A one sec alternative for when a pause isn't enough
· 5 min read
If one sec's breathing pause works for you, keep it. If you've learned to breathe through it and open Instagram anyway, Plan7 is an alternative that pauses the apps you chose during planned focus blocks, fixed commitments and bedtime, and leaves them alone the rest of the day. one sec is the better pick if you want a free option, a lifetime purchase, or Mac, Android and browser support.
What one sec does well
one sec adds friction instead of a wall. Its App Store listing says it "DELAYS access to distracting apps instead of blocking apps completely": it "uses Shortcuts Automation to toggle a deep breath animation whenever you open one of the configured apps", and after a set time (5 minutes, for example) it kicks you out until you do another intervention. A free Safari extension does the same for websites.
It also has unusually good evidence behind it. one sec's homepage points to a 2023 study in PNAS run with the Max Planck Institute and Heidelberg University, and reports a 57% average drop in app openings. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and in most browsers (platforms page), and the listing shows 4.8 stars from 24K ratings.
one sec pricing, checked 2026-10-25
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | One app of your choice, plus the Safari extension |
| Pro, monthly | $6.99 |
| Pro, yearly | $19.99 |
| Pro, lifetime | $99.99 |
| Family plan | $9.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $149.00 lifetime |
When a pause stops working
A delay works by giving you a second to change your mind. If the breath has turned into part of the habit (tap, breathe, open), you're still in the app. At that point you need either a harder block or fewer moments where you're deciding at all.
- It's on all day by default. The listing calls it "always on": it interrupts every open, in a work block or on the couch on Sunday. You can change the timing, but you're the one deciding when.
- It doesn't plan your time. Nothing in one sec tells you what a focus hour is for or where training and sleep go.
- Delay is the core. The homepage also lists blocking apps during a block session or a scheduled time, so check whether that covers you before you switch.
How Plan7 is different
Plan7 also uses a breath, in a different place. It first builds your week: you give it one goal for 30 days, the hours that can't move, what you protect and your sleep, and it lays out seven days of time blocks. During focus blocks, fixed commitments and bedtime, the apps you picked in Screen Time are paused, even with Plan7 closed. Outside those blocks they open normally. If you need a paused app mid-block, you breathe for seven seconds and open it for 5 to 60 minutes, then it's paused again.
A Sunday for a student whose goal is finishing a thesis chapter this month looks like this:
| Time | Block | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Wake-up alarm mission | Open |
| 9:00–9:45 | Breakfast, walk | Open |
| 10:00–12:00 | Thesis writing (25-minute rounds) | Paused |
| 12:00–14:00 | Lunch with friends (protected) | Open |
| 14:00–15:30 | Thesis reading | Paused |
| 15:30–22:00 | Free afternoon and evening | Open |
| 22:45 | Lights Out | Paused until the morning |
That's 3.5 hours of paused time (2 + 1.5) out of about 14 waking hours. The rest of Sunday has no friction at all, which makes the blocks easier to respect.
one sec and Plan7 side by side
| one sec | Plan7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Slow down every open of a chosen app | Plan your week and pause apps during its blocks |
| How it stops you | Breathing and other interventions (Shortcuts on iPhone), plus block sessions you set | Screen Time pause during the blocks it planned |
| Outside focus time | Always on, or at times you set | Apps open normally |
| Getting in anyway | Finish the intervention | Breathe for 7 seconds, open for 5–60 min |
| Plans your day | No | Yes, a seven-day plan of time blocks |
| Wake-up alarm | Not listed | Alarm missions with streaks (iOS 26) |
| Websites | Safari and browser extensions | Sites you pick in Screen Time, during planned blocks |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, browsers | iPhone only (iOS 16.4+) |
| Price | Free for one app; Pro from $6.99 a month (USD, App Store) | Subscription, no free plan; the App Store shows the price |
Who should switch, and who should stay
- Switch to Plan7 if you breathe through one sec and open the app anyway, if you'd rather have hard pauses at set times and freedom the rest of the day, or if you also want your week planned. It runs only on iPhone.
- Stay with one sec if the pause is doing its job, if you want something free for one app or a one-time lifetime purchase, or if you need it on a Mac, Android phone or browser.
- Stay with one sec if websites on your computer are your main problem. Its browser extensions cover desktop browsers, and Plan7 only runs on iPhone.
Questions people ask
Is one sec free?
Partly. Per its App Store listing in October 2026, the free version covers one app plus the Safari extension. Pro, for more apps, was $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime in the US.
What's the difference between one sec and an app blocker?
one sec's main tool is a delay: a breathing animation or another task, and then you can continue. A blocker like Plan7 or Opal pauses the app through Screen Time for a set period. Plan7 still lets you in after a seven-second breath, for 5 to 60 minutes.
Does Plan7 block websites?
On iPhone, yes: the websites you pick in the Screen Time list are paused along with your apps during your planned blocks. It doesn't run on a computer, so for desktop browsers one sec's extensions are the better fit.