Comparison

ClearSpace vs Intention

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

Head to head
About

ClearSpace

This app helps you regain control of your phone usage by making your device less addictive. It offers tools to block distractions, manage app time, and build better digital habits. Achieve greater focus, productivity, and mental well-being by reducing impulse opens and doomscrolling.

Highlights
  • Block and limit distracting apps
  • Manage social media doomscrolling
  • Set schedules for app usage
  • Build better digital habits
  • Engage in attention-building challenges
  • Minimalist and straightforward design
  • Accountability partners for goals
  • Detailed screen time reporting
Features
Read full description

Controlling Screen Time is critical for mental health, focus, productivity, and relationships. Social media and other addictive apps can easily distract you from your goals. Clearspace helps you control screen time by giving you the tools to fight phone addiction by making your phone less addictive. Clearspace blocks distractions while retaining utilities. Say goodbye to impulse opens and social media doom scrolling. You don’t need to quit cold turkey or buy a dumb phone in order to get your scrolling in check. Instead of a new device, Clearspace gives you the freedom to make sober minded decisions about your usage allowing you to get control of your screen time. Attention is a precious resource, protect it with Clearspace features: - Block and Limit apps: block any apps you find distracting and limit screen time. - Social Media Doomscrolling: app time limits enable session management makes sure you don’t scroll for too long. - Focus management: set schedules for when to use apps - Habit change: dopamine is less powerful when you pause before opening an app which eventually creates a virtuous habit loop to make habits more atomic. - Screen Time Challenges: train your attention by engaging in challenges that strengthen your ability to focus. - Minimalist Design: the app is straightforward. We don’t want to take your attention away, instead we give it back to you. - Screen Time Accountability: have trusted accountability partners help you stick to your goals. - Screen Time Reporting: Streaks and budgets give you a better look at your screen time data in a way that helps you improve. - Digital Wellbeing: Align your intentions with your usage of your phone. Alignment can be helpful in health journeys battling anxiety and adhd. Blocking Apps helps you control impulse clicks. Users find that Clearspace helps them: - Reduce social media impulse opens - Focus on deep work and engage in flow state activities Social Media Doomscrolling is the cause of excessive screen time for many people, with Clearspace users report that: - Phone Addiction subsides - Dopamine craving for apps is less powerful Digital Minimalism is a new health wave that Clearspace enables for users: - Limiting apps in alignment with your intention - Mindfulness practices encourage a more balanced approach to phone usage Digital Wellbeing is a large and growing consideration in the health and wellness spaces. Clearspace users have found it helpful in dealing with: - Anxiety - ADHD - Depression - Socializing Research demonstrates that negative habits are hard to change through willpower alone, but that small, recurring nudges are effective at reshaping default patterns of behavior. Enter Clearspace. The idea is simple: - Select an app that you want to use less - When you click on a selected app, decide - proceed after a deep breath or opt out? - Over time, you'll notice you are in control of the usage Controlling Screen Time is essential for digital wellbeing, freedom from phone addiction, and maintaining focus. Clearspace empowers users with app limits, screen time control, and an app blocker to combat social media distractions. By aligning intentions with usage, Clearspace fosters healthier habits and a mindful approach to technology. Its minimalist design ensures attention is not diverted, enabling users to reclaim their time and break free from the grips of excessive screen time. With features such as screen time reporting, accountability partners, and challenges, Clearspace offers the tools needed to reshape default patterns of behavior and reduce the powerful hold of dopamine-driven app cravings. Embrace Clearspace as your ally in the journey towards a balanced digital lifestyle. Clearspace is a diet program for your digital consumption. A reminder to breathe before making decisions. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://getclearspace.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-05fb16506a294132acee914a8f6e5331

About

Intention

This app introduces a "friction" barrier to prevent compulsive app usage. Instead of simple timers, it presents cognitive challenges that must be solved before accessing blocked applications, helping users regain focus and control over their screen time.

Highlights
  • Cognitive challenges (mental math, memory, word scramble, Stroop test)
  • Customizable app blocking
  • Set unlock durations
  • Track screen time and progress
  • System-level blocking via Apple APIs
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

You don't have a screen time problem. You have a friction problem. Every time you pick up your phone, the path to Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or YouTube is one tap away. Intention adds the one thing those apps are designed to remove: a reason to pause. When you open a blocked app, you're not shown a timer or a motivational quote. You're shown a challenge — and you can't get in until you solve it. THE METHOD: COGNITIVE FRICTION Willpower fails. Timers get dismissed. Breathing exercises fade into muscle memory. What actually interrupts a compulsive scroll is cognitive load — a moment where your brain has to switch modes and engage. Intention uses proven challenge types from cognitive psychology to create that moment every single time. FOUR KINDS OF BRAIN CHALLENGES Mix and match to keep your brain on its toes: • Mental Math — arithmetic across addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and multi-step problems • Memory Grid — watch a pattern flash, then reproduce it • Word Scramble — unscramble letters into real words • Stroop Test — the classic color/word conflict test used in focus research Pick one. Pick all four. Turn difficulty up when it gets easy. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps and categories that steal your attention — social, news, games, anything 2. Open a blocked app — a shield appears with a challenge 3. Solve to unlock for a duration you set (5 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours — your call) 4. When the timer ends, the shield returns automatically Apple's Screen Time APIs power the blocking, so it's system-level and reliable. No VPN tricks. No jailbreak. No way to swipe around it. WHY PEOPLE STICK WITH INTENTION • It isn't a guilt trip — every unlock is a small win • It's honest about when you actually need the app and when you don't • Your brain gets sharper as a side effect • Either you get smarter by completing a challenge or don't scroll at all, win-win TRACK WHAT MATTERS A clean dashboard shows: • Today's screen time on addictive apps • Weekly and monthly trends • Daily streak and total XP earned from completed challenges • Impact of shielding addictive apps (this one hits) WHO IT'S FOR • People who quit Instagram for a week and were back in three days • Anyone who opens their phone to check one thing and surfaces twenty minutes later • Students, parents, creators, and professionals who need their attention back • Anyone who's tried every screen time app and still gets pulled in BUILT FOR YOUR PRIVACY Intention uses Apple's FamilyControls and ManagedSettings frameworks. Your app selections never leave your device — Apple's system handles them with privacy-preserving tokens that even we can't read. No tracking. No selling data. No ads. TRY IT FREE Start with a 3-day free trial — full access, no commitments. After your trial: • Monthly: $9.99/month • Annual: $59.99/year (save 50% vs. monthly) • Lifetime: $149.99 — one payment, forever Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://tryintention.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://tryintention.app/terms

Screenshots

ClearSpace4 screens
Intention4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Intention at 100% against ClearSpace's 69%. Intention also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). ClearSpace's advantage is ratings volume (9K vs 13). On price, update cadence, ads 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. ClearSpace sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Intention sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Intention holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ClearSpace has 9K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of ClearSpace's written reviews are positive against 100% of Intention's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ClearSpace versus Intention: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClearSpaceIntention
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9K ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9K — better13
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperclearspaceCLV AI HOLDINGS LLC

Customer experience

ClearSpace

All ratings8,900 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews615 reviews
Positive69.3%
Neutral12.2%
Negative18.5%

Intention

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ClearSpace

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when trying to block apps
  • Notification issues and UI glitches
  • Inconsistent tracking of app usage
  • Problems with phone number verification

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow blocking multiple apps in free version
  • Add more exercise options beyond just breathing
  • Provide more customization options
  • Integrate with other fitness/health tracking apps
  • Improve website/app blocking capabilities

Intention

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

ClearSpace

Subscriptions7
  • ClearSpace Premium (Monthly)$6.991 Month
  • ClearSpace Premium (Annual)$44.991 Year
  • Clearspace Premium7 Days trial$44.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • Clearspace Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Clearspace Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Clearspace Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Clearspace Premium Family$79.991 Year
3 purchases

Intention

Subscriptions2
  • Intention Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Intention Annual3 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$149.99

Questions

Is ClearSpace free?
ClearSpace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Intention free?
Intention is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ClearSpace or Intention?
Intention is rated higher. ClearSpace averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9K ratings, while Intention averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do ClearSpace or Intention have ads?
Both ClearSpace and Intention show ads.
Which is updated more often, ClearSpace or Intention?
ClearSpace ships an update every 2 weeks, and Intention every 2 weeks. Most recently, ClearSpace was updated on November 5, 2026 and Intention on October 31, 2026.

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