Comparison
Ravelo vs Freedom
Freedom is the broadest app blocker on the market — it works on every platform and has over a decade behind it. Ravelo is focused by design: currently on iPhone, built specifically for ADHD, and structured around banking time — earning access rather than scheduling sessions to block it. Here is what actually matters when choosing between them.
The model that changes everything
Freedom
Session-based
You start a session — instantly, on a schedule, or recurring. During it, your chosen apps and sites are blocked. When the session ends, everything opens back up. Locked Mode (Premium) prevents quitting early, but the session still has an end time after which access fully returns.
Ravelo
Default-blocked
Distracting apps are blocked all the time through iOS Screen Time. There is no session to start or forget to start. You unlock entertainment only with Time Currency earned through productive apps or Focus Sessions. Hardcore Mode makes this a hard weekly rule with no override path.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Ravelo | Freedom |
|---|---|---|
Blocking model Freedom blocks only during active sessions; Ravelo keeps apps blocked until you earn access | Default-blocked (always on) | Session-based |
Earning mechanic Ravelo lets you earn entertainment time via productive apps or Focus Sessions | Yes | No |
Off-phone Focus Sessions 15–120 min sessions earn balance for work done at a laptop, gym, or notebook | Yes | No |
Locked / Hardcore mode Freedom: can't quit after the first minute. Ravelo: removes all overrides + Weekly Goals enforcement | Pro — Hardcore Mode | Premium — Locked Mode |
Weekly Goals enforcement | Pro — hard rule in HC Mode | No |
Automatic scheduling | No | Premium — recurring sessions |
Pomodoro sessions | No | Premium |
Platforms Freedom covers every platform. Ravelo is iPhone-first, with more platforms planned. | iPhone (currently) | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chromebook |
Multi-device sync | No | yes — unlimited devices |
ADHD-specific design | yes — built for ADHD | no — general productivity |
Free tier | Full Time Currency system, limited sources/blocking | Unlimited devices, sync, custom blocklists |
Pricing (paid) | $6.67 / month (annual · $80/yr) · $9.99 / month | $3.33 / month (annual · $39.99/yr) · $8.99/mo · $99.50 lifetime |
ADHD and the session-start problem
Freedom’s Locked Mode is effective for people who remember to start it and want to protect deep work blocks. But for ADHD, the biggest failure point is earlier: the moment you pick up your phone without any session running. That moment — unstructured, impulsive, between tasks — is exactly when ADHD causes the most damage, and it’s exactly the moment Freedom has no opinion about.
Ravelo’s default-blocked model means there is no unprotected moment. You don’t have to remember to activate anything. The phone you pick up between tasks is already enforced.
Freedom is also primarily designed for laptop-focused productivity workers. Ravelo was designed around the phone itself — and includes Focus Sessions so that work happening on a laptop or at the gym still earns iPhone access.
Pricing: closer than it looks on annual
Month to month, Freedom is $8.99 and Ravelo is $9.99 — essentially the same. The gap opens on annual plans: Freedom’s annual is $39.99/year ($3.33/mo), while Ravelo’s annual is $80/year ($6.67/mo). That’s roughly $3.30/month more for Ravelo on annual — about the price of one coffee per month.
What that difference buys: an enforcement model that requires no session to start, a positive-reinforcement earning system, Focus Sessions for off-phone work, and Hardcore Mode with Weekly Goals that enforces hard weekly limits. Freedom has none of these.
If cross-platform is the priority — Mac, Windows, Android — Freedom is the right call and it costs less. If the problem is specifically iPhone impulse use and ADHD, Ravelo’s enforcement depth justifies the difference.
When Freedom is the better choice
- —You need cross-platform coverage now — Mac, Windows, Android, Chromebook under one account
- —You prefer scheduled or recurring blocking sessions over an always-on enforcement model
- —Budget is a priority — Freedom is roughly 3× cheaper per month
- —You want Pomodoro sessions built into your focus tool
- —Your main distraction is websites during work, not phone apps throughout the day
When Ravelo is the better choice
- You have ADHD or struggle with impulsive phone use between tasks — not just during focus sessions
- You want the phone enforced all the time, not only when you remember to start a session
- You work off-phone regularly — Focus Sessions earn you access without needing your phone at all
- You need the harshest available enforcement: Hardcore Mode + Weekly Goals that reset on a weekly timer
- You want a positive system — earning access — rather than pure restriction
Also comparing: Ravelo vs Opal