Comparison

Principal Task vs Block Times

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

Head to head
About

Principal Task

This app helps you manage tasks by tracking your completion rate against new tasks created. It offers a unique 'Task Velocity' score to show if you're keeping up with your workload. Organize with folders, contexts, and priorities, with advanced features available through a premium subscription.

Highlights
  • Task Velocity score
  • GTD-native structure
  • Due dates and repeating tasks
  • Markdown support
  • Kanban boards
  • Private templates
Features
Read full description

Track your Task Velocity — the ratio of tasks you complete against the ones you create, updated every day. See at a glance whether you're ahead or falling behind, not just what's on your list. Principal Task is a GTD-native task manager built for people who've outgrown to-do apps. Folders, contexts, priorities, statuses, and unlimited nested subtasks — organized the way real work actually happens. TASK VELOCITY Your 30-day completed-vs-created ratio, shown as a simple multiplier. Free members see their current score. Premium unlocks the full history, filterable by folder, context, priority, and status. SYSTEM HEALTH A live verdict — Healthy, Strained, or Overloaded — so you know where things stand today, separate from where they're heading. BUILT FOR GTD Folders and sub-folders, contexts, priorities, statuses, and stars. Subtasks nest as deep as you need, with independent completion — no forced parent-child status. KANBAN, HEATMAP, TEMPLATES See your work as a board. Watch your activity over time. Turn repeatable processes into templates you can apply in one tap. BUILT FOR AI ASSISTANTS Principal Task connects to AI assistants over MCP — read and write your tasks, subtasks, and folders directly from the assistant you already use. SHARE WITHOUT FRICTION Share a task list with a four-word link. No account required to view. You control how long it stays open. Free, no credit card. Premium is about $3/month or $24/year, and it doesn't limit how much you can do — it unlocks Task Velocity history, Kanban, the Activity Heatmap, and private templates. Principal Task. Software that gets out of the way. Terms of Use: https://principaltask.com/terms

About

Block Times

Features
Read full description

Build focus into your day with Block Times, a simple way to schedule when distracting apps are unavailable. Choose the apps and categories that pull your attention away, add a Block Time to your calendar, and let Block Times apply your choices automatically. Set a one-off block or repeat it every week, including overnight. HOW IT WORKS 1. Select the apps or categories you want to control. 2. Choose a start and finish time on the calendar. 3. Turn on Block Weekly for a regular routine and add optional start and finish reminders. 4. Let Block Times protect that part of your day. Apps become available again when their scheduled blocks end. BUILT AROUND YOUR ROUTINE • Choose different apps for different Block Times, with one-off, weekly and overnight schedules. • Skip individual dates or stop future repeats while keeping your history. • See today's block count and your next block in Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. • Review scheduled Block Time by day and your daily average over the previous seven complete days. • Get start and finish reminders, follow your control streak and keep historical App Access records from earlier versions. START FREE Free users can schedule one app block each day. Block Times Premium supports unlimited daily app blocks, with monthly, yearly and lifetime purchase options. Block Times is designed for personal self-management. It uses Apple's Screen Time controls to block the apps you select on your own device. Terms of Use: https://www.blocktimes.app/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.blocktimes.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Principal Task4 screens
Block Times4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Principal Task at none against Block Times's shown. Principal Task also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Block Times's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Principal Task sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Block Times sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Principal Task ships an update every 3 months, Block Times every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Principal Task versus Block Times: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrincipal TaskBlock Times
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZechariah SchwenkGP Tech Vision Limited

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Principal Task

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Block Times

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Weekly Premium7 Days trial$1.997 Days

Questions

Is Principal Task free?
Principal Task is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Block Times free?
Block Times is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Principal Task or Block Times have ads?
Block Times shows ads; Principal Task does not.
Which is updated more often, Principal Task or Block Times?
Principal Task ships an update every 3 months, and Block Times every 5 weeks. Most recently, Principal Task was updated on October 18, 2026 and Block Times on October 24, 2026.

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