Opal vs Bambook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Opal
This app helps you regain control of your digital life by managing screen time and blocking distracting applications. It offers features like app limits, focus challenges, and progress tracking to improve productivity and well-being.
- Screen time control
- App blocker
- Focus difficulty settings
- App limits
- Mindful block screens
- Focus reports
- Calendar integration
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Achieve screen time control with the world’s most-loved screen time app! Opal is the fun, free Screen Time app to improve your focus and make the most out of every day. 5 to 6 hours. That’s the average time you’ll spend looking at your phone today, often without realizing it. It's time to fight back. With a combination of screen time control, app limits, app blockers, real time data, leaderboards and rewards, you will focus better and accomplish your dreams, just like Opal’s members. **As of August 2026, Opal has saved humanity 500 Million hours of screen time. ** Many of the world's top teams and companies trust Opal to help protect their focus. You can too. **Opal cut my screen time by 2 hours per day – Marketing at Google ** **You need this app. When I first got opal my daily screen-time was about 8 1/2 hours a day. Now it's 1 hour. ** **Opal has become an indispensable tool in my quest for productivity and mindful technology usage ** **Get Opal! - Ali Abdaal, productivity expert** BENEFITS Save 1 hour and 23 minutes per DAY from less screen time, on average. 94% of Opal members are less distracted 93% are more productive thanks to the app 90% report improved well-being Added benefits: - Better screen time control - Better productivity at work - Reduce stress, be more mindful - Supports focus challenges, including ADHD - Set daily work hours, sleep, and routines - Block apps to unplug and detox - Stay in focus when you need it most - You're happy and in control of your screen time FEATURES - #1 Screen Time Control: the most loved app for screen time control with 4.8/5. - #1 App Blocker: Instantly Block apps and websites you choose at a specific time of day throughout the week to organize your time. - Focus Difficulty: Make it hard, or make it a bit easier. Deep Focus won't let you cancel or bypass at all. - App Limits: Set daily usage limits on apps and websites to automatically block them and prevent overuse. - Mindful Block Screens: Discover quotes, puns and more every time you try to open an app or website you really shoudn't. - Blocklist & Allowlist: Easily pick any app, game or website you want to block or allow during your Blocks. - Focus Report: Measure your progress with clear metrics, actionable screen time stats, and benchmark against your peers. - Focus Score: Check your screen time and focus level at any point easily spotting Focus and Distracted time. - Calendar: Set daily working hours, sleep and routines, block apps automatically, so you don’t have to remember. - Precious Rewards: Unlock unique MileStones you can share with friends. - Leaderboard: Challenge friends to top the leaderboard, enhancing productivity, focus and keeping each other motivated. - Breaks: Choose the app you want to use, write your intention, and set a timer. - Focus Mode Integration: Sync your Opal Focus Sessions with iPhone Focus Mode to block apps. - Shortcut Integration: Connect iPhone shortcut automations to start/stop Focus Sessions based on app opens, time, location and more! - Focus Reminders: Get timely reminder notifications when you get distracted or reach a time limit. - Deep Focus: Need ultimate focus? Deep Focus is the maximum level of protection — you can’t bypass or cancel. - More Fun: Opal is guilt-free and fun. - Widget: Have Opal on your home screen! CREATE A PERSONALIZED APP BLOCK LIST Easily pick any app, game or website you want to block or allow to Block Apps. PRIVATE & SAFE We use Apple's Screen Time API in order to monitor and block apps you use. Installation is easy and takes a few seconds on your iPhone. Unlike most apps, Opal works entirely on your phone and personal browsing data never leaves your device. TERMS, PRIVACY & CONDITIONS Read on https://opal.so/terms & https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Bambook
Digitize handwritten notes with advanced OCR and AI to create editable text, correct spelling, and organize your content. Easily edit, search, and share your scanned notes as PDFs or JPGs.
- Automatic page detection and scanning
- Handwritten text to editable digital text conversion
- AI-powered spelling and grammar correction
- Organize notes with naming, sorting, and batch scanning
- Edit scans with cropping, rotating, and text addition
- Search notes by name or handwritten content
- Share scans to various cloud services and apps
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Immerse yourself in the future of note-taking with the Bambook AI Scanner app! Effortlessly digitize your handwritten notes and access them anytime, anywhere. Seamlessly connect your analog notes to the power of AI, transforming them into crystal-clear scans or editable digital text through cutting-edge OCR and AI technology. The Bambook app is meticulously designed to simplify the organization, editing, sharing, and searching of your notes, serving as the ultimate companion for all your erasable Bambook products. Key Features: Automatic Detection and Scanning: Experience Seamless Digitization! Our App automatically detects and scans the black border on each Bambook page, Ensuring a hassle-free digitization process. Text Recognition and AI Magic: Witness the magic of your handwritten notes seamlessly transforming into digital text, all thanks to our advanced OCR technology., Thanks to AI, your spelling and grammar will also be corrected, ensuring your notes are polished and professional. Effortless Organization: Enjoy the ease of organizing your digitized notes with features like naming, sorting, and batch scanning. The app is intuitive and user-friendly, making the process a breeze. Powerful Editing Tools: From cropping and rotating to adding extra text, our app's editor provides a range of tools to customize your scans and conveniently save your notes as PDF or JPG. Smart Search: Looking for a specific note? Utilize our OCR technology to search by name or handwritten content, ensuring you find what you need in seconds. Seamless Sharing: Share your scans effortlessly with other apps like Email, WhatsApp, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Evernote, OneNote, and more. Choose to share as a document or as PDF/JPG files. Download now and step into a world where your handwritten notes come alive with the magic of AI! New to Bambook? Explore the full range of erasable notebooks at www.bambook.org and start writing more efficiently while making a positive impact on the planet Privacy policy: https://www.bambook.org/privacy-policy-app Terms & conditions: https://www.bambook.org/en/general-terms-and-conditions#eula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Opal at every 6 days against Bambook's every 3 months. Opal also leads on ratings volume (91K vs 8) and chart position (#42 vs unranked). Bambook's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Opal sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Bambook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bambook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Opal has 91K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Opal's written reviews are positive against 67% of Bambook's.
Opal ships an update every 6 days, Bambook every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Opal | Bambook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (91K ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.3% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 91K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #42 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 331 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Opal OS | Bambook v.o.f. |
Customer experience
Opal
Bambook
Bugs and requests
Opal
Reported bugs
4 issues- Blocks apps that are not selected
- Inconsistent behavior when ending focus sessions
- Crashes when trying to manage blocked apps
- VPN issues causing other connectivity problems
Requested features
5 requests- Allow more customization of blocked apps
- Integrate with more productivity tools
- Provide more granular time tracking and reporting
- Offer a one-time purchase option
- Improve stability and reduce bugs
Bambook
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Opal
- Weekly Plan3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Weekly Plan3 Days trial$9.997 Days
- Opal Student Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
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- Monthly Plan3 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Opal Pro Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- Yearly Plan1 Month trial$99.991 Year
Bambook
- 1 Month$1.991 Month
- 6 Months$3.996 Months
- 12 Months$4.991 Year









