moss vs Opal
A polished software blocker with analytics. Pro is $99.99 a year or $399 once.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Opal OS Corporation's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Opal is
Opal is a screen time app with no hardware. It blocks apps in sessions and on schedules, sets time and open limits, scores your focus and lets you challenge friends on a leaderboard. There is a limited free tier. Opal Pro costs $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $399 for life, and the strictest mode, where a session cannot be ended early, is part of Pro. Its pricing page lists iOS, Android and Mac.
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | Opal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Free tier. Pro $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year, or $399 once |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes for Pro, or a $399 lifetime purchase |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone, Android and Mac |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | Start a session in the app, or schedules and limits |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | In the app, depending on the difficulty you chose |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | The strictest mode allows one early exit a week |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | Friends leaderboard. No household sessions |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | No key: the off switch is on the phone |
Where Opal is better
- Nothing to buy, carry or lose, and it works wherever you are.
- Runs on Mac and Android too.
- Detailed reports and a focus score.
- A large, established user base.
Where moss is better
- The unlock is a physical object somewhere else, not a button on the screen you are trying to avoid.
- One purchase. Two years of Opal Pro costs about four times a stone.
- Households lock together.
Who should pick which
Pick Opal if
You want analytics, you want your Mac covered, or you are away from home most of the day.
Pick moss if
Software limits have not held for you and you want the key out of reach, with no yearly bill.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
