Looking for a simpler AppBlock alternative?
AppBlock is the most powerful blocker on Android and it is genuinely hard to get around. Profiles, schedules, conditions, and ten different ways to unlock a Strict session.
For some people that is the problem. Its strongest protection needs device admin permission, and the setup asks a lot of decisions before you have blocked anything. Hush does less, on purpose.
Free on Android. Only Strict is paid.
Side by side
| Feature | Hush | AppBlock |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up a block | Pick one of three levels | Profiles, schedules, conditions, 10 unlock methods |
| Device admin permission | Not required | Required for uninstall protection |
| Stops you uninstalling it | No | Yes, via device admin |
| Split-screen and floating windows | Covered | Covered |
| Monthly price | $4.49 | $4.99 |
| Annual price | $31.99 | $29.99 |
| Free tier | Easy and Hard modes, up to 5 apps | Limited apps, schedules and Strict Mode length |
Prices in USD and features checked September 2026. Play Store prices vary by region.
Fewer decisions before you have blocked anything
AppBlock wants a profile, a schedule, a set of conditions and an unlock method before it does anything. That is real power, and it is also four decisions between you and a blocked app on the evening you finally decided to do something about it.
Hush has one decision. Pick how hard you want it, and the third level is a block you cannot talk your way out of:
- EasyFree
Watch an ad for 5 more minutes
- HardFree
Same, but only 3 times a day
- 🔒 StrictPro
No ads. No bypassing.
Easy and Hard cost nothing and cover up to five apps. Strict is $31.99 a year, or $79.99 once.
The device admin question
AppBlock's strongest feature is that it can stop you uninstalling it mid-session. That works because you grant it device admin — the same class of permission that can lock your screen and wipe your phone. To remove AppBlock you have to end Strict Mode first, then revoke that permission by hand.
Plenty of people are happy with that trade, and if you are, take it. Hush does not ask for device admin, which means a Strict block holds against every ordinary way out — the ad, the timer, the snooze, split-screen, floating windows, editing the limit while you stare at it — but not against deciding to uninstall the app.
That is the honest shape of it. Hush makes the easy escape routes hard; it does not hold your phone hostage to do it.
Where AppBlock wins
- It can stop you uninstalling it. Hush cannot, and for some people that single difference decides it.
- Someone else can hold the key. AppBlock can require another person's approval to unlock a session. Hush has no answer to that.
- It is more configurable. Cooldowns, charger-based unlocks, per-schedule conditions, blocking the settings app itself. If you want to tune it, there is far more to tune.
- It is cheaper by the year. $29.99 against $31.99. Hush is cheaper monthly, at $4.49 against $4.99, and has a $79.99 one-time option, but over a year AppBlock costs less.
If you want the hardest lock available on Android and you will grant device admin to get it, AppBlock is the better buy. Hush is for the case where you want a limit set in under a minute, and a block that holds without handing over that much of your phone.
Common questions
Is there a simpler alternative to AppBlock?
Hush is the same idea with far fewer decisions. AppBlock asks you to build profiles, schedules and conditions and then choose from ten ways to unlock them; Hush asks you to pick one of three levels. If you want that control, AppBlock is the better tool and you should keep it.
Does AppBlock need device admin permission?
For its uninstall protection, yes. Device admin is a broad permission — it can lock the screen and wipe the device — and it is what lets AppBlock stop you removing the app mid-session. Hush never asks for it, and the honest trade is that Hush cannot stop an uninstall.
Can you uninstall AppBlock during Strict Mode?
Not directly. You have to end Strict Mode first using whichever unlock method you set, then remove AppBlock's device admin permission in Android settings before the app will uninstall.
Is AppBlock or Hush better?
They are built for different people. AppBlock is the stronger lock and the more configurable app, so pick it if you want the hardest possible block and you are willing to grant device admin. Pick Hush if you want to set a limit in under a minute and get a block you cannot talk your way out of without handing over that permission.
Is AppBlock free?
There is a free version, with limits on how many apps and websites you can block, how many schedules you can keep, and how long a Strict Mode session can run. Hush keeps Easy and Hard free for up to five apps, with no cap on session length.
How much does AppBlock cost?
Premium is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Hush is cheaper monthly at $4.49 and dearer annually at $31.99, and offers $79.99 once instead of a subscription.