Comparison

Smol Habit vs Spool

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

Head to head
About

Smol Habit

Features
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Easy habit making w/ your smol trainer! With Smol Habit, you can: - Create habits for desired weekdays - Match your habits with the colors and symbols you choose - "Tap tap" to mark the completion of your everyday habits - Track the status of each of your habits (top streak, ongoing days, achievement progress) - Check your overall progress with a calendar view - Receive a daily "seed" reward for every full-day habit completion - Unlock various "Hamcheese stages" with the seeds you've earned - Change the app's icon and display mode (to dark mode) as you want [Premium Features] - 20 ongoing habits - Habit pausing feature - Daily habit reminders (notifications) - Unlocked Hamcheese stages - Premium Hamcheese achievement badges [To-be Updated Features (Premium)] - Hamcheese SMS stickers - Interactive widgets For Terms of Use of the app, visit: https://app.websitepolicies.com/policies/view/67wqn1ue

About

Spool

This app helps you break free from excessive screen time by making you pause and justify your phone usage. It uses research-backed techniques to disrupt habit loops and offers instant blocking for apps and websites to help you reclaim focus and improve mental clarity.

Highlights
  • Justify phone usage before scrolling
  • AI-powered trigger insights
  • Identify peak phone usage times
  • Instant app and website blocking
  • Reclaim focus and mental clarity
Features
Read full description

Less scrolling, more living. Spool blocks doomscrolling, brainrot, and screen addiction at the source — by making you justify yourself before you scroll. Most screen time blockers don't work because they treat phone addiction like a discipline problem. It's not. It's a habit loop your brain is stuck in — a dopamine cycle reinforced every time you reach for your phone without thinking. Spool interrupts the cycle. Before any blocked app opens, you have to state your case to our AI. Use the same excuse too many times and Spool locks you out automatically. Built on cognitive behavioral techniques and behavioral research on attention and habit formation. WHY YOU'LL LOVE SPOOL - Understand your hidden triggers with daily AI insights - Track your phone addiction patterns over time - Discover when you reach for apps most (and why) - Instant app and website blocking that actually works - Schedule blocking windows for your weak hours - Lock in during deep work with custom focus sessions - Reflect on every excuse you've made and spot the loops - CBT-inspired techniques to break the dopamine cycle - Detox from doomscrolling, brainrot, and mindless scroll WHO IT'S FOR Spool is for anyone struggling with phone addiction, doomscrolling, or losing hours to TikTok, Instagram, Reels, YouTube Shorts, or X. Built for people who've tried Screen Time, willpower, and other app blockers — and want something that actually changes the habit, not just the limit. WHAT MAKES SPOOL DIFFERENT Other apps just block. Spool teaches you about yourself. Every excuse you make becomes data. Every reflection makes you more aware. Every blocked attempt strengthens the new habit. Reclaim your focus. Build a more intentional relationship with your phone. ————————————— Spool Full Access — Weekly Length: 1 week, auto-renewing Price: $4.99 USD / week Spool Full Access — Yearly Length: 1 year, auto-renewing Price: $44.99 USD / year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thespoolapp.com/#/privacy

Screenshots

Smol Habit2 screens
Spool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spool at Free against Smol Habit's $2.99. Smol Habit's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Spool is free to download; Smol Habit costs $2.99 up front. Spool sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Smol Habit asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smol Habit ships an update every 2 days, Spool every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Smol Habit versus Spool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmol HabitSpool
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating—4.4 (174 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—70.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—174 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB441 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMET HKSpooli Inc

In-app purchases

None

Smol Habit

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Spool

Subscriptions8
  • Spool Features Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Spool Weekly Subscription$7.997 Days
  • Full Access: Monthly$7.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Spool Premium Annual$25.001 Year
  • Full Access: Limited Time Offer7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly$34.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Smol Habit free?
Smol Habit costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spool free?
Spool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Smol Habit or Spool have ads?
Spool shows ads; Smol Habit does not.
Which is updated more often, Smol Habit or Spool?
Smol Habit ships an update every 2 days, and Spool every 10 days. Most recently, Smol Habit was updated on October 25, 2026 and Spool on October 28, 2026.

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