Free for one app. Pro from $14.99 a year.
Cortex app is free for one app with a 5-second pause. Cortex Pro costs $1.99 a week, $3.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $79.99 for life, with a 7-day free trial. The annual plan is cheaper than one sec and than Opal.
What’s in each plan
| Free | Cortex Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Monitored apps | 1 | Unlimited |
| Pause | 5 seconds | Your own length |
| Intervention styles (breathing, math, trivia, mirror, time box) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intention question | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cortex Score and streaks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schedules (block windows) | — | ✓ |
| Daily usage limits | — | ✓ |
| Weekly “life recovered” report | — | ✓ |
| Advanced analytics | — | ✓ |
| Shortcuts / App Intents | ✓ | ✓ |
| On-device processing | ✓ | ✓ |
Cortex Pro prices
| Weekly | $1.99 |
| Monthly | $3.99 |
| Yearly | $14.99 |
| Lifetime | $79.99 |
7-day free trial on the yearly plan. Cancel in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions; Apple handles billing and refunds.
US App Store prices. Your storefront may show local currency and slightly different amounts.
Compared with one sec, Opal and ScreenZen
Same category, different approaches. Prices are the US App Store in-app purchase listings.
| Cortex app | one sec | Opal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Pause + intention question | Pause | Hard block |
| Yearly | $14.99 | $19.99 | $99.99 |
| Monthly | $3.99 | $2.99 | $19.99 |
| Lifetime | $79.99 | $99.99 | — |
| Free tier | 1 app | Limited | Limited |
| Minimum iOS | iOS 17 | iOS 15 | iOS 18 |
ScreenZen is free and donation-supported. Prices checked on the US App Store on 2026-09-13; they change — tell us if one is outdated.
Pricing questions
Is Cortex app cheaper than one sec?
Per year, yes: Cortex Pro is $14.99 versus one sec pro at $19.99 (US App Store, checked 2026-09-13). Monthly, one sec is a dollar cheaper. Lifetime, Cortex app is $79.99 versus $99.99.
Is there a free Opal alternative in Cortex app?
The free tier monitors one app with a 5-second pause and full scoring. Opal’s free tier exists too, but Opal is a blocker; if what you want is a pause, the free Cortex app already does the core thing.
Do I need Pro to use Shortcuts?
No. App Intents are available on the free tier.
What happens after the trial?
The yearly plan starts unless you cancel before the 7 days end. Apple sends a reminder the day before, and you can cancel from your Apple ID subscriptions at any time.
5.0 ★ on the App Store · iOS 17+