LatchA Freedom alternative built for your phone
Freedom is one of the longest-running distraction blockers, and it's strongest when you work across a phone and a computer. Latch is made for the phone alone: your apps stay locked until you scan a key you keep in another room, and Pro is $9.99 once instead of a yearly plan.
We make Latch, so read this with that in mind. Freedom details come from its App Store listing and freedom.to, checked October 2026, and link to their sources.
Our verdict
For your phone, Latch is cheaper and harder to talk yourself out of
Freedom blocks apps and websites across all your devices, which Latch doesn't try to do. On the phone, Latch puts the way back in somewhere you have to walk to, and costs $9.99 once against $39.99 a year for Freedom Premium. If most of your distraction happens on a laptop, Freedom is the better pick.
Latch vs Freedom at a glance
| Feature | Latch | Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Latch Pro is $9.99 once | Free to try; Premium $8.99 a month or $39.99 a year; Freedom Forever $199 (App Store) |
| How you get back in | Scan a key you keep elsewhere: an NFC sticker, a printed QR code, or a set number of steps | End or wait out the block session; Locked Mode stops you ending it early |
| Strictest setting | Commitment mode: locked for 30 minutes to 8 hours, and not even your key opens it early | Locked Mode, which "prevents quitting so you stay committed" (source) |
| Locks on its own | Schedules, arriving at a place, while driving, Siri or Google Assistant | Scheduled and recurring block sessions |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad and Android; keys and profiles sync through iCloud on Apple devices | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook, with sessions synced across unlimited devices (source) |
| Whole internet | No | Can block the entire internet with one button |
| Available | Now on iPhone, iPad and Android | Now; 4.4 stars from 6K ratings on the App Store |
Prices in US dollars from Freedom's US App Store listing, which also shows other monthly and yearly prices. freedom.to listed the lifetime plan at $99.50 on sale when we checked. Freedom is a trademark of its owner; Latch isn't affiliated with it.
What Freedom does well
Freedom's main strength is reach. One block session can cover your phone, tablet and computer at once, on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook, with no limit on devices. You can schedule recurring sessions, block the whole internet with one button, and turn on Locked Mode so you can't quit a session early. There's a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan and a lifetime option if you don't want to keep paying.
Where Latch is different
The way out is physical
With a timer-based blocker, the end of the block is set on the phone. Latch puts the unlock somewhere else: you scan a key on the fridge, in the car or at your desk. Getting up to walk there is often enough to change your mind.
The key can be a few-cent NFC sticker, a QR code you print, or a number of steps between 500 and 20,000. If you'd like it ready to go, the Latch Key Kit is three stickers and three QR keys for $7.99.
You pay once, for less money
Latch Pro is $9.99 and doesn't renew. Freedom Premium is $39.99 a year on the App Store, and its lifetime plan is $199 there. Latch's free version covers one key, three profiles and two places.
It locks when your day changes
Latch can lock when you arrive at a place, while you're driving, or from Siri and Google Assistant, as well as on a schedule.
Emergencies are built in
Break glass lets you open your apps for 5 to 15 minutes, three times a month, without your key. They lock again on their own, and your session carries on.
What you'd give up
Latch doesn't block anything on your computer. If you lose your afternoons to news sites on a laptop, Freedom handles that and Latch doesn't. Latch also can't block the whole internet in one tap.
Which should you choose?
Choose Freedom if
- you need to block your Mac, Windows PC or Chromebook
- you want one session across all your devices
- you're fine with a subscription or $199 lifetime
Choose Latch if
- your phone is the problem
- you want the way back in to be a walk to a key
- you'd rather pay $9.99 once
- you want locking by place or while driving
Common questions
How much does Freedom cost?
On the US App Store, Freedom Premium is $8.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and Freedom Forever is $199. Freedom's pricing page showed the lifetime plan at $99.50 on sale in October 2026. Latch Pro is $9.99 once.
Does Latch block websites on my computer?
No. Latch blocks apps and websites on iPhone, iPad and Android. Freedom covers Mac, Windows and Chromebook too, and syncs blocks across devices.
Is there a free version of Latch?
Yes. Latch is free with one key, three profiles and two places. Latch Pro adds unlimited keys, profiles and places, schedules, daily limits, commitment mode, lock while driving and a steps key, for $9.99 once.
Can I get around Latch?
Latch adds real friction: you need your key, and Hard lock can stop deleting and reinstalling apps while you're locked. Break glass gives you three short emergency unlocks a month.
Put the unlock across the room
Latch is out now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and on Google Play (Android 9 and later).
Last updated by Sudarshan Neupane, founder of Lukla Logic. See also: all app blockers compared.