Comparison

Barrier vs basilic

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 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.

Highlights
  • Block social media apps
  • Limit app access
  • Promote healthier digital habits
  • Incentivize reduced scrolling
  • Digital wellness assistant
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

basilic

This app helps you plan your shopping trips and organize your favorite items. Create and share lists, group items by store and category, and quickly add recurring purchases. It offers a fast and beautiful interface for effortless grocery management.

Highlights
  • Multiple real-time shopping lists
  • Group items by supermarket and category
  • Favorites for recurring items
  • Share lists for real-time collaboration
  • Quick item addition and editing
  • Bulk-assign supermarkets/categories
Features
Read full description

Basilic helps you plan your shopping and keep your favorites organized in one beautiful, fast app. Create lists, group items by supermarket and category, and check things off as you go. Save your staples as favorites so you can reuse them anytime, and share lists with others to collaborate in real time. Key features: • Create multiple shopping lists with real‑time updates • Add items quickly and edit with a long press • Group by supermarket and category, with collapsible sections • Favorites (templates) for your recurring items • Bulk‑assign supermarkets/categories to favorite items • Rename supermarkets and categories instantly • Share lists and favorites with others • Apple and Google sign‑in Whether you’re planning a weekly grocery trip or managing multiple stores, Basilic keeps everything tidy, fast, and effortless.

Screenshots

Barrier4 screens
basilic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: basilic at none against Barrier's shown. basilic also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Barrier's advantage is ratings volume (343 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

basilic 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barrier ships an update fortnightly, basilic every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Barrier versus basilic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarrierbasilic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (343 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings343 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB33 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHaplo, LLCLifeBits Inc.

Customer experience

Barrier

All ratings308 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive80.3%
Neutral10.6%
Negative9.1%

basilic

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

basilic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Barrier

No in-app purchases

None

basilic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Barrier free?
Barrier is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is basilic free?
basilic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Barrier or basilic?
basilic is rated higher. Barrier averages 4.7 out of 5 from 343 ratings, while basilic averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Barrier or basilic have ads?
Barrier shows ads; basilic does not.
Which is updated more often, Barrier or basilic?
Barrier ships an update fortnightly, and basilic every 8 days. Most recently, Barrier was updated on October 27, 2026 and basilic on October 15, 2026.

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