Hawser: an Opal Alternative Built for Your Computer
Opal vs Hawser at a glance
| Opal | Hawser | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Your phone, with a desktop companion | Your computer, where deep work happens |
| How it works | Focus sessions you schedule in advance | An AI that reacts to what you are actually doing |
| When you drift | Blocks the apps and sites in the session | Notices on screen and checks in with you |
| Strictness | Has a harder Deep Focus mode that is tougher to bypass | Firm, but a nudge instead of a lockout |
| More than blocking | Screen time controls and gamified focus stats | An AI companion, voice dictation in any app, and learning cards |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android, plus a desktop companion | Windows (Mac on the roadmap) |
| Best for | People whose biggest distraction is their phone | People who lose hours on the computer where they work |
The real difference: a schedule versus the moment
Opal does its job beautifully. It is mobile first, the design is genuinely lovely, and its screen time controls and gamified stats make it one of the best ways to put your phone down. If the thing pulling you away is your phone, Opal is hard to beat.
But Opal runs on focus sessions you set in advance. You decide this morning that from 9 to 11 these apps are off limits, and it holds you to that plan. The trouble is that real work does not always match the plan you made over coffee. You finish early, you start late, the important thing today is not the thing you blocked yesterday.
Hawser takes a different path. It runs quietly on your computer, and instead of enforcing a schedule, it reacts to what you are actually doing right now. The moment it sees you slip off the one thing you said mattered today, it does not run down a timer. It checks in: "Hey, I noticed you wandered off. Want to get back to it?" A blocker can't tell a 10-hour work day from a 10-hour binge. Hawser can.
The honest trade offs
We are not going to pretend Hawser wins on everything. Opal is still the better choice if:
- Your problem is your phone. Opal is mobile first and its screen time controls are excellent. Hawser does not touch your phone.
- You want it on iOS or Android. Opal runs on iPhone and Android. Hawser is Windows desktop only today.
- You love the design and the stats. Opal is polished and its gamified focus stats are a real draw.
Hawser is the better choice if:
- You lose your day on the computer, not the phone. That is where Hawser lives and watches.
- You want it to react in the moment, not enforce a session you scheduled hours ago. It adapts to what you set out to do that day.
- You want more than a blocker. It talks to you in plain English ("block YouTube after 20 minutes"), types for you with voice dictation in any app, and slips in spaced repetition learning cards between work blocks.
Why I built this
I never used Cold Turkey itself, but I lived on the hard blockers it represents, the kind that just lock you out or boot you off your computer once you have used something "too long." They drove me up the wall, because my life does not run on a fixed schedule. One day I am heads down working for ten hours straight. The next, I might sink ten hours into a video game, and that is completely fine. A rigid blocker cannot tell those two days apart. It enforces the same dumb rule and kicks me off either way, usually on the day I needed it least.
That is the whole reason Hawser exists. It does not run on an arbitrary timer that has no idea what your day actually looks like. It works off what you set out to do, so ten hours of real work is never treated like the enemy, and it only steps in when you have genuinely drifted from it. It adapts to your day instead of fighting it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hawser an Opal alternative for the computer?
Yes. Opal is built around your phone and scheduled focus sessions. Hawser lives on your Windows computer, where most deep work happens, and an AI watches your screen and nudges you back in the moment instead of running on a schedule you set in advance.
Does Hawser work on iPhone or Android like Opal?
No. Opal is the better pick if your problem is your phone or you want it on iOS or Android. Hawser is a Windows desktop app today, with Mac on the roadmap.
Does Hawser run on a schedule like Opal focus sessions?
No. Instead of scheduled sessions you set in advance, Hawser reacts to what you are actually doing. It watches the task you set for the day and steps in the moment you drift, not on a fixed timer.
How much does Hawser cost?
Hawser is free for 7 days with no credit card, then $25 per month.