# Freedom vs grounded | mindful screen time

The clearest difference is monetization model: grounded | mindful screen time at free with in-app purchases against Freedom's subscription. grounded | mindful screen time also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (89% vs 64%). Freedom's advantage is ratings volume (5.9K vs 10). On price, update cadence, 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 grounded | mindful screen time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

grounded | mindful screen time holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freedom has 5.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Freedom's written reviews are positive against 89% of grounded | mindful screen time's.

Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, grounded | mindful screen time weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freedom | grounded | mindful screen time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freedom-screen-time-control/id1269788228/reviews) | **[4.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grounded-mindful-screen-time/id6761880149/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.9K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 64.2% of reviews | **88.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 93 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eighty Percent Solutions](https://appshunter.io/developer/960372430) | [Datrie Allman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891920620) |

## 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)


### grounded | mindful screen time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grounded-mindful-screen-time/id6761880149)

This app offers a mindful approach to screen time by introducing brief awareness checks before you open distracting applications. It helps you regain control over your phone usage by prompting reflection rather than outright blocking.

**Highlights:** Pre-app awareness checks, Customizable app selection, Variety of reflection prompts, Time-limited app access, Gentle relationship with phone, Focus on awareness, not control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grounded Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Grounded Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Grounded Lifetime | $129.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freedom free?

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

### Is grounded | mindful screen time free?

grounded | mindful screen time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Freedom or grounded | mindful screen time?

grounded | mindful screen time is rated higher. Freedom averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5.9K ratings, while grounded | mindful screen time averages 4.8 from 10 ratings.

### Do Freedom or grounded | mindful screen time have ads?

Neither Freedom nor grounded | mindful screen time shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Freedom or grounded | mindful screen time?

Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, and grounded | mindful screen time weekly. Most recently, Freedom was updated on October 18, 2026 and grounded | mindful screen time on October 9, 2026.

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