moss vs Switchly
An Android app and website blocker switched by your own NFC tags, QR codes or barcodes.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Saltyy's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Switchly is
Switchly is an Android app and website blocker made in Austria, with its source on GitLab. Protection can be switched by your own NFC tags, QR codes, barcodes, schedules or manual controls, using profiles such as Work, Study and Sleep. It can block parts of an app, such as YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, and leave the rest usable. The core app is free with no ads. There is an optional Premium, and Google Play lists in-app purchases of $1.99 to $119.99 per item. It is Android only.
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 | Switchly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Free core app. Google Play lists in-app purchases of $1.99 to $119.99 per item |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Optional Premium |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Android only |
| 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 | Profiles, schedules, NFC tag, QR code, barcode or manual |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The channels you enabled. Temporary unlocks with fixed durations |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | An Emergency Unlock, limited per day |
| 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 | None stated |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | Your own NFC tags, QR codes or barcodes |
Where Switchly is better
- It works on Android, which moss does not.
- It can block Shorts and Reels inside an app without blocking the whole app.
- The core app is free and works with a tag you already own.
- It blocks websites as well as apps.
Where moss is better
- It works on iPhone. Switchly has no iPhone app.
- A stone is included, and unlocking always needs it.
- Households can lock together and see whose phone is down.
Who should pick which
Pick Switchly if
You use Android and are comfortable setting up your own tags and profiles.
Pick moss if
You use an iPhone and want one stone that your household shares.
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.
