A Refocus alternative that removes the feed, not the app.
Refocus is a plain whole-app lock. Sociano is the more precise fix: remove the feed, keep the useful parts, and optionally block the native route.
The short answer
Refocus is app and website blocking done simply — flexible rules, no gamification, listed at around $59 a year as of mid-2026. If you want whole apps unreachable, it's a clean way to get that. But blocking is binary: Instagram is either gone, DMs and all, or fully back, Reels and all. If what you actually want is Instagram minus Reels — the useful half without the feed — Sociano removes the addictive surfaces inside controlled sessions and keeps messaging, search and posting. It requires an annual subscription at $39.99/year in the U.S.; local App Store pricing varies.
What Refocus gets right
Refocus strips blocking down to apps, websites and rules. The interface may be simple, but the underlying model is still all-or-nothing: every legitimate feature disappears with the feed.
Sociano answers the more useful question for social media: how do you remove the scroll without removing communication? Controlled sessions preserve DMs, search and posting while the distracting surfaces stay gone.
The question a lock can't ask
Every blocker, however elegant, treats an app as one thing. Instagram isn't one thing. It's a messaging service, a search engine for people and places, a publishing tool — and, stapled to all of that, a slot machine. Whole-app blocking removes the slot machine by removing the post office along with it. Then a message you genuinely need arrives, you unblock, and the feed comes back through the same door.
That unlock-relock cycle is why app limits and blocks so often quietly fail: the exceptions are legitimate, and each one reopens everything. At around $59 a year, Refocus is a mid-premium lock — cheaper than heavyweight blockers, pricier than the budget tools — but the price buys a better lock, not a better room.
Sociano starts from the other end. It opens Instagram, YouTube, X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit inside controlled sessions and removes the addictive surfaces themselves: Reels, Shorts, Explore, For You feeds, suggested posts, autoplay chains. DMs, search, posting and profiles keep working. There's no exception to grant, because the useful parts were never blocked — and nothing to resist, because the feed isn't there. The broader case for this approach over timers is laid out in the comparison with Screen Time and timer blockers.
Side by side
| What you get | Sociano | Refocus |
|---|---|---|
| No gamification — no streaks, points or badges | ✓ | ✓ |
| Removes Reels, Shorts and For You while keeping DMs | ✓ | ✕ |
| Blocks whole apps | ✓ (optional, via Screen Time) | ✓ |
| Blocks websites beyond social platforms | ✕ | ✓ |
| Usage insights and per-platform daily limits | ✓ | — |
| Free to start | ✓ | ✕ |
| Listed price (as of mid-2026) | $39.99/yr (U.S.; local pricing varies) | ~$59/yr |
Details checked July 2026. Refocus's features and pricing can change — treat their site as the source of truth.
Why Sociano is the stronger choice
For supported social platforms, Sociano covers more of the actual habit in one place:
Stay with a blocker if…
- →Your distraction is general websites — news, shopping, forums — not just social feeds
- →You want certain apps entirely unreachable during set hours, DMs included
- →You've decided you don't need social media's useful half at all
Try feed removal if…
- →You keep unblocking for legitimate reasons and the feed rides back in
- →The problem is thirty accidental minutes of Reels, not the existence of Instagram
- →You'd rather spend nothing to find out whether the calmer version sticks
Sociano is built for the iPhone social-media habit: remove the feed, preserve the useful features, and optionally block the native route. For the whole category at a glance, see the best app blockers for iPhone roundup.
Trying surface removal
-
1
Download Sociano
Get Sociano on the App Store. An annual subscription is required: $39.99/year in the U.S.; local App Store pricing varies. Setup takes about a minute.
-
2
Sign in to the platforms you keep
Each platform opens through its official web login — Sociano never sees or stores passwords. Inside the session, Reels, Shorts, Explore and algorithmic feeds are removed while DMs, search and posting work normally.
-
3
Keep a block where a block belongs
Sociano's optional native-app blocking uses Apple's Screen Time framework to make the calm route the default. Web sessions can lack some native-only features — the honest list is on the limitations page.
Frequently asked
Is Refocus worth $59 a year?▼
Does Sociano block websites the way Refocus does?▼
Can I use Refocus and Sociano at the same time?▼
What does Sociano cost?▼
All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Sociano is not affiliated with or endorsed by Refocus. Details checked July 2026 — see the competitor's site for current pricing.
More guides
All guides →Best app blockers for iPhone
Five approaches compared, with Sociano as the clear overall pick.
Jomo alternative
Polished blocking is still all-or-nothing. The other route, compared.
Sociano vs. Screen Time & blockers
Timers count minutes and get ignored. Here's where each tool fits.
Still have a question?
A real person reads every message. No bots, no queue music.