The short answer: Choose Brick if physically leaving your unblock key somewhere else is the behavior change you need. Choose Focus Fence if you want distracting apps to switch off automatically when you reach work, school, the gym, home, or another chosen place—without buying hardware.
Editorial disclosure: We make Focus Fence. This comparison uses Brick’s public product information and is designed to make the tradeoff clear, including the situations where Brick is the better choice. We have no affiliation with Brick. Details were checked August 3, 2026.
Brick vs. Focus Fence at a glance
| Feature | Focus Fence | Brick |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Automatic boundaries based on place | A physical key for blocking and unblocking |
| Hardware required | No | Yes, a Brick device |
| Activation | Location, schedule, or app controls | Tap Brick, schedule, or remote activation |
| How a normal block ends | Leave the Focus Fence or reach its scheduled end | Return to the Brick; scheduled sessions can end automatically |
| Blocking choices | Apps, websites, and categories; block or allow mode | Apps and websites; block or allow mode |
| Emergency access | Five emergency unblocks | Five Emergency Unbricks |
| Extra focus tools | Minimal launcher and home-screen widgets | Focus insights and activity tracking |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone and Android |
| Price model | Free trial; monthly, annual, or lifetime access | $59 device with lifetime app access |
The real difference: where the key lives
Both products can hide selected distractions while leaving useful apps available. The important difference is not the blocklist. It is what starts and ends the boundary.
Brick makes the key physical
To begin a standard Brick session, you tap your phone to the physical device. To unblock, you return to it. If you leave the Brick on your desk, refrigerator, or in another room, reversing the decision takes movement and intention rather than one more tap on the same screen.
Brick also offers remote activation, schedules, Strict Mode, and five emergency unblocks. The company currently sells the device for $59 with no subscription and supports iPhone and Android. Those details come from Brick’s current product page.
Focus Fence makes the key contextual
Focus Fence’s location-based blocking uses the place itself as the trigger. Enter a configured area and the selected apps, websites, or categories are blocked. Leave and the boundary ends. A schedule can narrow the rule further—for example, social media may be blocked at the office only during working hours.
The app also includes five emergency unblocks and does not let you casually disable Focus Fence while a fence is active. Outside blocking, it provides a minimalist launcher and widgets that keep essential apps visible without recreating a crowded home screen. Current compatibility and plan options are listed on the Focus Fence App Store page.
Which one is harder to bypass?
Brick has the stronger behavioral barrier. Its entire premise is that the normal unblock mechanism is physically separate from the phone. Strict Mode is designed to prevent changing settings or deleting the app during a session.
Focus Fence still adds meaningful friction: active fences cannot simply be switched off, and emergency unblocks are limited. But it is designed around automatic, everyday boundaries—not maximum lockdown. If you repeatedly defeat every software-only limit, Brick is likely the more honest choice.
Which one requires less daily effort?
Focus Fence wins for location-based routines. After setup, arriving and leaving can control the block without another ritual. That is useful when the same places reliably call for the same behavior:
- Block entertainment at school or the library.
- Block social apps during work hours at the office.
- Keep only music and workout apps available at the gym.
- Block work apps when you arrive home.
Brick’s tap can itself be valuable—it is a deliberate transition into focus—but it remains an action you take. Brick now also offers smart scheduling and remote activation, so it is not limited to physically tapping for every start.
What happens when plans change?
Brick’s strongest feature is also its main flexibility tradeoff: the normal way out is to return to the physical key. Imagine you want Instagram blocked at home and at work, but available after you leave either place. If you finish work and take a train home, run errands, or meet friends instead of going straight back to your Brick, a standard Brick session remains active until you return to the device.
You can configure a schedule with an end time for a predictable day, carry the Brick, or place additional Bricks in different locations. Brick also provides five Emergency Unbricks, but describes them as emergency access rather than something for daily transitions. Focus Fence is more fluid in this situation: the place is the rule, so leaving the configured area can restore access without a trip back to a physical key.
Cost: hardware purchase or software plan?
Brick’s pricing is simple: the physical device is currently $59, and the companion app has no recurring subscription. One Brick can work with multiple phones, and one phone can use multiple Bricks.
Focus Fence has no hardware purchase. It includes a free trial followed by monthly, annual, or lifetime access options. Because App Store prices can vary by country and change over time, the live App Store listing is the right source for your local total.
Compare the model, not just the first charge: Brick asks for more upfront but no subscription, while Focus Fence lets you start without ordering or carrying another object.
The verdict
Buy Brick if: you want the strongest physical separation, use Android, prefer a one-time hardware purchase, or already know that an on-phone escape hatch is too tempting.
Choose Focus Fence if: your distractions are tied to recurring places, you want blocking to activate and end automatically as you move through the day, you do not want extra hardware, or a calmer iPhone home screen is part of the goal.
Neither mechanism is universally better. Brick asks you to create a focus ritual. Focus Fence asks you to define the environments where focus should be the default.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brick better than Focus Fence?
Brick is better for physical accountability and Android support, especially if returning to a physical key is the friction you want. Focus Fence is better for automatic location-based rules, more fluid transitions between places, and a minimalist iPhone launcher. Your failure mode—and how predictable your day is—decides the winner.
Does Focus Fence require a physical device?
No. Focus Fence is software-only. Location and schedule rules control Focus Fences directly on the iPhone.
Does Brick work on Android?
Yes. Brick states that it supports Android 12 or later and iPhones running iOS 17 or later. Focus Fence is currently built for iPhone.
No hardware required
Let the right places become focus cues.
Set a Focus Fence once, then let Focus Fence apply your app and website rules when you arrive.
