Brick vs Clank

Our editorial pick

We rank Clank number one for the setup we want: free MIT-licensed iPhone software and an ordinary NFC tag bought from any seller. This is the Clank team's editorial preference. We wrote this comparison from our own development work and Brick's published documentation, without running a comparative product test.

Clank is still in early access. As of September 9, 2026, its repository is private and there is no public App Store or TestFlight build. You cannot download Clank or build it from public source yet. Brick already has a public iPhone app and a device on sale. That makes Brick the practical option if you need to start now.

The same physical step, different hardware

Brick asks you to select apps, then tap your phone against a Brick to block them. Another tap restores access. Its product page also describes starting a block remotely. For a normal session, you return to a Brick to unblock, with limited Emergency Unbricks as a fallback. Scheduled sessions can also have an automatic end time. See Brick's workflow.

Clank's development build pairs with a compatible NFC sticker, card or keychain. You save your app choices as a mode, tap to clank, and return to that tag to unclank. The phone enforces the app block; the tag supplies the physical step. You can leave it in the hallway instead of keeping the way to unblock within reach. Our Clank walkthrough shows that sequence.

What you are choosing

Compare the hardware cost, too

Price check, September 9, 2026: Brick's official product page lists one device at US$59. Its developer-written App Store description says the purchase includes app access without monthly fees. Clank's proposed saving is mainly the branded hardware purchase, rather than a subscription that Brick does not charge.

An ordinary tag can be inexpensive. For example, GYRFID lists an NTAG213 sticker at US$0.30 on the same date. That is an item price, not a delivered setup price. Shipping, tax, quantity and seller terms matter.

Clank's intended source-build route also needs a Mac, Xcode and an Apple Developer account. Apple development requirements and fees are separate. Until public distribution exists, we cannot promise that a new user's entire setup will cost thirty cents.

Brick has more to offer than its enclosure

Brick documents scheduled sessions, activity history, Strict Mode and five Emergency Unbricks. Its magnetic, battery-free device can serve multiple phones. Those are useful features for someone who wants a ready-made setup, particularly in a household with different phone platforms. Brick's feature list describes them.

Clank's current development build includes modes, schedules, timed sessions, widgets and five emergency unclanks. Strict mode prevents installing or deleting apps while clanked. We have not established that Clank is harder to bypass, more reliable or more effective than Brick. A feature list cannot answer those questions, and a planned public release should not be treated as an installed product.

One detail matters for a routine across home and work. Brick supports using multiple Bricks with one phone. Clank currently checks each scan against one paired tag, so extra tags are not interchangeable spare keys. Brick's schedule guide also says that unbricking early ends the scheduled session. Bricking again starts a normal session without the previous scheduled end time. Check that ending rule before relying on a schedule while away from the device.

Why we are building Clank

We prefer choosing the small piece of hardware ourselves. A sticker can go under a desk; a card can live in a drawer. There is no reason the object has to look like the app's logo. You also avoid replacing a particular branded device if your preferences change.

We want the app's code to be available for people to inspect and change under the MIT license. The current codebase carries that license, but public access is still pending. Calling a private repository open source does not give anyone access to it. Our recommendation is therefore about Clank's intended model, with that release condition stated openly.

Which should you choose?

Choose Brick if you want a supported purchase and public installation today, or need the Android support listed in its compatibility information. Paying for a complete product can be worth more than saving on the tag.

Keep Clank first on your list if your priorities are a free iPhone app, ordinary NFC hardware and a future public MIT release, and you can wait. Read the current Clank availability notice before buying a tag specifically for it.

If you are still deciding between physical devices, our Tap Out vs Clank comparison covers another version of this approach. For blocking across a computer and phone, see Freedom vs Clank.