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | The apps you picked are shut from midnight. Finishing one of your tasks mints a thirty minute pass, and spending a pass opens them until it runs out. | You block chosen apps on schedules and timers. Hard Mode makes a session harder to end early. |
| Price, US App Store | Free first full day, then $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year, or $49.99 once | Free tier, then $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year, or $399 once |
| Account needed | No account, no login | Optional. Their privacy page says you may choose to sign up |
| Where your data sits | On the phone. Blocking runs on Apple's Screen Time, so it never sees which apps you open | Their privacy page: private data stays on your device, and they do not store it |
| Runs on | iPhone, iOS 26 and later | iPhone, Android, Mac |
| Uses Apple Screen Time | Yes, stated | Yes, stated |
Prices are US App Store prices in dollars, not converted, so your local price will differ. Checked 12 September 2026. Where an app publishes a fact itself we took it from there, otherwise from its App Store listing: ScrollBuddy, their App Store listing; Opal, their own site.
Who Opal is right for
Opal is the broader tool, and for a lot of people it is the right one. It is the only app in this comparison running on iPhone, Android and Mac, so if the hours go on a laptop as well as a phone it is the practical answer. Its scheduling is the most developed of the apps we looked at, with recurring sessions and a Hard Mode that makes ending one early harder than a tap.
It also has a real free tier, so you can find out whether a schedule is enough for you without paying anything. If it is, stop here. Paid Opal is expensive next to this category, but you would be buying the cross platform coverage, and nothing else here has it.
Their privacy page states that private data stays on your device and that they do not store it. Signing up for an account is described as a choice rather than a requirement. Source: https://opalapp.com/pricing.
Who ScrollBuddy is right for
ScrollBuddy is narrower on purpose. iPhone only, one mechanism, no schedule to design. The apps you picked are shut from midnight, and they open for thirty minutes when you finish one of the one to three tasks you wrote for the day.
That suits a specific problem: not high hours in general, but a morning that goes missing and a list that never gets started. A schedule cannot help with that, because the hour you block is not the hour the day goes wrong. If your problem is the hours themselves, or if your desk is where it happens, Opal fits better.
No account and no login. Blocking runs on Apple’s Screen Time permission, so ScrollBuddy never sees which apps you open. Your first full day is free. After that it costs money, and if it does not help you can walk away free.
The honest caveat
Neither app can stop you. You can turn it off. ScrollBuddy holds no key you cannot take back, and it only ever knows what you tell it. Opal’s own pricing page and its App Store in-app purchase list do not agree on the tiers, so treat any price you read anywhere, including here, as something to check on the day you buy. All six apps in one table are at screen time apps compared.
Questions
Is Opal or ScrollBuddy cheaper?
Opal has a free tier and ScrollBuddy gives you a free first full day. Paid, ScrollBuddy is $4.99 a month against Opal's $19.99, and $49.99 once against Opal's $399. Prices are US App Store prices and are not converted.
Does Opal work on Mac and Android?
Yes. Opal covers iPhone, Android and Mac. ScrollBuddy is iPhone only, so if your scroll happens on a laptop as well, Opal is the one that covers it.
What is the real difference in how they block?
Opal blocks on a schedule or a timer you set in advance. ScrollBuddy starts the day blocked and opens the apps for thirty minutes when you finish one of the tasks you wrote.