Kept, an Opal alternative that blocks by time and place
Opal is a popular screen time app with sessions, schedules, time limits and a strict Hard Mode. Kept is a smaller iPhone app built around one idea: block the apps that pull you away at the hours and the places you choose. Here is how they differ, as fairly as we can put it.
Checked on 17 October 2026, from Opal's website, help center and App Store page. US prices.
Kept and Opal at a glance
| Kept | Opal | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iOS 17 or later | iPhone (iOS 18 or later), Mac and Android |
| Price | 7 days free, then $9.99 a year, or $4.99 a month. No free tier | A free tier. Pro is $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year, or $399.99 once |
| Block on a schedule | Yes | Yes |
| Block by location | Built in: only at a place, or everywhere but a place | Not built in. An Apple Shortcuts automation can start an Opal timer when you arrive somewhere |
| Daily time limits and open limits | No | Yes |
| Strict mode | Firm locks a moment while it runs. Committed locks it until a date, and Kept cannot be deleted | Hard Mode, in Pro: no unblocking or leaving early. Uninstall protection while a strict rule runs |
| Emergency way out | One emergency pass a month | One Emergency Pass a week, for one hour |
| Before a blocked app opens | A price you choose for each moment, from a tap to a partner's code. 0 to 5 pauses a day | A Waiting Room: a pause, guided breathing or brain games |
| Websites | Yes, and one switch for adult sites | Yes, and adult-site blocking |
| Account | None | Optional. Needed for Pro on more than one device and for social features |
| Extras | Reports that count moments kept | Opal Score, Focus Reports, streaks, friends, sleep stories and meditations |
Where Kept is different
Place is built in
In Kept, every moment can depend on where you are. Block social apps only at the office, or block work mail everywhere but the office. You pick the place on a map, with a radius of 100, 200 or 500 metres. Kept uses the region monitoring in iOS, so the rule works with the app closed, and the comparison stays on the phone. In Opal, location needs an Apple Shortcuts automation that starts a timer.
You set the price of a pause
A pause opens the apps again for a short time. In Kept, each moment has its own price for a pause: nothing, a 10-second wait, a typed passage, three sums, catching a moving dot, turning the phone, your own code, a partner's code, or being on a charger. You also decide how many pauses a day, from zero to five.
Committed means until a date
Firm locks a moment while it runs. Committed locks it until a date you choose. Until then the moment cannot be softened, the pauses drop to zero, and Kept cannot be deleted from the phone. One emergency pass a month remains, for real emergencies.
No account, and a lower price
Kept has no account and no server. Your moments and places stay on your phone and in your own iCloud. After the seven-day trial, Kept costs $9.99 a year, against $99.99 a year for Opal Pro.
When Opal is the better choice
- You use a Mac or an Android phone. Opal has apps for both. Kept is for iPhone only.
- You want daily time limits or open limits. Opal can block an app after a daily allowance or a number of opens. Kept blocks by hours and place.
- You want a free plan. Opal has a free tier. Kept has a seven-day trial.
- You like scores and company. Opal has the Opal Score, streaks, friends and a leaderboard.
- You want a long track record. Opal has about 90,000 ratings at 4.7 stars in the US App Store.
Moving from Opal to Kept
- Install Kept and allow Screen Time.Kept and Opal can run side by side while you try Kept.
- Make one moment for each Opal schedule.Pick the same apps and the same hours. Add a place where it helps.
- Choose a price for a pause and how strict.Committed is the closest to Opal's Hard Mode.
- Turn off the Opal rules you no longer need.If you pay for Opal Pro, cancel it in your App Store subscriptions.
Questions
Is Kept free, like Opal's free tier?
No. Kept has a seven-day free trial, then costs $9.99 a year or $4.99 a month in the US. There is no free tier.
Can Kept block apps by location?
Yes. Any moment can run only at a place, or everywhere but a place, with a radius of 100, 200 or 500 metres. It works with the app closed.
Does Kept have a hard mode like Opal?
Kept has two. Firm locks a moment while it runs. Committed locks it until a date you choose: no pauses, no softer settings, and Kept cannot be deleted from the phone. One emergency pass a month remains.
Does Kept work on Mac or Android?
No. Kept is for iPhone only, with iOS 17 or later. Opal also has Mac and Android apps.
Can I use Kept and Opal at the same time?
Yes. Both use Apple's Screen Time, and an app that either one blocks stays blocked. You can try Kept before you change anything in Opal.
Try Kept for seven days.
Make your first moment in a minute. Give it hours, give it a place, and decide what a pause costs.
Free for seven days, then $9.99 a year. Monthly is $4.99. US prices; the App Store shows yours.
Sources
We checked Opal's facts on 17 October 2026 in these places. Apps change. If something here is out of date, write to support@getkeptblocker.app and we will correct it.
- Opal on the US App Store: platforms, prices, ratings
- Opal pricing: free tier, Pro, Hard Mode
- Opal help: blocking apps: sessions, schedules, time limits, open limits
- Opal help: Emergency Pass
- Opal help: Waiting Room
- Opal help: Shortcuts: location through automations
- opalapp.com: iPhone, Mac and Android
Opal is a trademark of its owner. Kept is not affiliated with Opal.