TLDR
Most people quit Clearspace for one of two reasons: the push-up barrier counts reps poorly, or repeated bugs corrupt their session data.
Clearspace vs Opal vs Brick vs One Sec: compared according to reddit users
Gets in the way when you need it 1 = Didn't notice · 2 = Mildly annoying · 3 = Noticeable · 4 = Frustrating · 5 = Made me want to quit
Reduction strength 1 = No real change (~0-10%) · 2 = Slight decrease (~10-30%) · 3 = Moderate decrease (~30-60%) · 4 = Large decrease (~60-90%) · 5 = Total reduction (100%)
The Unscroll hypothesis (dotted circle): Unscroll is new and doesn't have independent Reddit data yet. Read more on the transparency of this research and the weaknesses of this approach below.
How these scores are chosen
Both axes are 1-5 scores averaged from real Reddit users' answers to a fixed-choice question — see the answer-dictionary legend for exactly what each answer means. Hover any point for how many people are behind each score, and a verbatim quote from the median-scoring one of them. 874 unique Reddit users are behind the scores; the per-tool counts add up to more because some people discussed more than one tool.
15 of 16 solutions here have both axes directly measured from real Reddit users. Unscroll's dotted circle is a hypothesis rather than a Reddit measurement (see the note above).
The quote shown for each axis is the median-scoring user of everyone found for that solution, not the most quotable one, so it represents the score rather than the extreme. Axes with a borrowed or manually seeded score have no quote, by design.
Gets in the way (X)
Gets in the way — how much the tool disrupted the user in the moment (a blend of how often and how intensely it did, judged as a single gut-feel answer rather than two separate scores, since either factor alone can dominate the felt experience)
Reduction strength (Y)
Reduction strength — impact on scrolling screen time
Show all 16 tools and their evidence
The rare person who can give up a smartphone entirely.
"the hardest part for me has been everyone else in the world. … statements such as "how am i supposed to get ahold of you?"...."what if there's an emergency?", etc. … you will feel out of place."
"I actually didn't have a smart phone my first 3 years in Accounting. I did have to buy a tablet for an authenticator app to log into work since I WFH, but otherwise it was never an issue."
People who want a set break, like a weekend or a week, rather than a permanent change.
"The first day was the most relaxing I'd had in a long time. Time dilated and I felt like one day was 48 hours instead of 24… Around this day everything became way easier: the frequency of randomly picking up my phone to check it reduced greatly."
"I managed to almost complete the challenge but I lost my job and needed a place to vent so I redownloaded reddit. […] I’m so glad I did the detox. I rediscovered my love for art and started reading again."
People willing to carry a classic feature phone for calls and texts and give up smartphone apps.
"I bought one a few weeks ago. My thoughts… Pros: light/slim… looks cool… cheap. Cons: had issue with phone calls dropping… sent texts would be sent, but i couldn’t see them on my screen… battery barely lasted a day."
"I use the tracfone version of it (2760), and the browser is SO laggy and barely loads a lot of sites... I got mine to break my doomscrolling addiction, and it’s genuinely helped so much. I can barely even load reddit on it."
People ready to go cold turkey on specific apps, who can still use the browser version when they truly need it.
"The best thing I ever did was delete the Instagram app and start using the instagram.com mobile site. It still gives me the dopamine hit and I’m still up to date but because the mobile version is a bit more clunky than the app it makes me scroll less."
"Heck yes!!! I love that app SO MUCH. I frequently put full blocks on super strict mode for a month at a time. Just got back on reddit on the 1st of this month. Ready to delete it again LMAO."
People who want a phone with calls, texts and, on most models, maps, but no social media feeds.
"The screen is definitely small. And I’ve noticed that I don’t really feel like installing new apps or special apps on the phone because using them is more tedious than on a normal smartphone. But when I actually need something, everything has worked for me so far except Revolut."
"since i'm working mostly in front of PC, is nothing more change other than i reduce my screentime significantly and more focus on my work… I also do more journaling these days, it really feels good to write with my hand instead of typing on my social media like i used to."
People who want a physical tag they have to tap to unblock, so unblocking takes a deliberate trip.
"I bought the ‘Brick’ blocker. … Deleting the app won't let you open your phone—you have to get up and walk to wherever the device is to ‘un-brick’. That's enough ‘friction’ for me to make better choices."
"The brick is pricey and it doesn't take a genius to bypass some things, even in Strict Mode, but, man, it's so effective for me. One on the fridge, one in the office. I'm more present at home and don't doom scroll while commuting. Highly recommend!"
The Unscroll hypothesis — our target, not yet tested against independent Reddit data. That's why it's a dotted circle.
iPhone users who need their feeds for work or social life and want to see how long they've been scrolling while they scroll, without hard blocks.
Unscroll is too new for organic Reddit discussion. Its reduction-strength placement ('Moderate decrease') is a hypothesis supported by real but limited internal data: across all users, scrolling time fell by a weighted average of 52% versus their own pre-Unscroll estimate (aggregated app data, self-reported baseline, not peer reviewed; unscroll.io/results). Its gets-in-the-way placement ('Mildly annoying') is a design goal only: there is no measured figure for it yet.
iPhone users who want scheduled app blocking and will lock its settings with a Screen Time passcode someone else holds.
"I started keeping social media (and any distracting apps) blocked at all times... it’s super annoying, I kept opening reddit and instagram to find it blocked, but over a few weeks I got used to it and my screen time went way down."
"Been using Opal for a little while now, and my screen time has been cut almost in half, down to about 3 hours a day. It’s made staying focused and off my phone way easier."
People who want a short pause before opening chosen apps, to break the automatic open-and-scroll habit without losing access. On iPhone and Android.
"Every time I try to open Instagram, I get redirected to the one sec app where I’m forced to wait 10 seconds. This is just long enough for me to think about what I'm doing… Since I started using the one sec app in December, I've saved a whopping 16 hours of time."
"I use the free version of ‘one sec’, it has its drawbacks (ex. no app switching in the free plan, stuff like that) and setting it up feels slightly clunky but they do a good job walking you through it and overall it has been a boon to me!"
People who want a plainer, text-only home screen on the phone they already own.
"The best part is you can ‘hide’ apps, which makes it really annoying to get to... Then I realized the BEST BEST part... You can set each app to open with a delay... If I try to open instagram, it asks ‘are you sure?’ and doesn't let me reply for like 10 seconds... This has worked SO much."
"After my stint with the LP2, i got a qwerty smartphone, put a minimal launcher on it, set it to greyscale+darkmode, only install utility apps, and its the best phone experience ive ever had."
People who want to earn app time with push-ups, or pass a short pause, before opening chosen apps.
"The biggest difference this time for me, maybe was ClearSpace. It does cost money and there’s a lot of apps with similar features that do the same thing, its just the one I’ve ended up using. I think I’ve found that having to wait 30 seconds even though it doesn’t sound like a lot was too much effort so I just won’t bother using it."
"Those few seconds of pause before accessing an app felt like an eternity, but they made me more conscious of my actions. Gradually, I noticed a change. I started reaching for my phone less and engaging more with the world around me."
Android users who want free, built-in daily app timers and a scheduled Focus mode.
"I’m currently preparing for job interviews, and the ‘Focus Mode’ is nice for adding a little bit of friction for when my mind wanders and I pick up the phone to reflexively check the news or see what’s on the Reddit front page."
"If anyone else is trying to decrease their phone use, I'd recommend the Digital Wellbeing app… You can see your total phone use time, and set time limits for certain apps. Putting a 30 minute daily limit on Reddit helped cut my screen time significantly."
People who want a free setting that makes the phone less rewarding to look at.
"I had some luck on my iphone by using slightly less than full grayscale. There was a slider that allowed some color, which made navigation easier, but not the full throbbing vibrant eye-catching palette."
"Setting my phone to greyscale helped me stop using it so much. Then, I deleted everything except my music app and a couple games like sudoku and tetris."
People who want a free, built-in app limit and won't tap 'Ignore Limit', or who let someone else set the Screen Time passcode.
"My wife held the Screen Time passcode; I got to keep essential iPhone features and keep my problem apps down to a collective hour a day. Sometimes I picked up the phone, found the dopamine-heavy apps locked, and put it back."
"I had this problem so I had my son pick a screentime password for me. When my time is up (45 min total on FB, Instagram and Reddit) I can’t do 15 more minutes because I don’t know the password."
People who would rather earn scrolling time with push-ups or squats than face a plain block.
"sometimes when i spend 5 hours doomscrolling on my phone and my app (pushscroll) blocks it i’ll go on my laptop and cant stop. i really liked pushscroll cause it made me RECORD me doing something else to get out of that brain rot cycle so it helps a lot. i pay about 35/year for it. got my screen time down about 2 hours"
"Hey you can try out this app called PushScroll. It makes you do pushups if you want to doomscroll. So kills two birds with one stone. Get gains and reduce scroll time."
People who want the same scheduled blocks on their phone and their computer.
"Freedom is very annoying from my experience, the VPN will get in the way of some apps even if they are not in the block list. I found I was constantly having to delete the app to use a train ticket app…"
Surprising findings about Clearspace
Clearspace reduces screen time no more than switching to grayscale mode, despite costing money and requiring daily exercise.
Why this is surprising Grayscale is a free, one-time system setting with no ongoing friction, yet it achieves virtually the same reduction in scrolling time as an app that demands daily push-ups or squats and a recurring subscription.
Evidence Clearspace averages 2.64/5 on reduction strength (22 users) vs grayscale mode's 2.61/5 (71 users).
Clearspace's exercise barriers cut scrolling less than a simple pause screen or a standard app blocker.
Why this is surprising The app's core unique feature is requiring physical activity to access apps, which intuitively should be a stronger deterrent than a brief delay or a time limit, but the data shows these simpler tools outperform it.
Evidence Clearspace averages 2.64/5 on reduction strength (22 users), while One Sec (a pause-based tool) averages 2.76/5 (42 users) and Opal (a standard app blocker) averages 2.87/5 (31 users).
The real reasons people leave Clearspace
Inaccurate push-up detection
The exercise barrier relies on motion detection that fails to count many reps, requiring specific head positioning that undermines the core friction.
Persistent session reliability issues
Across multiple releases, sessions fail to save, minutes are deducted incorrectly, and endings are unreliable, making blocking untrustworthy.
Is Clearspace worth it, according to app store reviews?
Users report that Clearspace effectively reduces screen time, with one user noting a drop of nearly two hours and another an 80% reduction in social media use. The app's exercise motivation feature is cited for encouraging physical activity; one user completed 3,000 pushups after doing zero previously. The friction barriers, such as a breathing exercise before opening apps, are praised for increasing mindfulness and reducing impulsive usage.
The push-up detection is frequently inaccurate, with users reporting that only half of pushups are counted or that entire sets register as zero. General bugs and crashes are common, including sessions being cancelled without warning or timer glitches that force users back to the home screen. The free version is limited to blocking one app, which many users consider insufficient without a subscription.
"my screen time has already gone down by almost two hours"
"I’ve cut my time on social media down by 80%"
"My screen time is lower than it’s ever been"
"I’ve done nearly 3k pushups and have gotten loads of compliments on my strong upper body"
"it’s encouraging me to actually exercise which is a nice bonus"
"I’ve done 631 pushups. From my previous of doing…0"
"it only counts like half my pushups as pushups"
"I’ve done entire sets of 20-30 pushups only to finish and have the screen read '0'"
"the push-up detector doesn’t work well. If you look down, it won’t count"
"One of the glitchiest apps I’ve ever had, randomly just cancels sessions and takes away my minutes"
"it will glitch and immediately use up the second amount of time, sending me back to the home screen"
"My app keeps crashing during setup :/"
"the breathing thing is so great"
"I have become so mindful about opening the app"
"It’s so crazy how just a moment to stop and think, or just a little extra effort, makes you catch the impulsive social media habits."
"you can only block one app without paying money"
"It only allows you to block one app before it asks you to subscribe."
"just let us block more apps we don’t need to buy premium to block more apps thats just stupid."
What the research says about Clearspace's mechanism
No study has tested Clearspace or exercise-based gates directly. The closest evidence comes from other tools that rely on the user choosing to respect a limit.
Studies of app timers and screen-time dashboards, which like Clearspace's gates rely on the user choosing to comply, find poor adherence: users routinely dismiss limits, and long-term effects are unknown. No study has tested exercise gates specifically.
Who does Clearspace actually work for?
When Clearspace works best
Fits heavy social media users who like earning app time with push-ups or a short pause, and can tolerate the occasional session glitch.
- Heavy social media consumption
- Willing to tolerate session save failures
- Able to follow head positioning for push-up detection
- Motivated by gamified physical activity
Why does Clearspace fail long term?
How Clearspace works: friction and intent
Clearspace inserts a brief physical or reflective task (push-ups, breathing) before opening a blocked app, leveraging the friction mechanism of increasing the cost of automatic habit execution. The intervention is a mindfulness pause that interrupts muscle memory, not a rigid enforcement; it depends on the user's willingness to complete the task. This reliance on user intent is the honest trade-off: when motion detection or session reliability falters, the pause collapses, but the design prioritises self-awareness over coercion.
Best blocker alternatives to Clearspace
Screen time blockers
A block is only as strong as its settings: most can be switched off or the app deleted, unless someone else holds the passcode.
Unlike Clearspace, these tools do not rely on motion detection (no push-up counting) and are not subject to Clearspace's specific session-logging bugs. They block or add friction at the app level instead.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- Most depend on the iOS Screen Time API, which can be bypassed by disabling Screen Time in Settings. Any app can be deleted to remove the block. Habituation can reduce effectiveness over time.
Freedom
People who want the same scheduled blocks on their phone and their computer.
Randomised trial, 467 people (Castelo et al., 2025): two weeks of blocking all mobile internet with Freedom improved well-being (effect size 0.45, moderate), mental health and attention.
Brick
People who want a physical tag they have to tap to unblock, so unblocking takes a deliberate trip.
No study of Brick specifically.
iOS Screen Time limits
People who want a free, built-in app limit and won't tap 'Ignore Limit', or who let someone else set the Screen Time passcode.
No study of iOS Screen Time limits specifically.
Best alternatives to Clearspace that work differently
Pause-based awareness
The pause only happens as an app opens and can be dismissed, so it does nothing once you're already scrolling.
Adds a brief breathing pause before an app opens, with no motion detection and no session tracking to go wrong.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- The pause only intervenes at the moment of opening; once inside the app, no further friction. The pause can become routine after repeated exposure.
One Sec
People who want a short pause before opening chosen apps, to break the automatic open-and-scroll habit without losing access. On iPhone and Android.
Field study, 280 people (Grüning et al., 2023, PNAS): attempts to open target apps fell 37% over six weeks. Co-authored by the app's developer.
Live screen time
It never blocks anything, so it relies on you acting on what you see, and it's weaker than a hard block for people who need one. iPhone only.
Does not use any exercise detection or session saving. Instead shows a live scroll count and provides dismissible checkpoints during the scrolling session, keeping the user aware without hard blocks.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- Checkpoints are dismissible, so a determined user can still scroll past limits. Depends on the iOS Screen Time API for enforcement (same as most blockers).
Unscroll
iPhone users who need their feeds for work or social life and want to see how long they've been scrolling while they scroll, without hard blocks.
Internal data, not peer reviewed: across all users, scrolling time fell 52% on a weighted average versus their own pre-Unscroll estimate (unscroll.io/results).
Small hacks
Free and quick to set up, but just as quick to switch off, and the effect is modest: it changes how the phone looks, not what you can open.
A free OS setting that removes color, making the screen less visually rewarding. No app installation, no motion detection, no session logging, so it avoids Clearspace's specific issues entirely.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- Reduces session duration but does not affect how often the phone is picked up. Easy to revert at any time, offering no commitment.
Grayscale mode
People who want a free setting that makes the phone less rewarding to look at.
Field study, 84 people (Dekker & Baumgartner, 2024): one week of grayscale cut phone time by about 20 minutes a day; how often people unlocked the phone didn't change.
Abstinence
You lose the useful parts of the apps along with the scrolling, and nothing stops you reinstalling them or picking the phone back up.
Completely removes the apps or access, eliminating any reliance on Clearspace's unreliable detection or session saving. No blocker needed.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- Browser access remains for some services, and many users eventually reinstall the app. Requires significant willpower and may be impractical if apps are needed for work.
Deleting the apps
People ready to go cold turkey on specific apps, who can still use the browser version when they truly need it.
No study of deleting apps itself. The closest, a 4-week Facebook deactivation experiment (Allcott et al., 2020), found use stayed lower after it ended.
Temporary digital detox
People who want a set break, like a weekend or a week, rather than a permanent change.
Randomised trial, 467 people (Castelo et al., 2025): after a two-week block on all mobile internet, 91% improved on at least one of well-being, mental health or attention.
Dumbphone
New hardware to buy and carry. A feature phone like a Nokia keeps calls and texts but loses maps, messaging apps like WhatsApp, banking and most authenticator apps; a dumb touchscreen phone usually keeps maps and sometimes a messaging app, depending on the model.
Replaces the smartphone with a device that has no infinite-scroll feeds, making Clearspace unnecessary. No detection or session saving issues.
- Inaccurate push-up detection
- Persistent session reliability issues
- Losing everyday apps: a feature phone drops maps, WhatsApp and banking apps; a dumb touchscreen phone keeps some of them, depending on the model.
Dumb touchscreen phone
People who want a phone with calls, texts and, on most models, maps, but no social media feeds.
No study of dumb touchscreen phones specifically.
Nokia (feature phone)
People willing to carry a classic feature phone for calls and texts and give up smartphone apps.
No study of feature phones specifically.
About the author
Sources (50)
50 sources directly shaped the analysis above; 262 were reviewed in total during research.
Research & studies 31
App Store review data 1
Changelog & product docs 18
Additional sources reviewed 45
Reddit threads (22)
Web & press (23)
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