Beyond Alarm vs one sec

one sec and Beyond Alarm come at the same problem from different ends. one sec slows you down before an app opens. Beyond Alarm closes the app until the timer says otherwise — and starts the moment your alarm is beaten.

The short answer

• A block, not a nudge. Beyond Alarm's Strict mode has no stop button and is free after one short ad.
• As many apps as you like, free. Pro only removes ads.
• Morning Lockout starts when you finish your wake-up mission.
• Whole-phone blocking on Android, with calls still allowed.

Side by side

one sec's column comes from its own Play listing and website at the time of writing (27 October 2026). "—" means its listing doesn't mention it.

Where Beyond Alarm pulls ahead

When a pause isn't enough

A breath before Instagram works on autopilot opens. It is less help at 7am, half awake, when you would happily wait out any pause. Beyond Alarm's Strict mode has no stop button until the timer ends, and free users unlock it with one short ad. Regular mode, the gentler option, still asks for a short ad and a continuous five-second hold before you can leave.

The morning, handled

Morning Lockout starts the moment you finish your alarm's mission and keeps your chosen apps shut for the time you set. On Android you can lock the whole phone instead, with calls still allowed. On iPhone it shields the apps and Screen Time categories you pick.

An alarm that gets you up first

Eleven missions — maths, memory, typing, a photo, a barcode, a step count, and push-ups, squats and jumping jacks counted by the camera on the device. Every one is free right now.

Beyond Alarm

Beyond Alarm does this part for you: the alarm will not switch off until you have actually moved, and the apps you pick stay locked afterwards.

What one sec offers

At the time of writing, one sec's Play listing describes a breathing pause before distracting apps open, an app blocker that works instantly or on a schedule, app time limits, Shorts and Reels blocking, scheduled focus times, a porn blocker, screen time stats and a desktop browser extension. It cites a peer-reviewed study in PNAS with the Max Planck Institute and Heidelberg University reporting 57% fewer app openings on average. The listing says the free version covers one app, with Pro for unlimited apps. Its website lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Switching from one sec

1. Install Beyond Alarm and give it Accessibility access on Android, or Screen Time access on iPhone.
2. Put the apps you had in one sec into a block list — as many as you like.
3. Start a Phone Block for your next focus session. Pick Regular mode to keep a door open, or Strict mode for no door at all.
4. Set your alarm with a mission and turn on Morning Lockout for the same apps.

Sources

Checked on 27 October 2026. Listings change, so check them before relying on any detail. Beyond Alarm's details are checked against its own code.

• one sec on Google Play
• one sec website
• The one sec study in PNAS, as cited on its listing