Barrier vs Lume.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Barrier
This app helps you break free from social media distractions by blocking access to social apps. It encourages healthier digital habits by requiring users to watch an ad or wait before accessing them, promoting mindful usage and digital wellness.
- Block social media apps
- Limit app access
- Promote healthier digital habits
- Incentivize reduced scrolling
- Digital wellness assistant
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Are you tired of wasting precious hours scrolling through social media apps? Do you want to break free from the cycle of constant distractions? Barrier is here to help. Our app acts as a blocker for social media apps, limiting your access and promoting healthier digital habits. With Barrier, you can only open your social media apps if you watch an ad or wait our 30 second load times, creating an incentive to reduce the amount of time you spend scrolling mindlessly. But Barrier is more than just a blocker. It's a digital wellness assistant, helping you take control of your digital life Don't let social media control your life. Take back control with Barrier!
Lume.
Take control of your phone usage and build better digital habits. This app helps you block distracting applications, monitor your screen time, and create custom focus sessions to improve productivity.
- App blocking for distractions
- Screen time insights
- Custom focus sessions
- Focus progress tracking
- Simple and intuitive design
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Lume – Focus & Screen Time Control Stay focused, take control of your time, and use your phone with intention. Lume helps you block distracting apps, track your screen time, and build better digital habits. Whether you’re studying, working, or simply trying to spend less time scrolling, Lume gives you the tools to stay on track: Key Features: App Blocking: Set up custom blocks to keep distracting apps out of reach when you need to focus. Screen Time Insights: Get a clear overview of how you spend your time on your phone. Custom Focus Sessions: Create personalized focus blocks that fit your schedule and goals. Focus Tracking: Monitor your progress and see how consistent you are with your focus sessions. Simple & Intuitive: Designed to help you stay on task without overcomplicating your routine. With Lume, you’re in control of your digital habits. Build focus, cut distractions, and reclaim your time—one block at a time. Privacy Policy : https://www.lumeapp.dev/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Barrier at none against Lume.'s 3. Barrier also leads on ratings volume (343 vs 2). Lume.'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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. Lume. sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Barrier asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lume. holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Barrier has 343 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Barrier's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lume.'s.
Barrier ships an update fortnightly, Lume. every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Barrier | Lume. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (343 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 343 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Haplo, LLC | Tyler Tran |
Customer experience
Barrier
Lume.
Bugs and requests
Barrier
Reported bugs
14 issues- Blocking does not work at correct times or remains blocked at incorrect times
- Blocking stops working after a while
- Apps remain unlocked after unlocking
- Streak keeps breaking for no reason
- Custom schedule does not unlock when it's supposed to
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- Last iOS release caused issues with re-locking after unlocking
- Timer resets but apps remain unlocked after unlocking
- Instagram and TikTok not always blocked
- App stops working after a few days, requires re-download
- Editing screen for blocked apps crashes sometimes
- Custom schedule setting does not work for overnight blocking (end time before start time)
- Does not unlock apps half the time after watching an ad
- Cannot make edits to timer or unlock time
- Cannot unlock apps without reinstalling after deleting the app before unlocking
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to set different apps to lock during different times
- More flexibility in setting multiple check-in times
- Option to customize the duration after watching an ad
- Fix for custom schedule not working for overnight blocking
- Option to have a daily time limit per app
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- Ability to set a certain amount of time per day and then block apps
- Update to end the 10-minute screentime after the ad finishes
Lume.
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Barrier
No in-app purchases
Lume.
- Lume Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Lume Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lume Premium Lifetime$49.99
