Digital Wellbeing alternatives for Android
Digital Wellbeing is on more phones than any other screen-time tool on Earth — over ten billion installs, because Google ships it with Android. It's also rated 3.6* from nearly 1.5 million reviews, which tells you something too. It's a brilliant way to see where your time goes and a gentle way to do anything about it. If you've outgrown the gentle part, here's where to go next.
For richer stats, try ActionDash or StayFree. For limits that bite harder, AppBlock or Stay Focused. For a pause that breaks the reflex, ScreenZen or one sec. And if you want distracting apps to simply vanish while you focus, that's exactly what FocusComet does.
What Digital Wellbeing gets right
It's free, it's already on your phone, it needs no account, and its numbers are honest. The dashboard, app timers, Focus mode and Bedtime mode's grayscale cover more ground than most people ever use. If you haven't set a single app timer yet, start there before installing anything.
Why people go looking for something else
- The limits are easy to wave away. When a timer runs out, extending it takes a couple of taps — right at the moment you least want to stop.
- The icons never leave. Paused apps still sit on your home screen, and seeing them is half of what makes you reach.
- It's one-size-fits-all. Work, study and wind-down all get the same setup.
None of that is a flaw so much as a design choice: Google built a dashboard with light guardrails. The alternatives below each push harder in one direction.
The alternatives, by what you want more of
More insight: ActionDash and StayFree
ActionDash (by Sensor Tower, 5M+ downloads, rated 4.3*) takes Digital Wellbeing as its starting point and goes deeper — screen time, how often you launch each app, and how many notifications each one sends you. StayFree (also Sensor Tower, 10M+ downloads, rated 4.5*) adds limits, schedules and blocking, and tracks usage across your computer and browsers too. Its listing describes it as ad-free.
Harder limits: AppBlock and Stay Focused
AppBlock (10M+ downloads, rated 4.7*) blocks apps and websites on schedules and offers a strict mode designed to resist being switched off. Stay Focused (5M+, rated 4.4*) adds granular daily limits, website blocking and a study timer; its Play listing notes that it contains ads.
A pause before the reflex: ScreenZen and one sec
ScreenZen (1M+, rated 4.8*) makes you wait before a distracting app opens — and the wait grows with each use — then breaks long sessions into short bursts. one sec (1M+, rated 4.7*) asks you to take one deep breath before the app opens. Both are brilliant at catching the unconscious reach. Neither stops a deliberate one.
Apps that disappear while you focus: FocusComet
This is ours. Instead of limiting an app you can still see, FocusComet's Immersive mode removes the apps you choose from your home screen, app drawer and dock for the length of a session, pauses their notifications, and brings everything back when the timer ends. Profiles let Work, Study and Sleep each hide different apps, and schedules start them for you. Every focused hour becomes stars in your own universe. No ads, no account needed.
A calmer phone overall: minimalist phone
minimalist phone (5M+, rated 4.7*) replaces your home screen with a text-first launcher, with app blocking and notification filtering built in. It's a bigger change than the others — your whole phone looks different — which is exactly why some people love it.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Approach | Rating · downloads* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Wellbeing | Knowing your numbers | Dashboard and timers | 3.6 · 10B+ |
| ActionDash | Deeper stats | Dashboard | 4.3 · 5M+ |
| StayFree | Stats across devices | Dashboard and limits | 4.5 · 10M+ |
| AppBlock | Strict rules, websites too | Blocker | 4.7 · 10M+ |
| Stay Focused | Granular limits | Blocker | 4.4 · 5M+ |
| ScreenZen | Breaking the reflex | Friction | 4.8 · 1M+ |
| one sec | Breaking the reflex | Friction | 4.7 · 1M+ |
| minimalist phone | A calmer phone overall | Launcher | 4.7 · 5M+ |
| FocusComet | Deep focus sessions | Hides apps for the session | Newer app |
Keep Digital Wellbeing anyway
You don't have to choose. Digital Wellbeing costs nothing and keeps counting in the background, so it makes a perfect scoreboard for whatever you add. The most effective setup we see is simple: Digital Wellbeing for the truth about your week, and one stronger tool for the hours that matter.
*Ratings, review counts and download figures as observed on the US Google Play Store on 28 September 2026. They change over time.
Watch your distractions disappear
FocusComet hides the apps that pull you in for the length of a focus session, then brings them back when it's done. Free to start on Android, no ads, no account needed.
Get it on Google PlayFrequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Digital Wellbeing?
It depends on what you want more of. ActionDash and StayFree give richer statistics, AppBlock and Stay Focused give stricter limits, ScreenZen and one sec add a pause before apps open, and FocusComet hides distracting apps entirely during a focus session.
Is Digital Wellbeing good enough on its own?
For awareness and light habits, often yes. It is free, built in and accurate. People usually move on when they notice they keep extending its timers.
Can I use Digital Wellbeing and another focus app together?
Yes. Many people keep Digital Wellbeing as a free scoreboard and add one stronger tool for work, study or evenings.
Which Digital Wellbeing alternatives have no ads?
According to their Google Play listings, AppBlock, ScreenZen, one sec, minimalist phone and FocusComet do not contain ads, and StayFree describes itself as ad-free. Stay Focused's listing notes that it contains ads.