The Price Difference
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Opal costs $99.99/year. That’s significant.
ScrollBump offers a genuinely useful free tier:
- Unlimited break rules
- Unlimited apps to restrict
- Accountability partners
- Custom shield designs
You only pay for Pro features like location-based rules and advanced scheduling.
Different Philosophies
Opal is built around Focus Sessions and a Focus Score. It gamifies productivity and rewards you for staying focused. The Deep Focus mode is strict—no access to blocked apps until the timer ends.
ScrollBump is built around breaks. Instead of blocking apps entirely, it enforces short breaks based on your usage. The philosophy is that total restriction often fails, but annoying interruptions work.
What Opal Does Better
Opal has some unique features:
- Focus Score that rates how apps affect your concentration
- Deep Focus mode for complete blocking
- Rewards and milestones for motivation
- Apple Watch integration
- Polished, premium experience
What ScrollBump Does Better
ScrollBump offers:
- Actually affordable pricing (free tier is complete)
- Location-based rules (Pro) - scroll on your commute
- Break-based approach instead of total blocking
- Simpler setup without the learning curve
Who Should Choose Opal
Opal might be right if you:
- Want a premium, polished experience
- Like gamification and rewards
- Need Deep Focus mode for complete blocking
- Don’t mind paying $100/year
- Want Apple Watch support
Who Should Choose ScrollBump
ScrollBump might be right if you:
- Want powerful features without the price tag
- Prefer breaks over complete blocking
- Value accountability partners
- Want location-aware rules
- Like personalizing your experience
