Norte vs ScreenZen
ScreenZen is the strongest free option in this category: no paid tier at all, several different intervention strategies, and around 117,000 worldwide ratings at 4.9. Pick it if you want serious blocking without ever paying. Pick Norte if you want blocking plus habit tracking and a year view in one app, and are willing to consider a paid tier for it.
Side by side
| Feature | Norte | ScreenZen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 16.4 |
| On the App Store since | 2026 | 2021 |
| App Store rating (worldwide) | 5.0 (63) | 4.9 (117,360) |
| Price | Free to install, paid tier | Free to install |
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.
Where ScreenZen is better
- Genuinely free. ScreenZen does not sell a paid tier, which in this category is unusual and worth taking seriously.
- The highest rating of the apps here — 4.9 across roughly 117,000 worldwide ratings.
- Several intervention strategies rather than one: delays that grow each time you open an app, scroll interruptions, and limits on opens rather than only on minutes.
- Runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Norte is iPhone only.
Where Norte is better
- Habit tracking, which ScreenZen does not have. Norte records what you built, not only what you avoided.
- The year map, which makes consistency legible over months rather than days.
- A more finished, quieter interface — a matter of taste, and ScreenZen’s users often like its directness.
- Habits you want to avoid sit beside habits you want to build, in one daily two-minute check.
Pick ScreenZen if
you want the most capable blocker that costs nothing, or you want it on Mac and iPad as well.
Pick Norte if
you want one app that both blocks the distraction and tracks the habit replacing it.
Questions people ask about this comparison
Is ScreenZen really free?
Per its App Store listing it has no paid tier, unlike Norte, Opal and one sec, which are free to install with a paid option. If cost is the deciding factor, that is the honest answer.
Which blocks apps more effectively?
Both use Apple’s Screen Time framework, so the block itself is enforced by iOS in both cases and is equally hard to bypass. The difference is in the strategies wrapped around it — ScreenZen offers more ways to intervene, Norte connects the intervention to a habit.
Does ScreenZen track habits?
No. It focuses on reducing screen time rather than on building a daily routine, which is the main reason to consider Norte instead.
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