A free alternative to Clearspace
Clearspace puts a gate in front of the app: breathe, or do a set of pushups, before Instagram opens. It also lets a friend see when you break your own rules. Both of those are real features and Otto has neither. What Otto has is no bill and no sign-in.
| Clearspace | Otto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier, then $6.99/mo or $44.99/yr | Free, all of it |
| Account required | Yes | No |
| Friction gate before opening | Yes, breathing or pushups | No |
| Accountability partner | Yes | No |
| Daily time limit per app | Session budgets | Yes, daily |
| Scheduled hard block | Yes | Yes |
| Greyscale | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes, Chrome | No |
| Usage data leaves your phone | Yes | No |
Where Clearspace is the better buy
The pause and the accountability partner are the product, and they work on a problem a timer does not touch: the reach for the phone you make without deciding to. If someone else seeing your slips is what would actually change your behaviour, pay for Clearspace. Otto cannot tell anyone anything, by design.
Where Otto is the better fit
Otto is for the person who wants the app shut, not coached. No partner, no account, nothing about your usage leaving the phone, and a greyscale switch Clearspace does not have.
Otto is free, on both stores
No paid tier, no trial that expires, no account. There is a tip jar in the settings and that is the whole business model.
