Comparison

ScreenZen vs BePresent

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ScreenZen

This app offers multiple strategies to help you reduce screen time and control app usage. Features include delayed app opening, timed scrolling interruptions, and customizable app limits. It also provides options for strict blocking, settings protection, and encourages mindful breaks.

Highlights
  • Delayed app opening
  • Scrolling interruption
  • Set app goals and limits
  • Configurable daily schedules
  • Strict app blocking
  • Screen time tracking for distracting apps
  • Settings protection locks
Features
Read full description

Multiple strategies to reduce your screentime 1. Delay before opening your app: A bit of time before choosing if you need to open your distracting app. You can have the wait time increase each time you open your app. 2. Interrupt your scrolling: Check your distracting apps for short periods of time so you don't get sucked in. 3. Set an app goal and optionally block when you reach your limit. 4. Configurable for different days of the week and time by app. 5. Messages like "Is this important" before opening your app. 6. See your screen time for only your distracting apps. Don't worry about Google Maps bloating up your time. 7. Strict block your apps: Either for time ranges, after a certain number of opens or ScreenTime. 8. Locks on Settings to prevent you from changing your settings when you want to open an app. 9. Breathing and other activities to encourage you not to need to open the app while waiting for it to unlock. 10. Streaks to encourage you not to exceed your limits or override your settings.

About

BePresent

This app helps you regain control of your screen time through app blocking, gamified challenges, and real-life rewards. It encourages users to reduce phone usage, improve productivity, and enhance mental well-being by making digital detox engaging and beneficial.

Highlights
  • App Blocking Sessions (Individual, Group, BEAST MODE)
  • Set Daily Goals and Build Streaks
  • Monetary Stakes for Commitment
  • Weekly Leaderboards and Friend Challenges
  • Earn Real-Life Rewards (e.g., subscriptions, classes)
  • Hourly Scrolling Awareness Reminders
  • Time Tracking and Daily Reports
Features
Read full description

BePresent is the #1 app to control your screen time and supercharge your productivity, mental health, and quality of life. Experience life beyond the screen as you reclaim Your Time and earn rewards that improve your life with BePresent! 25 years. That’s the average time you will spend on your phone. With a combination of app blocking, gamification, social competition with friends, and real-life rewards, you will reclaim YEARS of your life like thousands of BePresent members already have. We know you’ve tried to solve this problem before. But we’re not like other screen time apps. ▶ WHAT USERS ARE CELEBRATING ◀ • “I was able to go from 7+ hours per day to less than 2 hours! 10/10 would recommend” - Andrew M. • “FINALLY an app that actually curbs my screen addiction instead of time limits that I just ignore!” - Gina V. • “I’ve tried everything but nothing has worked. I almost gave up before I used BePresent! Thank god I tried it as I’ve reduced my screen time by over 3 hours a day!” - Jack W. Download now to experience life to the fullest. Instead of annoying app blockers or time limits, BePresent makes it fun and easy to stay off your phone. ▶ FEATURES ◀ [ BePresent App Blocking Sessions - Individual, Group, & BEAST MODE ] • Dive into Present Sessions! Dedicate breaks from screens, whether it's a focused study session or a no-phone night out. Team up with friends for Group Sessions and joint tech time-outs. Share updates, cheer, and keep one another accountable—all from within the app. Need a stringent break? Enter BEAST MODE, ensuring unwavering commitment [ Set Daily Goals and Build Your Streak ] • Choose your digital boundaries. Maintain your streak by sticking to set screen time limits. Back your commitment with a monetary stake — overshoot, and that stake's gone. Customize reminders and design your journey to digital well-being. [ Compete on Weekly Leaderboards and Challenge Your Friends] • Show off your productivity prowess by competing against others on weekly leaderboards. Advance tiers so you’ll feel like a productivity superhero every day. Practicing mindful phone habits has never been so motivating and rewarding! [ Earn Real-Life Rewards ] • The ultimate motivation - earn points you can redeem for real-life rewards by limiting your screen time. Best of all, your rewards will also improve your life. Learn to meditate with a premium Headspace subscription. Redeem free workout classes with ClassPass. Schedule discounted therapy sessions with BetterHelp. Earn these rewards and more all by staying off your phone. [ Never Doomscroll Again ] • Set hourly scrolling awareness reminders so you never lose track of time doomscrolling again [ Time Tracking & Daily Reports ] • Measure the moments you're truly present. Access daily and weekly breakdowns, complemented by a comprehensive day-before report, amplifying your adherence to reality. [ Improve Your Well-Being ] • By reducing screen time, you'll improve your overall well-being and gain access to educational content that explains how reducing screen time can benefit you in multiple ways. Learn how to manage ADHD better, improve your mental health, and be more present with your loved ones, all while improving your sleep and becoming less distracted. [ Complete Privacy and Data Security ] • Data dignity, delivered. All of your data is private and safe with Apple’s Screen Time API. We do not have access to any specific content you access on your iPhone, and none of your personal data ever leaves your device. ▶ WE'RE HERE FOR EVERY QUERY ◀ Questions or feedback? Reach us at https://www.getpresentapp.com/ or shoot an email at contact@getpresentapp.com. Let's journey to mindful tech use together. Note: All rewards are sponsored by BePresent and our partners. Apple does not sponsor any of the in-app rewards. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.getpresentapp.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

ScreenZen4 screens
BePresent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ScreenZen at none against BePresent's shown. ScreenZen also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 68%) and device support (3 vs 1). BePresent's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#24 vs #147). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ScreenZen sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and BePresent sells 23 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ScreenZen against 4.8 for BePresent. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50K and 67K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of ScreenZen's written reviews are positive against 68% of BePresent's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScreenZen ships an update every 3 weeks, BePresent every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
ScreenZen versus BePresent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreenZenBePresent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (50K ratings) — better4.8 (67K ratings)
Positive reviews93.4% of reviews — better68.0% of reviews
Number of ratings50K67K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#147#24 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size159 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScreenZen LLCScreen Detox Inc

Customer experience

ScreenZen

All ratings50,446 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews6,715 reviews
Positive93.4%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.0%

BePresent

All ratings67,079 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews3,776 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative25.6%

User reviews

ScreenZen

From 50K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Completely reversed my scrolling addiction
  • 🚀 Helps manage screen time
  • 👍 Excellent app, easy to use
  • 👍 Genuinely the best screentime app out there
  • 👍 Effective in avoiding doom scrolling

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, sometimes doesn't unlock apps
  • 🐛 Notifications can't break through
  • 🐛 Inconsistent UI across devices

BePresent

From 67K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps reduce screen time
  • 👍 Gamification and rewards system
  • 🤝 Ability to compete with friends
  • 🕰️ Provides helpful notifications and reminders
  • 💡 Innovative approach to tackling phone addiction

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent screen time tracking
  • 🔒 Inability to selectively block apps
  • 💰 Paywall for advanced features
  • 🤖 Condescending and passive-aggressive notifications
  • 🔧 Buggy and glitchy performance

Bugs and requests

ScreenZen

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unlock button not working as expected
  • App stops working after some time
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 16 update

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more customization options
  • Integrate with productivity/to-do apps
  • Add more pause/break options
  • Improve website blocking functionality

BePresent

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Inaccurate screen time reporting
  • Inability to restore purchases
  • Persistent app blocking even after uninstallation
  • Setup process getting stuck on permissions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow selective app blocking
  • Exclude certain apps from screen time tracking
  • More customization options for notifications
  • Expand to iPad and other devices
  • Improve overall stability and reliability

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ScreenZen

One-time4
  • Kind Tip$5.00
  • Generous Tip$10.00
  • Amazing Tip$20.00
Show 1 more
  • Fantastic Tip$40.00
23 purchases

BePresent

Subscriptions23
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Monthly (Mid Tier)$6.991 Month
  • Monthly (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 20 more
  • Monthly (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Annual$24.991 Year
  • Annual (Mid Tier)$24.991 Year
  • Annual (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • BePresent Pro (Annual)$24.991 Year
  • Free Trial for BePresent Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Monthly (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • BePresent Pro (Annual)$29.991 Year
  • BePresent Pro Family$39.991 Year
  • Annual (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Annual (High Tier)$44.991 Year
  • Annual (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • BePresent Family7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual (3-Day Free Trial)3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual (30-day Trial)1 Month trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual (2-week Free Trial)14 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • BePresent Pro Family (iCloud)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Annual (1-Week Free Trial)7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is ScreenZen free?
ScreenZen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BePresent free?
BePresent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScreenZen or BePresent?
ScreenZen is rated higher. ScreenZen averages 4.9 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while BePresent averages 4.8 from 67K ratings.
Do ScreenZen or BePresent have ads?
BePresent shows ads; ScreenZen does not.
Which is updated more often, ScreenZen or BePresent?
ScreenZen ships an update every 3 weeks, and BePresent every 5 days. Most recently, ScreenZen was updated on October 14, 2026 and BePresent on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, ScreenZen or BePresent?
ScreenZen currently peaks at #147 in the App Store charts, and BePresent at #24. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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