Tap Out vs Clank

Our first choice, with the release status clear

Clank is the Clank team's number-one editorial pick for free MIT-licensed iPhone blocking with an ordinary NFC tag. We like being able to choose a cheap sticker or card instead of buying a specific device. This is a comparison written by Clank's makers, based on documented features. We have not tested the two products against each other.

There is an immediate difference in availability. On September 9, 2026, Clank's repository remains private, and there is no public App Store or TestFlight build. A public source release is planned. Tap Out sells a device with a companion app now. Its product page describes the package. If you want a product to use this week, that matters more than our preference.

What the physical tap changes

Tap Out's documented flow is to choose apps and websites, tap the Tap Out Point, then return to it when you want access again. You can put the Point somewhere away from your phone. The company also lists custom modes and schedules. Tap Out explains the process here.

Clank's development build follows that physical pattern with a compatible NFC tag. Your selected apps stay blocked while other apps remain available. You can keep directions or messages accessible and block the feeds you tend to open without thinking. The useful decision is what to block and where to put the tag. An object left beside your phone adds less distance than one you have to walk to.

Our how-it-works section shows Clank's pairing and tapping flow. It describes the app in development, rather than offering a public installation.

Tap Out also avoids a subscription

Tap Out's product page says the companion app is included without a subscription. In the euro storefront checked on September 9, 2026, the selected Tap Out Point was listed at €47.95. Discounts, location and delivery charges can change the amount you pay. Check the current product listing before ordering.

Clank is being built for a free MIT-licensed release with all its features included. You supply the NFC tag. As a concrete price example, this NTAG213 sticker was listed at US$0.30 on September 9, 2026, before any applicable shipping and tax. That shows how inexpensive the component can be; it is not a quote for getting Clank running.

Public source builds are not available yet. The intended development route requires a Mac, Xcode and an Apple Developer account, with Apple's costs separate. Someone who does not already have that setup should wait for an actual distribution option before treating Clank as a money-saving purchase.

Where the products differ

Tap Out's sharing and social features may suit a couple or friends who want to participate together. We prefer a smaller personal tool for our own phones. Neither preference establishes which product will change someone's habits more.

Check how you get your apps back

A physical blocker still needs a plan for a lost tag. Tap Out describes a Prevent Deletion setting and three urgent access tokens, with replacements requested from the company after those are used. Its FAQ explains Prevent Deletion, and its urgent-access guide gives the reset process.

Clank's development build has strict mode and five emergency unclanks. A normal tag-controlled session ends when you scan the paired tag again; timed sessions and schedules provide other ways to set an ending. These are different choices about access, rather than proof that either product cannot be bypassed. Start with a short session and make sure the apps you need remain accessible before relying on a longer block.

Use a first month to check the setup

It is more useful to give a new blocker a small job than to expect a complete change in your routine. For an available product, try one meal on the first day. After a week, look at whether the tag's location is helping or causing unnecessary trips. At a month, review your app choices and any schedules you actually use.

That is a suggested evaluation, not a promised timeline for improved sleep or concentration. We do not have comparative evidence that either app saves a certain number of hours. Notice concrete things instead: whether you return to the same app less often, whether important tasks are blocked by mistake, and whether you continue using the setup.

Buy a finished product or follow the project

Tap Out is the more practical choice today if you want its finished device and included app. We place Clank first for the free software and ordinary-tag model we are building, while being clear that public access is still pending. The private repository currently prevents people from independently inspecting or modifying our code.

Check Clank's release status before making plans around it. You can also read Brick vs Clank for another physical-device comparison, or Freedom vs Clank if you need a blocker for your computer as well.