Comparison

Roots vs grounded | mindful screen time

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

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
Read full description

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

Roots4 screens
grounded | mindful screen time4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Roots versus grounded | mindful screen time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRootsgrounded | mindful screen time
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.6K ratings)4.8 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews75.4% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.6K — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size379 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMWMDatrie Allman

Customer experience

Roots

All ratings2,649 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews362 reviews
Positive75.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative19.3%

grounded | mindful screen time

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

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

17 purchases

Roots

Subscriptions17
  • Roots Plus - Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
  • Premium$7.997 Days
  • Roots Plus - Weekly Plan3 Days trial$7.997 Days
Show 14 more
  • 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
3 purchases

grounded | mindful screen time

Subscriptions2
  • Grounded Monthly$8.991 Month
  • Grounded Annual$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Grounded Lifetime$129.99

Questions

Is Roots free?
Roots 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, Roots or grounded | mindful screen time?
Roots and grounded | mindful screen time are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2.6K and 10 ratings respectively.
Do Roots or grounded | mindful screen time have ads?
Neither Roots nor grounded | mindful screen time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Roots or grounded | mindful screen time?
Roots ships an update every 3 weeks, and grounded | mindful screen time weekly. Most recently, Roots was updated on September 25, 2026 and grounded | mindful screen time on September 22, 2026.

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