# Friend Controls vs Study Guard

Friend Controls and Study Guard both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Friend Controls's written reviews are positive against 28% of Study Guard's. Friend Controls also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Friend Controls sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Study Guard sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Friend Controls against 4.6 for Study Guard. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 559 and 376 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Friend Controls's written reviews are positive against 28% of Study Guard's.

Friend Controls ships an update every 8 days, Study Guard every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Friend Controls | Study Guard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (559 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friend-controls-screen-time/id6651826679/reviews)** | [4.6 (376 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-guard-study-and-focus/id6744607430/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **559** | 376 |
| Positive reviews | **85.2% of reviews** | 28.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 71 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ryan Moazzami](https://appshunter.io/developer/1552062516) | [Jason Mayo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1808403182) |

## What reviewers say

### Friend Controls

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friend-controls-screen-time/id6651826679)

This app helps you manage your screen time by setting daily limits for app usage. When you reach your limit, friends can approve or deny your requests for additional time, putting accountability in their hands.

**Highlights:** Set time limits for apps, Schedule app block-out times, Request extra screen time from friends, Approve or deny time requests with messages, Monitor screen time reduction

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Access | $2.99 | per month |
| Weekly Access | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Access | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $14.99 | per month |
| Yearly Access | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access | $44.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access | $59.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $29.99 | one-time |


### Study Guard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-guard-study-and-focus/id6744607430)

This app transforms social media habits into a learning tool. It uses flashcard mastery to unlock social media access, ensuring focused study sessions. Create custom flashcards or generate them automatically from notes and PDFs.

**Highlights:** Social media leverage for motivation, Flashcard accountability for phone access, Custom flashcard creation, AI flashcard generator from notes/PDFs, Social media blocking during study, Progress tracking and insights, Unlimited flashcard sets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Study Guard (Weekly) | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Study Guard Plus | $5.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Study Guard Plus Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Study Guard (Yearly) | $34.99 | per year |
| Study Guard (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Friend Controls free?

Friend Controls is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Study Guard free?

Study Guard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Friend Controls or Study Guard?

Friend Controls is rated higher. Friend Controls averages 4.7 out of 5 from 559 ratings, while Study Guard averages 4.6 from 376 ratings.

### Do Friend Controls or Study Guard have ads?

Neither Friend Controls nor Study Guard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Friend Controls or Study Guard?

Friend Controls ships an update every 8 days, and Study Guard every 2 weeks. Most recently, Friend Controls was updated on October 16, 2026 and Study Guard on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*