LatchA one sec alternative for when the pause isn't enough
one sec makes you take a breath before a distracting app opens. Its own App Store listing says it "delays access to distracting apps instead of blocking apps completely". Latch blocks them: your apps stay locked until you scan a key you keep somewhere else.
We make Latch, so read this with that in mind. one sec details come from its App Store listing and one-sec.app, checked October 2026, and link to their sources.
Our verdict
If you keep tapping through the pause, Latch is the next step up
one sec is a good tool for noticing a habit, and plenty of people find a breath is enough. When it isn't, Latch moves the way back in to another room: you walk to a key, or walk a set number of steps. Latch Pro is $9.99 once, against $19.99 a year for one sec pro. one sec is the better pick if you want something gentle, or you need it on your Mac and in your browser.
Latch vs one sec at a glance
| Feature | Latch | one sec |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Latch Pro is $9.99 once | Free; one sec pro is $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime (App Store) |
| What stops you | The app stays locked until you scan your key or walk your steps | A short intervention, like a deep breath, before the app opens (source) |
| How you get back in | Scan a key you keep elsewhere: an NFC sticker, a printed QR code, or a set number of steps | Finish the intervention; after a set time it can ask again |
| Hard blocking | Every lock is a block; commitment mode keeps you locked for 30 minutes to 8 hours, even from your key | Blocks on a schedule or during a block session (source) |
| Locks on its own | Schedules, arriving at a place, while driving, Siri or Google Assistant | Schedules |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and browser extensions (source) |
| Available | Now on iPhone, iPad and Android | Now; 4.8 stars from 24K ratings on the App Store |
Prices in US dollars from one sec's US App Store listing, which also lists family plans. one sec is a trademark of its owner; Latch isn't affiliated with it.
What one sec does well
one sec is thoughtful about the moment you reach for an app. You can pick from several interventions, including a deep breath, 4-7-8 breathing, looking at yourself in a mirror, rotating your phone or typing random text. After a set time, say five minutes, it can interrupt you again and ask whether you want more. It also runs on Mac and as a browser extension, so one setup covers your phone and your computer. And with 24,000 App Store ratings averaging 4.8, a lot of people like it.
Where Latch is different
The choice happens somewhere else
A pause still leaves the decision on the phone, in the same second as the urge. On a tired evening, it's easy to breathe through the exercise and open the app anyway. With Latch, the only everyday way back in is your key, and your key lives on the fridge, in the car or at your desk. By the time you've walked there, you've had a minute to think about whether you want the app at all.
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
one sec pro is $19.99 a year or $99.99 for life. Latch Pro is $9.99, one time. The free version of Latch covers one key, three profiles and two places, which is enough for a single routine like bedtime.
It locks when your day changes
Latch can lock on a schedule, when you arrive at a place like the office, while you drive, or when you say "Siri, Latch my phone" or "Hey Google, Latch my phone".
Daily limits that cost a walk
With Latch Pro, an app or category can get a few minutes a day. When the time runs out, only that one is blocked, and each scan of your key gives it one more round.
What you'd give up
Latch has no Mac app or browser extension, and it doesn't have one sec's range of breathing and reflection exercises. If a gentle nudge is all you need, one sec is the softer and more flexible tool.
Which should you choose?
Choose one sec if
- a short pause is enough to stop you
- you want breathing or reflection exercises
- you want it on your Mac and in your browser too
Choose Latch if
- you tap through pauses without thinking
- 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
Is one sec free?
one sec is free to download, with one sec pro at $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 for life on the US App Store. Latch is free with one key, three profiles and two places, and Latch Pro is $9.99 once.
What is the difference between one sec and Latch?
one sec delays an app with a short exercise, like a deep breath, and then lets you in. Latch keeps the app locked until you scan a key you keep somewhere else, or walk a number of steps you chose.
Does Latch work on Mac?
No. Latch is for iPhone, iPad and Android. one sec runs on Mac and has browser extensions for computers.
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.
Swap the pause for a walk
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.