The best reading app blockers in 2026

The short version: on Android, FirstPage is the reading app blocker for a daily goal and Another Page is the one for reading before every open. On iPhone, ReadBlock is the closest to a daily page goal, Read to Unlock is the one for paper books, and RISE adds a quiz after each chapter. They all lock the apps you pick. They differ in what you have to read, how often, and where.

We make FirstPage, so it’s on this list. It’s Android only for now, and if you use an iPhone, one of the others is the better choice today.

What a reading app blocker does

An app blocker like Opal, one sec or Android’s Digital Wellbeing ends a block when a timer runs out or after a pause. A reading app blocker ends it when you’ve read. That changes what the lock is for: the time you win back from your phone goes into a book instead of into waiting the timer out.

There are four ways these apps decide you’ve read enough:

1. A daily goal. Read a set number of pages or minutes once, and your apps stay open for the rest of the day. FirstPage, ReadBlock and Marca work this way.
2. A toll on every open. Read a few pages each time you open a blocked app, and it opens for a while. Another Page works this way.
3. A quiz. Read, then prove it. RISE gives a 5-question quiz after a chapter, ReadLock scores notes you write, and CurioLock asks a question after a short article.
4. A paper page. Scan a page of a physical book and answer a question. Read to Unlock works this way.

How we picked

We looked for apps that lock other apps until you read, not reading trackers or plain app blockers. Every detail below comes from the app’s own App Store or Google Play listing, checked October 12 to 15, 2026, with US prices. Almost all of these apps launched in the last year and have only a few ratings each, so we compare how they work rather than how they score.

The apps, side by side

FirstPage: best on Android for a daily goal

FirstPage keeps the apps you pick locked until you hit a daily goal in pages, minutes or both, read in its own reader with your EPUB and PDF files or free classics from Project Gutenberg. Open a locked app and it shows how many pages are left, with a button back to your book. You can split the day into reading windows, each with its own goal, and there’s a short way out when you need one: 10 minutes, up to three times a day. It can also read your books aloud, though listening doesn’t count toward the goal.

Pick it if you’re on Android and want one real reading session a day, then a normal phone.

Another Page: best if every open should cost a page

Another Page shows a reading screen before a blocked app opens, then lets the app through for the time you chose. Its library has more than 4,500 public-domain books in 12 languages, and importing your own EPUB is a Premium feature. It runs on Android and iPhone.

Pick it if you open Instagram on reflex and want each reflex to cost a few pages.

One More Page: a newer Android option with schedules

One More Page (listed as Read to Scroll) locks apps on schedules until you meet a reading goal, with Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg books or your own EPUB. It launched in September 2026 and uses Android’s Accessibility service.

ReadBlock: closest to a daily page goal on iPhone

ReadBlock keeps the apps you choose blocked until you finish a daily goal of 5, 10, 15 or 20 pages, read in the app from EPUB files you upload. Pro is $5.49 a month, $22.99 a year or $34.99 once.

Pick it if you use an iPhone and want what FirstPage does on Android.

Read to Unlock: best for paper books

Read to Unlock has you scan a page of a physical book and answer a comprehension question. Each page you read earns screen time for the apps you’ve limited, and they open while you have credit left. Pro is $4.99 a week or $49.99 a year.

Pick it if you already read paper and want those pages to count.

RISE: best for non-fiction with a quiz

RISE asks you to read a chapter and pass a 5-question quiz, which earns 30 minutes with your blocked apps. You can bank the time and spend it in 5-minute pieces, and everything resets at midnight. The core features are free, and it runs on iPhone and Mac.

ReadLock, Marca and CurioLock

ReadLock has you write notes on what you read and uses AI to score them against the pages before your apps unlock. It can also block websites. Marca is a reading tracker with a free daily-goal lock for books you log yourself. CurioLock unlocks after a short article and a question rather than a book, which suits curiosity more than a reading habit. All three are iPhone apps.

If you don’t want to read to unlock

If your goal is focus at work rather than reading more, a timer-based blocker fits better. Opal blocks apps on schedules and timers, one sec adds a pause before an app opens, and Digital Wellbeing on Android closes an app when its daily timer runs out. We compare Opal with FirstPage in our Opal alternative guide.

Which one should you pick?

• Android, one reading session a day: FirstPage.
• Android or iPhone, a few pages before every open: Another Page.
• iPhone, a daily page goal: ReadBlock.
• Paper books: Read to Unlock.
• Non-fiction with a quiz: RISE.
• Just Instagram: see apps that lock Instagram until you read.

App names are trademarks of their owners. FirstPage is not affiliated with any other app on this page. Details about other apps can change; this page was last checked on the date at the top.