# Freedom vs Intentional

The clearest difference is monetization model: Intentional at free with in-app purchases against Freedom's subscription. Intentional also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%). Freedom's advantage is ratings volume (6.1K vs 7) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Freedom sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Intentional sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Freedom against 4.4 for Intentional. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freedom has 6.1K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Freedom's written reviews are positive against 100% of Intentional's.

Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, Intentional monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freedom | Intentional |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (6.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freedom-screen-time-control/id1269788228/reviews)** | [4.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/intentional-earn-screen-time/id6756160389/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.1K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 94 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eighty Percent Solutions](https://appshunter.io/developer/960372430) | [SHM Ventures LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855812724) |

## What reviewers say

### Freedom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freedom-screen-time-control/id1269788228)

This app helps you block distracting apps and websites to improve focus and productivity. Schedule blocking sessions across all your devices to build better screen time habits and reclaim productive hours.

**Highlights:** Block distracting apps and websites, Schedule blocking sessions, Sync across all devices, Block the internet, Locked Mode for habit commitment, Focus sounds

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Freedom Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Freedom Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Freedom Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Freedom Forever | $199.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective at blocking distractions
- 👍 Customizable blocklists
- 🔒 Locked mode prevents bypassing
- 💡 Cross-device sync
- 👍 Helpful for productivity and focus

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent blocking, doesn't always work as expected
- 🐛 Scheduled sessions don't always start automatically
- 🐛 Buggy, crashes frequently
- 🔒 Easy to bypass by disabling VPN or deleting app
- 👎 Limited app blocking on iOS

**Reported bugs**

- Blocks unintended apps/websites
- Fails to block certain apps like Facebook, Instagram
- Doesn't work in low power mode on iOS

**Requested features**

- Allow specific app whitelisting
- Add time limit/usage tracking features
- Improve scheduling options (e.g. by day, not just time)
- Better integration with mobile OS features (e.g. iOS Screen Time)


### Intentional

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/intentional-earn-screen-time/id6756160389)

This app helps you regain control of your screen time by requiring you to justify opening blocked applications. An AI judge evaluates your arguments, granting temporary access if your reasoning is sound, or denying it to encourage mindful usage.

**Highlights:** AI-powered app blocking, Justify app access with AI judge, Customizable blocking schedules, Focus Score and progress tracking, Multiple AI judge personas, Emergency passes for urgent needs

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Intentional Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Intentional Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Intentional Pro | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freedom free?

Freedom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Intentional free?

Intentional is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Freedom or Intentional?

Freedom is rated higher. Freedom averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Intentional averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do Freedom or Intentional have ads?

Neither Freedom nor Intentional shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Freedom or Intentional?

Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, and Intentional monthly. Most recently, Freedom was updated on November 11, 2026 and Intentional on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*