Roots vs grounded | mindful screen time
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Roots
This app helps you regain control of your phone usage by setting app limits, scheduling downtime, and participating in detox challenges. It provides insights into your screen time habits and offers features like 'Monk Mode' for focused periods. Aimed at improving well-being and reducing phone addiction.
- App and website blocking
- Scheduled downtime
- Phone detox challenges
- Monk Mode for strict blocking
- Digital dopamine monitoring
- Daily goals and progress tracking
- Personal balance score
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Roots is the #1 screen time app. Set boundaries with your phone, and unlock more time. Screen time has a major impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. We're here to help — with better app limits, digital downtime, daily goals, balance score, and more. Join thousands of people using Roots to build a better relationship with their phone. WHAT TO EXPECT - Better screen time management - Unlock 2 hours per day - Stop scrolling mindlessly - Cure your phone addiction - Detox from phone dopamine - Find better balance - Be more present - Stay focused BLOCK NOW - Start blocking apps at any time with one tap BETTER APP LIMITS - Block any app or website based on time limits or number of opens SCHEDULE DOWNTIME - Be intentional with "mindful mornings", "evening wind down", and more PHONE DETOX CHALLENGES - Personalized challenges to compete with yourself and friends - Challenges with neuroscientist and Roots Chief Science Officer, Tj Power BLOCK WITH "MONK MODE" - App blocking that doesn't let you unblock until tomorrow MONITOR DIGITAL DOPAMINE - Not all screen time is equal, so we help you understand the impact of each app DAILY GOALS - Set goals for screen time and phone pickups, and track your daily progress PERSONAL BALANCE SCORE - Daily score helps keep you accountable with beautiful illustrations and visuals SCREEN TIME TRENDS - View the progress and trends of your screen time journey BUILD A STREAK - Build a streak as you stay under limits, earn cheat days and custom app icons BLOCK ADULT WEBSITES - Keep yourself off adult websites once and for all DON’T JUST TAKE IT FROM US "We’re all guilty of being obsessed with our phones. Roots helps you break free." -- Tj Power, Neuroscientist and Author “It's beautiful, and it works” -- Jameston78 “This app does what it says” -- Casper-F “Worth every penny” -- Thehikingfool PRIVACY GUARANTEED We use Apple’s Screen Time API so all of your phone usage data stays on your phone. TERMS & CONDITIONS - Auto-Renewing Subscription Options: Roots Plus (Monthly or Annual) - Terms: https://www.getroots.app/terms - Privacy Policy: https://www.getroots.app/privacy-policy
grounded | mindful screen time
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.
- Pre-app awareness checks
- Customizable app selection
- Variety of reflection prompts
- Time-limited app access
- Gentle relationship with phone
- Focus on awareness, not control
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Stop reaching for distraction & start returning to yourself. Grounded transforms the moment you instinctively reach for your phone into a moment of awareness. Instead of falling into endless scrolling, you’re gently invited to breathe, check in, and reconnect with what you actually need. Meditate. Breathe. Reflect. Focus. Or simply decide your phone isn’t what you needed after all. Grounded helps you replace unconscious habits with intentional ones. & not through guilt or restriction, but through calm awareness Designed for people who want a slower, more mindful relationship with technology. — Inspired by the book Safe to Receive and the nervous system work behind it. — Subscription info Monthly: $8.99 USD/month Annual: $39.99 USD/year Subscriptions auto-renew through your Apple ID unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Manage or cancel anytime in iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Questions? Reach out at support@fulfilledsoul.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://fulfilledsoul.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Roots at 2.6K against grounded | mindful screen time's 10. grounded | mindful screen time's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (89% vs 75%). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Roots sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Roots against 4.8 for grounded | mindful screen time. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roots has 2.6K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Roots's written reviews are positive against 89% of grounded | mindful screen time's.
Roots ships an update every 3 weeks, grounded | mindful screen time weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Roots | grounded | mindful screen time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.6K ratings) | 4.8 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.4% of reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 379 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MWM | Datrie Allman |
Customer experience
Roots
grounded | mindful screen time
Bugs and requests
Roots
Reported bugs
5 issues- Apps getting blocked when they shouldn't be
- Screen time data not syncing correctly
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Subscription issues and inability to cancel
- Trouble with the initial setup and syncing
Requested features
5 requests- Home screen and lock screen widgets
- Customizable challenges and ability to share with friends
- More options for the 'Do Not Disturb' mode
- Improved analytics and progress tracking
- Ability to easily adjust app limits without resetting
grounded | mindful screen time
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Roots
- Roots Plus - Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
- Premium$7.997 Days
- Roots Plus - Weekly Plan3 Days trial$7.997 Days
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- Roots - Monthly Plan$9.991 Month
- Roots Plus - Monthly Plan$9.991 Month
- Roots - Monthly Plan$19.991 Month
- Premium Pass7 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Roots Plus - Annual Plan$29.991 Year
- Premium$39.991 Year
- Roots Plus - Annual Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Premium Pass$59.991 Year
- Roots Plus - Annual Plan7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Premium1 Month trial$69.991 Year
- Roots Plus - Annual Plan$79.991 Year
- Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Premium Pass1 Month trial$99.991 Year
- Premium Pass7 Days trial$99.991 Year
grounded | mindful screen time
- Grounded Monthly$8.991 Month
- Grounded Annual$39.991 Year
- Grounded Lifetime$129.99
Questions
Is Roots free?
Is grounded | mindful screen time free?
Which has better reviews, Roots or grounded | mindful screen time?
Do Roots or grounded | mindful screen time have ads?
Which is updated more often, Roots or grounded | mindful screen time?
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