According to WIRED, the $59 Brick device is essentially an NFC chip, similar to ones in credit cards and passports. The magazine argues that users can replicate its distraction-blocking behavior with blank NFC tags costing around a dollar, or even with printed QR codes, using free apps.
WIRED tested two free apps. Foqos, an open-source iOS app by Canadian developer Ali Waseem, is polished and easy to configure. It can start and stop blocking sessions with NFC tags, QR codes, barcodes, or a daily schedule, and it prevents users from deleting the app to bypass a block. The app's privacy policy states no data leaves the device.
For Android, WIRED recommends Switchly, a feature-complete app from Vienna-based developer Saltyy. It supports NFC, QR codes, schedules, and even blocking specific features inside apps, though setup requires careful reading and results can vary by phone model. WIRED also mentions Lock as a more polished Android alternative that only supports NFC chips.