Comparison

Barrier vs ScrollBuddy

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

Head to head
About

Barrier

This app helps you break free from social media distractions by limiting access to chosen applications. It introduces intentional delays or ad viewing to discourage mindless scrolling, promoting healthier digital habits and increased productivity.

Highlights
  • Social media app blocking
  • Intentional delays for app access
  • Ad-based access incentive
  • Digital wellness assistant
  • Promotes healthier digital habits
  • Reduces mindless scrolling
Features
Read full description

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!

About

ScrollBuddy

This app helps break addictive scrolling habits by introducing friction and scheduled limits. It allows you to set time budgets for your favorite social apps, offering gentle nudges and optional accountability with a partner. Focus on your well-being and reclaim your time with a kinder system.

Highlights
  • Scheduled time windows for app usage
  • Daily time budgets for apps
  • Kind block screens when time is up
  • Limit multiple social apps in one place
  • Micro-escape timers for breaks
  • Optional buddy accountability
  • Smart nudges and warnings
Features
Read full description

Your apps start the day shut. You write up to three tasks, say what each is worth, up to thirty minutes, and finishing one earns exactly that. That is the whole loop. The apps you named are blocked from midnight, before you have to decide anything. Willpower at seven in the morning is a bad plan. A choice you already made is a good one. Then you write the day. One to three tasks, no more. SB, the buddy in the app, helps you turn a vague intention into something you can start, and asks about the one that is too big to begin. Once the page is sealed, that is the day. Finishing a task puts its minutes in the bank. Before a task counts as done, SB asks one honest question about it. "Done, really? What did the gym session actually look like?" Nobody checks your answer. That is the point. The bank holds up to 150 minutes. Spending takes a moment. SB asks what it is for and how long, 2 to 30 minutes, and the apps shut again quietly when the time is up. A bank left unspent is a good day. In the evening the bell rings at the hour you chose. SB tells the day back to you in your own words: what got done, what you said about it, what did not happen, and how much closer you are to this month's goal. Then he asks what tomorrow is for, and you write the next page before you sleep. The month has one goal, with a finish line you can count. Twelve gym sessions. Four chapters. Ten applications sent. Tasks either serve it or they do not, and the book keeps the tally. ScrollBuddy was built by one person. Your first full day is on the house: plan it, live it, finish it, and write tomorrow. After that it costs money to keep going: a small subscription, monthly or yearly, or a single purchase that keeps it for good. The prices are shown in the app before you decide. If it does not help, walk away free, no hard feelings. There is no account and no login. Your goal, your tasks, your honest answers and your day count live on your phone and nowhere else. There is no partner to disappoint, no leaderboard, and nobody reading your day but you. Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time permission. ScrollBuddy never sees which apps you open or what you do inside them.

Screenshots

Barrier4 screens
ScrollBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Barrier at 81% against ScrollBuddy's 0%. Barrier also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). ScrollBuddy's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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. ScrollBuddy sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Barrier asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Barrier holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Barrier has 345 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Barrier's written reviews are positive against 0% of ScrollBuddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Barrier versus ScrollBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarrierScrollBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (345 ratings) — better4.1 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings345 — better11
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHaplo, LLCAaron Vinod

Customer experience

Barrier

All ratings345 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral10.3%
Negative8.8%

ScrollBuddy

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 9 more
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • 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

ScrollBuddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Barrier

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

ScrollBuddy

One-time4
  • Good buddy$4.99
  • Great buddy$9.99
  • Best buddy$17.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Premium$49.99

Questions

Is Barrier free?
Barrier is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScrollBuddy free?
ScrollBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Barrier or ScrollBuddy?
Barrier is rated higher. Barrier averages 4.7 out of 5 from 345 ratings, while ScrollBuddy averages 4.1 from 11 ratings.
Do Barrier or ScrollBuddy have ads?
Barrier shows ads; ScrollBuddy does not.
Which is updated more often, Barrier or ScrollBuddy?
Barrier ships an update fortnightly, and ScrollBuddy fortnightly. Most recently, Barrier was updated on November 4, 2026 and ScrollBuddy on November 5, 2026.

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