Norte vs one sec
one sec pioneered the idea both apps share: a deliberate pause between reaching for an app and the feed opening. Pick one sec if that friction is the whole thing you want, especially across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Pick Norte if you want the same pause plus habit tracking and a year-long view of what you did with the time. one sec is five years older and has around 116,000 ratings worldwide to Norte’s 63.
Side by side
| Feature | Norte | one sec |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks apps | Yes | Yes |
| Uses Apple Screen Time | Yes | Yes |
| Pause screen before opening | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks daily habits | Yes | No |
| Year-long consistency view | Yes | No |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Minimum iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 |
| On the App Store since | 2026 | 2020 |
| App Store rating (worldwide) | 5.0 (63) | 4.8 (116,311) |
| Free tier | Blocking and habit tracking work from day one | A breathing interruption for one app |
| Monthly | $1.99 | €3.99 |
| Yearly | $11.99 | €14.99 |
| One-time / lifetime | $22.99 | €99.99 |
Ratings are worldwide totals, summed across every App Store storefront and weighted by count. Apple shows only your own storefront, so these will not match the number on your phone. Facts verified on 2026-09-20.
Prices are each vendor’s own published figure, in the currency they publish it in — one sec prices in euros, and converting would invent a number its FAQ does not state. Check the App Store before buying; regional prices differ. Norte: App Store Connect (live norte_pro_* products, US storefront) · one sec: one-sec.app FAQ, “How much does one sec cost?”.
Where one sec is better
- The pause is its specialty, refined since 2020 — the breathing delay is the product, not a feature of it, and it shows.
- Works across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Norte is iPhone only.
- The approach has published research behind it, which is rare in this category and worth something.
- Around 116,000 worldwide ratings against Norte’s 63, from a far longer track record.
Where Norte is better
- Habits, which one sec does not do at all. Norte turns "I did not open Instagram" into "I read, I ran, I slept early" and keeps the record.
- The year map turns months of small decisions into one picture.
- Blocking rules and schedules sit alongside the pause, so some apps can be behind a wall rather than behind a breath.
- One app instead of two, if you were otherwise going to pair a blocker with a separate habit tracker.
Pick one sec if
a breathing pause is the only mechanic you want, with nothing tracking what you do after it.
Pick Norte if
the pause is the start and you want somewhere for the reclaimed time to land.
Questions people ask about this comparison
Do Norte and one sec work the same way?
The pause screen is a shared idea and both use Apple’s Screen Time framework underneath. one sec concentrates on making that moment of friction as effective as possible; Norte treats it as one half of a loop that ends in habit tracking.
Can I use both?
Technically two apps can hold Screen Time authorisation, but in practice overlapping rules get confusing fast. Pick the one whose model you actually want.
Does one sec track habits?
No. It is a friction and focus app. If you want habit tracking you would pair it with a separate app, which is the gap Norte is built to close.
Norte is free to try
Block the apps that eat your hours, then watch the habits you build with them instead.
Get Norte on the App Store