The BlockerChoose BlockerX if you want another person involved: its iPhone listing offers an accountability partner who gets daily browsing reports, a community, and apps for Android and Mac too. Choose The Blocker if you want to quit privately, with no account and no partner: adult sites are blocked free in Safari, and Pro’s Strong protection uses Apple’s Screen Time to block them in every browser and in links inside apps, stop The Blocker being deleted, and lock every website for a one-hour Hard moment. The Blocker’s 30-day challenge is free; Pro is $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $49.99 once (US). BlockerX needs a subscription for all features; on 21 October 2026 its US App Store list showed “Premium - monthly billing” at $49.99.
Written by the developer of The Blocker, so we have a bias. The Blocker is not affiliated with BlockerX or its maker, Atmana Tech. Facts checked 21 October 2026 from BlockerX’s US App Store listings and Google Play page, and from The Blocker’s own app (version 2.9). We could not open BlockerX’s website from our network, so we quote its store listings only. Prices and features change.
At a glance
| Topic | BlockerX (from its listings) | The Blocker |
|---|---|---|
| How it blocks on iPhone | The listing mentions a VPN, without more detail | A Safari content blocker; Pro’s Strong protection uses Apple’s Screen Time. No VPN |
| Where it blocks | “Safari and Chrome”, per the listing | Free: Safari and Safari views inside apps. Pro: Apple’s adult filter plus up to 50 of your own sites in every browser and in links opened inside apps |
| Another person | An accountability partner who gets daily browsing reports | None. Nothing is sent to another person |
| Help in a hard moment | “Panic switch”: blocks all internet access | Pro’s Hard moment: every website and your chosen apps blocked for one hour. Free rescue page in Safari |
| If you try to remove it | Alerts if the app is uninstalled or the VPN is turned off | Pro’s “Can’t delete The Blocker” switch |
| Community and learning | A community and curated articles | No community. A free 30-day challenge with check-ins |
| Account and data | Label lists an email address and a user ID; some data “used to track you” | No account, no ads; anonymous usage events, which you can turn off |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; Android | iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.2 or later |
| Price (US) | Subscription for all features; “Premium - monthly billing” listed at $49.99 | Free core. Pro $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $49.99 once |
What BlockerX does well
BlockerX is built around people. Its US App Store listing offers an accountability partner with daily reports, a community “that shares your goals”, curated articles, and a “panic switch” to “instantly block all internet access during urges” (App Store). If knowing that a friend will see your activity helps you stop, that is a real strength The Blocker doesn’t have.
It also reaches more devices: the iPhone app runs on iPad, Mac and Apple Vision, and there is an Android app on Google Play. A second app, BlockerX Pro, adds an app blocker and a filter for “specific triggering phrases or words across browsers and apps” (App Store). The listing shows 25 languages, Arabic among them.
Where The Blocker is different
- No account, nobody watching. There is no sign-up, your challenge stays on your iPhone, and The Blocker doesn’t report to anyone.
- Free where it counts. Adult-site blocking in Safari, up to 10 sites of your own, Face ID lock, the 30-day challenge and the Safari rescue page are free.
- Every browser with Pro. Strong protection uses Apple’s Screen Time, so iOS itself blocks adult sites (Apple’s filter) and up to 50 of your own sites in Chrome, Firefox and other browsers, and in links opened inside apps like Instagram or X.
- Hard to remove. With Strong protection on, “Can’t delete The Blocker” is on by default: “While this is on, The Blocker can’t be deleted from this iPhone.” “Blocked apps” keeps the apps you choose closed.
- A lock for the hardest hour. Hard moment blocks every website and your blocked apps for one hour. The app says: “It can’t be ended early.”
- A challenge without shame. In the free 30-day challenge, a slip marks that day but your day count keeps going. Check-ins on days 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 never say what you are quitting.
Price, exactly as listed
BlockerX is free to download, but the listing says: “BlockerX requires a subscription to access all features.” It doesn’t say which features work without paying. On 21 October 2026 the US App Store showed these ten items: Premium - annual billing $139.99; Premium - monthly billing $49.99; Premium - Lifetime Access $149.99; Annual $49.99; Annual $99.99; Premium Access $99.99; Recovery Road Map $19.99; Instant Approval $9.99; Block Ads $2.99; Block Social Media $2.99 (App Store). Apple shows names and prices only, so the plans inside the app may differ.
The Blocker’s core is free. Pro is $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $49.99 once. These are US prices; the App Store shows your local price. See pricing.
Privacy, from each app’s own words
App Store privacy labels are the developer’s own answers. BlockerX’s label lists purchases, identifiers and usage data as “Data Used to Track You”, and an email address, a user ID, usage data and diagnostics as linked to you (App Store). The listing doesn’t say whether you must create an account before blocking works.
The Blocker has no account, no ads and no advertising ID. The content blocker can’t see which pages you open, and what you pick in Apple’s picker for Strong protection stays as private Screen Time tokens the app can’t read. Anonymous usage events (fixed labels, a random install ID) are on by default; turn them off in the app’s Settings › Share anonymous usage. They never include sites, keywords, what you type or your challenge reason (privacy policy).
What The Blocker can’t do
- No partner, reports or alerts. If you want someone to see your activity, BlockerX or Covenant Eyes fits better.
- Free blocks in Safari only, plus Safari views inside apps. Other browsers and in-app browsers need Pro’s Strong protection.
- Outside Safari, Strong protection covers Apple’s adult filter, which Apple says limits “many adult websites” (Apple), plus up to 50 of your own sites. Categories, keywords, schedules and ad lists stay in Safari.
- No filtering inside feeds. Strong protection filters web pages, including links opened inside apps, but not the posts, images or videos inside apps like Instagram or X. It can keep the apps you pick closed.
- Not tamper-proof. Anyone with your Screen Time passcode can undo it (Apple), so let someone you trust hold it: see how to make a blocker hard to turn off.
- iPhone and iPad only; no Android, Mac or Windows app.
Switching from BlockerX
- Install The Blocker, turn it on in Safari’s extension settings (the app takes you there) and tap Test it. No account is needed.
- Join the free 30-day challenge, if you like.
- With Pro, turn on Strong protection to cover every browser and links inside apps.
- Tell your BlockerX partner before you stop; their reports will end.
- If you pay through the App Store, cancel BlockerX in Settings: tap your name, then Subscriptions (Apple).
Looking at other options? Read porn blockers for iPhone compared or apps to quit porn, by kind.
Questions people ask
Is BlockerX free?
The download is free, but its App Store listing says “BlockerX requires a subscription to access all features,” and it doesn’t say which features work without paying (App Store). The Blocker’s free version blocks adult sites in Safari and up to 10 sites of your own, and includes the 30-day challenge.
How much is BlockerX per month?
On 21 October 2026, BlockerX’s US App Store list showed an item called “Premium - monthly billing” at $49.99, next to “Premium - annual billing” at $139.99 and “Premium - Lifetime Access” at $149.99. Apple lists names and prices only, so the plans inside the app may differ. The Blocker Pro is $4.99 a month in the US.
Does The Blocker have an accountability partner like BlockerX?
No. The Blocker sends nothing to another person. If you want someone involved without reports, ask a person you trust to hold your Screen Time passcode, so your settings can’t change without them.
Does The Blocker block adult sites in Chrome, like BlockerX?
With Pro, yes. The free version works in Safari and in Safari views inside apps. Pro’s Strong protection uses Apple’s Screen Time to block adult sites and up to 50 of your own sites in Chrome, Firefox and other browsers, and in links opened inside apps.