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
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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 create a more intentional relationship with your technology. In a world designed for constant distraction, Brick introduces a simple but powerful idea: friction. By adding physical barriers, Brick creates a deliberate pause between impulse and action — turning smartphones back into tools for what matters.

With the Brick app, you can design your personalized system to block distractions using both your Brick and Brick Night — allowing you to do more of what matters. Brick is a physical device that helps you block distracting apps on your phone. Tap to start a Brick session, then place Brick somewhere out of reach and go live your life. When you’re ready to be connected again, simply tap to Unbrick. Unlike screen-time settings and blocker apps that switch off in a second, Brick isn't on the phone you're trying to put down. It's a physical barrier you can't swipe out of. Brick Night automatically blocks the apps you choose when you enter your bedroom. Unlike app blockers, Brick Night uses Bluetooth to know when you're in your bedroom, creating a simple boundary around your sleep — so you don't have to remember to activate it every night. The result: fewer late-night distractions, fewer mornings lost to your feed, and a bedroom that feels like the sanctuary you intended it to be. FEATURES - Select the apps you’d like to block, and keep what you need. Temporarily remove distracting apps and their notifications from your phone, leaving only what you choose - Block any 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 - Create custom schedules to automatically block apps during specific moments of your day - A built-in focus timer tracks how long you stay undistracted - 5 Emergency Unbricks included for unexpected situations - Usage history tracks your progress so you can see how your habits improve over time 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, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Economist, Fortune, Vogue, TechCrunch, CNET, Fast Company, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and The New Yorker. With over 55,000 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 30% average savings on Brick and Brick Night with HSA/FSA through our partnership with Truemed. Use pre-tax dollars to invest in your digital wellness and mental health. HSA/FSA funds accepted for qualified Truemed customers. HSA/FSA tax savings vary. Learn more at truemed.com/disclosures. WHAT'S INCLUDED Your purchase includes the physical Brick or Brick Night and full access to the companion app.

Screenshots

Barnfox4 screens
Brick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Brick at every 4 days against Barnfox's every 6 weeks. Brick also leads on ratings volume (59K vs 18) and chart position (#69 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 59K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barnfox ships an update every 6 weeks, Brick every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Barnfox versus Brick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarnfoxBrick
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (18 ratings) — better4.9 (59K ratings)
Positive reviews—78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1859K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#69 — 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 ratings18 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Brick

All ratings58,528 ratings
Positive99.1%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews2,196 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative15.0%

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 18 ratings, while Brick averages 4.9 from 59K 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 4 days. Most recently, Barnfox was updated on October 24, 2026 and Brick on October 27, 2026.

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