Comparison

Brick vs GridCal

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

Head to head
About

Brick

This tool helps you build a healthier relationship with your phone by creating physical barriers to distraction. It allows you to block specific apps and websites, set custom schedules, and track your progress in staying focused. Designed to turn your smartphone back into a tool for what matters most.

Highlights
  • Physical device to block apps
  • Customizable app and website blocking
  • Personalized blocking modes and schedules
  • Built-in focus timer
  • Usage history and progress tracking
  • Automatic blocking with Brick Night
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.

About

GridCal

Features
Read full description

Most calendar apps open on a day or a week. GridCal opens on the month — the whole month, first. On Apple Watch, the full month grid fills the screen. Turn the Digital Crown to move month by month, swipe up or down to change months, swipe sideways to jump a year, and tap any date to see that day's events. A circular complication shows today's date inside a ring that fills as the month goes by. On iPhone, pick the view that fits how you plan: • 1+ — one big month, wall-calendar style, with holiday names right in the cells • 1 — one month plus a detail panel for the day you tap • 2 — two months side by side • 3 — three months at a glance Swipe to move one month at a time, in every view. Your calendar events appear right on the grid — a dot under days that have something on, and a full list when you tap a date. Holidays for 16 countries are built in — no downloads, no subscriptions. Choose the countries you care about in Settings, and their holidays show in red with their names: United States, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and India. Holiday data covers 2025–2032. GridCal follows your device's language and your region's first day of the week, automatically. No account. No ads. No tracking. Your events never leave your device.

Screenshots

Brick4 screens
GridCal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brick at Free against GridCal's $1.99. Brick also leads on chart position (#76 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Brick is free to download; GridCal costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brick ships an update every 4 days, GridCal every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Brick versus GridCal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrickGridCal
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.9 (59K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings59K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#76 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrick LLC (Wisconsin)SOOYEON CHO

Bugs and 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

GridCal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Brick

No in-app purchases

None

GridCal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brick free?
Brick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GridCal free?
GridCal costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Brick or GridCal have ads?
Neither Brick nor GridCal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brick or GridCal?
Brick ships an update every 4 days, and GridCal every 3 days. Most recently, Brick was updated on November 3, 2026 and GridCal on October 29, 2026.

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