SETL vs one sec

SETL vs one sec

A pause before you open, or a door that is already closed.

Main method

SETLBlocks chosen apps outright
one secAdds a pause before an app opens

Built around

SETLBedtime first, then your day
one secThe moment you reach for an app

Automatic every night

SETLYes, at your bedtime
one secNot its design

Nights off, planned ahead

SETLYes, SETL Plans
one secNot listed

Sleep left, on your Lock Screen

SETLYes, Sleep Reserve
one secNot listed

Free option

SETL7 nights free on yearly
one secEssentials are free

Price

SETL$39.99 a year
one secIndividual price not published on its site

Devices

SETLiPhone
one seciPhone, Android and browser extensions

one sec details from its own site, checked September 2026. SETL prices are launch prices.

How SETL and one sec differ

These two app blockers solve the same problem in opposite ways.

one sec interrupts the moment you open an app, with a breathing exercise or a prompt before it lets you through, and says its essentials are free.1

SETL does not wait for that moment. Your chosen apps are closed from your bedtime until morning, so at 1am there is nothing to breathe through.

A pause is gentler. A block is stronger when you are tired. Read how app blockers work.

Which one fits you

CHOOSE SETL IF

The problem is the night

You keep losing evenings, and you want the apps simply gone until morning.

CHOOSE ONE SEC IF

You want a gentler nudge

You would rather be asked to think for a second than be shut out, and you need Android or a laptop too.

WORTH KNOWING

Friction and blocking differ

Friction slows a habit. Blocking removes the option. Why that matters.

SETL vs one sec: FAQs

Is SETL or one sec better?

It depends on when you slip. one sec interrupts you as you open an app. SETL blocks your chosen apps completely from bedtime until morning.

Is one sec free?

one sec says its essentials are free, with paid features beyond that. Its site does not publish an individual price, checked September 2026.

Does one sec block apps at bedtime?

Its design is a pause at the moment you open an app rather than an automatic nightly block, which is what SETL Sleep does.

Does SETL work on Android?

Not yet. SETL is iPhone only for now, while one sec lists iPhone, Android and browser extensions.

Can I use both?

Yes. Some people use a pause during the day and a hard block at night, which is what SETL is built for.

Your phone can go to sleep first.

Join the SETL waitlist. Get up to 7 nights free when we launch.