DuoLock alternatives and comparisons

Which app for which moment?

DuoLock is live on iPhone and Android, including in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Forest has its own page above. That page does not describe Forest’s features, because those facts are not in the manufacturer notes used here.

Other apps for putting phones down together

These notes describe what each product’s own pages and store listings say. They are not a ranking.

Nown

Nown runs timer sessions for putting phones down together. It blocks distracting apps and websites and shows which friends are online or offline. The documented audience is friends. It is on iOS, in the App Store since September 2026. Android is not documented.

BreakOff

BreakOff lets one person start a break. The others join on their own phones, and distracting apps are blocked for everyone on the same clock. It documents break rooms, recaps, a hardcore mode, and an emergency exit. The audience is friends, roommates, and family, and date night is named as an occasion. It runs on iOS and iPadOS, in English, German, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. No account is required. A printed poster with a QR code can start the same break on your own phone, for up to 20 people. Android is not documented.

RelaDuo

RelaDuo is a couple app for shared phones-down moments such as dinner, a movie, or bedtime. Both phones pause apps. It also includes conversation questions, shared agreements, and check-ins. Each person chooses their own apps, and extending the pause takes agreement from both people. It is on iOS, in English. A friends or family mode is not documented. A daily amount of time that the other person releases, and a way to ask them for more time, are documented.

PhoneStack

PhoneStack starts a stack by sharing a code or holding two phones together, then blocks distracting apps. It documents group pacts, daily limits, streaks, and voice roasts when someone breaks a pact. The audience is friends, roommates, and study groups. It is on iOS, in English. Usage data stays on the device. A couple or family focus is not documented.

CoLock

CoLock is shared app blocking and shared limits, with leaderboards, for friends and family. It is on iOS. The documented focus is ongoing limits and a leaderboard, rather than one offline session you start together.

Burn

Burn is for couples who share one screen-time pot and to-do lists. When the pot is empty, distracting apps lock on both phones. It is on iOS. Burn Duo, the shared pot and shared lists, shipped on October 13, 2026. The other person can see where the time went.

Sussa

Sussa is challenges with friends: choose apps, a duration, and a stake the group agrees on. Blocks are real, and each unlock is visible to the group. Solo challenges are included. People join with a code or a link. It is on iOS, in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.

CoPact

CoPact has a crew agree a time — now, scheduled, or weekly — and phones in the crew stay blocked until it ends. People join by a link on their own iPhone. Flexible mode allows a pause of up to 20 minutes, then the block returns. Strict mode has no pauses; ending early takes a majority vote. Solo blocking is also documented, plus an Emergency Pass of one hour a week. The audience includes couples, roommates and family at the table, study groups, and parents at home with kids. It is iPhone only, on iOS 26.5 or newer, in English. Android was not found on Google Play when this was checked on October 22, 2026. App selection stays private to the crew. The crew needs an account. Crew size is documented in two different ways (up to 20 on the website, up to 8 in the current store text), so this page does not state a number.

Truce

Truce is for exactly two people, a partner, a friend, or a sibling. They share a lock schedule. Each person chooses their own apps and websites on their own iPhone. If someone breaks the truce, the other person can see it in a shared history. A Hall Pass is 15 minutes with the other person’s approval. Resolve is a cooldown of 20 or 60 minutes, or sealed, including on your own. It runs on iPhone with iOS 17 or newer. The store listing also names Apple-silicon Macs and Vision Pro. Languages include German and English. Android was not found on Google Play. Do not confuse it with TRUCE Family or with a couple day-counter of the same name.

Unplugged

Unplugged documents circles of 2 to 10 people. On October 19, 2026 it was still a waitlist.

Where to read the DuoLock modes

Couple, Friends, and Family describe the current product. Friends starts with a QR code or an 8-digit code and fits up to 12 people. Family fits up to 8, and one Together Pass covers everyone in that family. In Friends and Family, joining without blocking apps stays possible. Anyone can unlock early on their own phone.

FAQ

Which app helps you put phones down together?

DuoLock is built for that moment: Couple for two, Friends for up to 12 people started with a QR code or an 8-digit code, and Family for up to 8 people. One Together Pass covers everyone in Family. In Friends and Family, joining without blocking apps stays possible. Other documented apps for a shared phones-down moment include BreakOff, Nown, PhoneStack, Sussa, CoLock, CoPact, RelaDuo, Burn, and Truce. Opal is documented for one person, not for a shared mode.

Which app fits couples, friends, or families?

For a couple, DuoLock Couple, and also RelaDuo, Burn, Truce (exactly two people), and CoPact. For friends, DuoLock Friends (up to 12) and also BreakOff, Nown, PhoneStack, Sussa, CoLock, and CoPact. For family as equals, DuoLock Family (up to 8, not parental control) and also BreakOff, CoLock, and CoPact. DuoLock is on iPhone and Android.