Comparison

Minimal vs BrickPhone

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

Head to head
About

Minimal

This app transforms your home screen into a distraction-free, text-based launcher using widgets. It helps reduce screen time by hiding distracting icons and notification badges, allowing for a more personalized and focused mobile experience.

Highlights
  • Text-based app launcher widgets
  • Reduces screen time
  • Hides distracting icons
  • Customizable widget appearance
  • Personalized home screen setup
Read full description

Hey there! I’m the maker of Minimal. Like many of you, I found myself constantly checking my phone, hopping from one app to another, and losing precious hours. That's why I created Minimal — to help us reclaim our time and focus by cutting down on digital clutter. Here’s What Minimal Can Do For You: 1. A Cleaner Home Screen Minimal uses home screen widgets to transform your home screen with a sleek, text-based app launcher — access what you need without distractions. 2. Reduce Screen Time Keep distracting icons and notification badges out of sight. This "out of sight, out of mind" strategy helps reduce unnecessary screen time. 3. Personalize Your Experience Your phone should reflect your style. Customize the look and feel of your widgets to create a setup that’s uniquely yours. Why Minimal? I built Minimal initially to help myself focus more and swipe less. It turned my phone from a distraction into a tool. Minimal has transformed my relationship with my phone, and I hope it does for you too. Unlock everything for the price of a latte. No subscriptions or hidden fees. Try it free for 7 days, no payment required if you don’t love it! About Us: ByteBrew is a one-man app studio based in NYC, building high-quality apps that deliver real value at a fair price. We’re committed to using technology to improve lives.

About

BrickPhone

Simplify your phone experience to enhance focus. This app offers a minimal home screen, removing distracting elements. Achieve greater productivity by decluttering your digital environment.

Highlights
  • Minimalist home screen
  • Reduced distractions
  • Focus enhancement
  • Simplified interface
Features
Read full description

BrickPhone is an app for turning simplifying your phone to help you focus. It allows you to have a minimal home screen, free of unnecessary distractions.

Screenshots

Minimal4 screens
BrickPhone2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BrickPhone at none against Minimal's 1. BrickPhone also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Minimal's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Minimal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BrickPhone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Minimal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Minimal ships an update every 2 months, BrickPhone weekly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Minimal versus BrickPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMinimalBrickPhone
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better4.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperByteBrew LLCMarcelo Monsalve

Customer experience

Minimal

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BrickPhone

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Minimal

One-time1
  • Lifetime Membership$4.99
None

BrickPhone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Minimal free?
Minimal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BrickPhone free?
BrickPhone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Minimal or BrickPhone?
Minimal is rated higher. Minimal averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while BrickPhone averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Minimal or BrickPhone have ads?
Neither Minimal nor BrickPhone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Minimal or BrickPhone?
Minimal ships an update every 2 months, and BrickPhone weekly. Most recently, Minimal was updated on October 30, 2026 and BrickPhone on October 30, 2026.

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