Comparison

Barnfox vs Brick

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Barnfox

Connect with your community, book spaces, and manage purchases. This app facilitates event participation and fosters connections among members.

Highlights
  • Room booking
  • Event management
  • Purchase tracking
  • Community connections
  • Member app
Features
Read full description

The Barnfox members app for booking rooms, events, purchases, and community connections.

About

Brick

This app helps you regain focus by temporarily removing distracting applications and notifications from your phone. It uses NFC hardware to create distraction-free periods, allowing you to concentrate on important tasks or activities. Reconnect with your apps by simply tapping your device again.

Highlights
  • Temporarily remove distracting apps
  • Block notifications
  • Customize unblocked apps
  • Track usage history
  • NFC hardware integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Brick is the world's first digital wellness tool designed to turn smartphones back into tools, helping people take back control of their time, attention, and technology. A small tool paired with a powerful app that temporarily removes distracting apps and their notifications from your iPhone, leaving only what you choose. In a world designed for constant distraction, Brick introduces a simple but powerful idea: friction. By requiring a physical tap to enable or disable distracting apps, Brick creates a deliberate pause between impulse and action - turning smartphones back into tools for what matters. HOW IT WORKS Choose which apps or websites to block: social media, games, news, streaming, or anything distracting Tap your iPhone to Brick to activate your chosen mode A focus timer starts automatically, tracking your distraction-free time Place Brick somewhere out of reach and go live your life When you're ready, tap again to regain access Not nearby? Activate Brick remotely in the app. You'll still need the physical Brick to unblock, keeping the commitment real. FEATURES Block any iPhone app (except the dialer, per Apple policy) and select Safari websites Create custom modes for different parts of your day: Work, Family, Sleep, Gym, Study, Focus, and more A built-in focus timer tracks how long you stay undistracted Strict Mode closes loopholes, preventing workarounds while you're in a session 5 Emergency Unbricks included for unexpected situations Usage history tracks your progress so you can see how your habits improve over time. No subscriptions and no monthly fees. Buy once, use forever DESIGNED FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR LIFE Parents use Brick to create device-free family time and build healthier habits around technology. Students rely on it during study sessions and exam prep when focus matters most. Professionals use it for deep work without the constant pull of notifications. Athletes keep it in the locker room to stay locked in before competition. Brick is also a thoughtful gift for anyone trying to build a healthier relationship with their screen habits, reduce anxiety from constant notifications, or simply spend less time scrolling and more time living. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING Featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Economist, Fortune, Vogue, TechCrunch, CNET, Fast Company, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and The New Yorker. With over 35,000 five-star reviews, people describe Brick as the thing that finally helped them break free from screen addiction. Join a growing community choosing to take back their time and reclaim hours lost to technology. HSA & FSA ELIGIBLE Brick qualifies as an HSA and FSA eligible purchase through our partnership with Truemed. Use pre-tax health savings to invest in your digital wellness and mental health. WHAT'S INCLUDED Your purchase includes the physical Brick and full lifetime access to the companion app. No subscriptions. No hidden fees. No ads. Brick helps you take back your time, turn your phone back into a tool, and use technology the way it should be: with intention.

Screenshots

Barnfox4 screens
Brick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Brick at every 5 days against Barnfox's every 6 weeks. Brick also leads on ratings volume (55K vs 17) and chart position (#97 vs unranked). Barnfox's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs paid) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Barnfox against 4.9 for Brick. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brick has 55K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barnfox ships an update every 6 weeks, Brick every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Barnfox versus Brick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarnfoxBrick
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (17 ratings) — better4.9 (55K ratings)
Positive reviews—78.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1755K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#97 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB48 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBarnfox LLCBrick LLC (Wisconsin)

Customer experience

Barnfox

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Brick

All ratings54,965 ratings
Positive99.1%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews2,133 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative14.9%

Bugs and requests

Barnfox

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Brick

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when selecting apps to block/allow
  • Saved settings get deleted or reset unexpectedly
  • Inability to block certain apps like Safari
  • Bricked mode not working as expected after phone restart

Requested features

4 requests
  • Scheduled bricking/unbricking modes
  • Remote bricking option
  • Ability to block more than 50 apps
  • Improved app stability and reliability

In-app purchases

None

Barnfox

No in-app purchases

None

Brick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Barnfox free?
Barnfox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brick free?
Brick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Barnfox or Brick?
Barnfox is rated higher. Barnfox averages 5.0 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Brick averages 4.9 from 55K ratings.
Do Barnfox or Brick have ads?
Neither Barnfox nor Brick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Barnfox or Brick?
Barnfox ships an update every 6 weeks, and Brick every 5 days. Most recently, Barnfox was updated on September 13, 2026 and Brick on September 27, 2026.

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