Comparison

Dumb Phone (dp) vs Shift

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

Head to head
About

Dumb Phone (dp)

Transform your iPhone into a minimalist device by replacing distracting app icons and notifications with simple buttons for essential apps. Create custom launchers for different contexts and utilize detox modes to reduce digital distractions.

Highlights
  • Create minimalist launchers
  • Select essential apps
  • Style Home Screen with themes
  • Block and hide non-essential apps
  • Quickly switch launchers via Control Center
  • Adapt to Liquid Glass changes
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a Dumb Phone. Dumb Phone™ lets you create your very own minimalist-style phone on iOS. Replace colorful app icons, pesky notification badges, and anything that might give you a dopamine hit when you unlock your phone, with simple buttons to open your essential apps - and nothing more. Key features: • Break out of your existing habits Every time you unlock your phone, all you will see is apps that you need, without being coerced into easy distractions from colorful apps on your Home Screen or the App Library. • Create a Minimalist Launcher Select apps and add Dumb Phone widgets to your Home Screen to blend everything together. • Choose your essential apps Select apps that you frequently use, so they are a single tap away. • Style your Home Screen Choose from a Dark or Light minimalist style, by adjusting your wallpaper, background, text, and more, with themes. • Adapt to Liquid Glass changes Reduce the addictive elements of the Liquid Glass Home Screen style, applied in the latest version of iOS. • Create multiple app launchers Create launchers for leisure, work, night time, so you see the most important apps in context to your day. • Detox Mode Create an immersive dumb phone experience by choosing which non-essential apps to block and/or hide on your device, with the powerful capabilities of Screen Time. • Control Center widgets Quickly switch between app launchers from the Control Center with new control center widgets that instantly change your Home Screen. Download the Dumb Phone app today and embrace the full benefits of minimalism, and turn your iPhone into a powerful utility once more. Visit the Dumb Phone app website for more info: https://dumbphone.so/ View our Privacy & Terms at: https://dumbphone.so/privacy https://dumbphone.so/terms

About

Shift

Read full description

Block Instagram, TikTok, Reddit - one tap and they're gone. Shift is the app blocker that doesn't negotiate. Set focus sessions that stick, track your screen time, and take your attention back from the algorithm. Free to download. Your phone was built to keep you hooked. Shift is how you take it back. HOW IT WORKS Pick the apps stealing your time - Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, anything. Start a Shift. The apps lock instantly. Stay locked. No "ignore limit" button. No five-minute snooze. No negotiating with yourself. MAKE IT PHYSICALLY UNBREAKABLE The app works on its own. But if you want zero chance of caving, add the Shift Puck or NFC Card — a physical device that lives off your phone. Tap it to lock. Now the off switch isn't on your phone at all. When the device isn't near you, neither is the temptation. This isn't a productivity hack. It's a commitment device — the kind that works because it doesn't rely on willpower you've already spent. WHAT YOU GET, FREE Block any app, any time - one tap Daily streaks and screen-time analytics Win Cards to share your progress FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DONE Done doomscrolling. Done losing hours. Done feeling owned by a feed. Shift is for people who choose clarity over noise, presence over scrolling, real life over the algorithm. You own your phone. Not the other way around. Download Shift free. Join the resistance. iPad version works only without device. Terms of service: https://nobrainrot.com/pages/shift-app-terms-of-use

Screenshots

Dumb Phone (dp)4 screens
Shift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shift at none against Dumb Phone (dp)'s 13. Dumb Phone (dp)'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. Dumb Phone (dp) sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Shift asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dumb Phone (dp) ships an update every 2 weeks, Shift every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dumb Phone (dp) versus Shift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDumb Phone (dp)Shift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.116.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size375 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael TigasWojciech Filipowicz

Bugs and requests

Dumb Phone (dp)

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Widget not appearing in list
  • Apps opening through Shortcuts app
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to hide App Library
  • More widget customization options
  • Customizable widget labels
  • Detox mode for specific apps
  • Support for more third-party apps

Shift

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Dumb Phone (dp)

Subscriptions8
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 month)$2.991 Month
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 month)$3.991 Month
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 month)$5.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 year)$9.991 Year
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 year)$12.991 Year
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 year)$14.991 Year
  • Dumb Phone Pro (1 year)$19.991 Year
  • Dumb Phone Pro Family (1 year)$24.991 Year
One-time4
  • Dumb Phone Pro Lifetime$24.99
  • Dumb Phone Pro Lifetime$29.99
  • Dumb Phone Pro Lifetime$39.99
Show 1 more
  • Dumb Phone Pro Lifetime$49.99
None

Shift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dumb Phone (dp) free?
Dumb Phone (dp) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift free?
Shift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dumb Phone (dp) or Shift have ads?
Neither Dumb Phone (dp) nor Shift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dumb Phone (dp) or Shift?
Dumb Phone (dp) ships an update every 2 weeks, and Shift every 2 months. Most recently, Dumb Phone (dp) was updated on October 17, 2026 and Shift on October 15, 2026.

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