moss vs One Sec
Makes you take a breath before an app opens. Free for one app, $19.99 a year for more.
Checked 11 November 2026 against riedel.wtf apps S.L.'s own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What One Sec is
One Sec shows a breathing exercise each time you open an app you chose, then asks whether you still want to continue. It delays access; it does not block it. It is free for one app. One Sec Pro is $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 for life. In a study published in PNAS in 2023, in which 280 people used it for six weeks, they closed the target app again after 36% of attempts and were opening those apps 57% less by week six. One of the study's authors is the app's developer, and the study had no control group.
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | One Sec |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Free for one app. Pro $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $99.99 once |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes for more than one app, or a lifetime purchase |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and desktop browsers |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | Automatic: a breathing pause whenever you open the app |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | Wait a few seconds and choose to continue |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Not needed: it never locks you out |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | A family plan exists. No shared sessions |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | No key |
Where One Sec is better
- Free for one app, and cheap for more.
- Published research behind the idea.
- Works on Android, Mac and in desktop browsers.
- You are never locked out of anything.
Where moss is better
- A lock for the hours when a pause is not enough, such as dinner or bedtime.
- Households lock together.
- One purchase to lock your own phone, no subscription.
Who should pick which
Pick One Sec if
Your problem is opening apps on autopilot, and a moment to think usually stops you.
Pick moss if
You want set hours with no access at all, shared with the people you live with. Plenty of people use both.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
