An Opal alternative for people who want to read more

The short version: Opal is a focus app. It blocks apps on timers, schedules and limits, and the block ends when the clock says so. FirstPage is a reading app blocker: a reading app with a lock. Instagram, TikTok and the other apps you pick stay locked until you’ve read your pages for the day, and then they open on their own. If the reason you want less screen time is that you used to read and stopped, FirstPage is built for that. If you want deep work blocks across iPhone and Mac, stay with Opal.

Why people look for an Opal alternative

Opal is one of the most popular screen time apps. It has an Editors’ Choice badge on the App Store and a 4.7 rating on Google Play. People who leave it tend to give one of three reasons.

• The block only asks you to wait. A timer ends whether you did something useful or not. Plenty of people finish a focus session and go straight back to the feed they were kept from.
• The price. Opal Pro is $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year in the US, according to Opal’s pricing page. That’s a lot for one habit.
• They wanted the time to go somewhere. Opal’s community forum has had a request since 2022 for unlocks tied to an activity, and reading has come up in it. No such feature is listed today.

How FirstPage works instead

1. Choose the apps to lock, like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X or Reddit.
2. Set a daily goal in pages, minutes or both. Start small on purpose.
3. Read in FirstPage, either your own EPUB and PDF files or free classics.
4. Hit the goal and the apps unlock. Tomorrow they lock again.

The lock and the book live in the same app. When you open Instagram before your pages are done, FirstPage shows how many pages are left and a button that takes you straight to where you stopped reading. The urge to check your phone turns into a page or two of a book.

You still have a way out. “Give me more time” opens your apps for 10 minutes, up to three times a day, and it costs a little of the XP your brain mascot earns from reading. You can also split the day into reading windows, say a morning goal and an evening goal, or lock everything yourself for 30 minutes, an hour or two.

Opal and FirstPage side by side

When Opal is the better choice

• You use an iPhone or a Mac. FirstPage is Android only for now. Opal has apps for iPhone, Android and Mac.
• You want focus for work or study, not reading. Opal’s schedules, app limits and strict session modes are built for blocking distractions during work hours.
• You want the strictest possible block. Opal’s top difficulty level leaves you one emergency pass a week. FirstPage always keeps a short, limited way out.

When FirstPage is the better choice

• You want to read more, not only scroll less. Every unlock is earned with pages, so a better day on your phone is also a day you read.
• You’re on Android and want it simple. Pick apps, set a goal, read. There are no session presets to manage.
• You want to see the trade. The stats screen puts your reading time next to your time on social apps, by week, month and year.
• You want to pay less. FirstPage Pro costs less than half of Opal Pro, monthly or yearly, at US prices.

Other apps that unlock through reading

FirstPage isn’t the only app with this idea, and you should know the others before you choose. On Android, Another Page shows a reading screen before a blocked app opens. On iPhone, apps such as Read to Unlock, Pagelock and PageToll ask you to read a page, sometimes from a paper book you scan, and answer a question to earn a few minutes.

FirstPage works on a daily goal rather than a toll on every open. You read once, properly, and the apps stay open for the rest of the day or the reading window. If you prefer paying a page for each visit to Instagram, one of those apps may suit you better.

Switching from Opal to FirstPage

1. Turn off Opal’s blocks for the apps you plan to lock with FirstPage, so the two don’t compete for the same screen.
2. Install FirstPage from Google Play and pick those apps during setup.
3. Set a goal you’ll keep on a bad day. Ten pages beats an hour you skip.
4. Add a book you’re already in the middle of, or start a classic from the library.

Opal is a trademark of its owner. FirstPage is not affiliated with Opal. Details about Opal can change; this page was last checked on the date at the top.