Friend Controls vs Journey
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Friend Controls
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.
- 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
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Friend Controls is the screen time app that actually works. Set your daily limits, and when time runs out, your real friends decide if you get more. No algorithms. No willpower tricks. Just real social accountability. Unlike every other screen time app you have tried, Friend Controls puts your friends in charge. The result? Users reduce screen time by an average of 60%. HOW IT WORKS 1. Download and choose which apps you want to limit. 2. Set your daily screen time for each app. 3. Invite friends to be your buddies. 4. When your time runs out, the app locks. Want more? Send a request to your friends. 5. Your friends see your request and decide: approve or deny. No mercy required. That is it. Simple, social, and surprisingly effective. KEY FEATURES App Blocking That Works: Choose any app on your phone to restrict. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, games, dating apps, or anything else draining your hours. Real Friend Accountability: Your friends are not bots or timers you can snooze. They are real people who can say no. Request and Approve System: Run out of time? Send a plea to your Controllers. Make your case. Accept their judgment. Usage Tracking: See exactly how much time you spend on each app. Daily, weekly, and monthly breakdowns so you can track your progress. Focus and Study Mode: Block distracting apps during study sessions, work hours, or any time you need to concentrate. Privacy First: We do not sell your data. We do not track what you do inside apps. We only monitor time spent so your friends can help you stay on track. WHO IS THIS FOR? Students who need to focus during exam season. Couples who want to spend less time on their phones together. Friends who want to hold each other accountable. Anyone who has tried every screen time app and failed. People who know they waste hours every day but cannot stop on their own. THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT Research shows that social accountability is one of the most powerful behavior change tools. When someone else is watching, you try harder. Friend Controls takes that principle and puts it in your pocket. Download now and take back your time. Your friends are waiting to help. PRIVACY Friend Controls uses Apple's ScreenTime API. All your monitoring and blocking run on your device. Your browsing data does not leave your phone TERMS OF USE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ **App blocking feature requires a purchase if you choose to block more than 1 app. All other features are free.**
Journey
Transform real-world habits into an engaging game to reduce screen time. Complete daily quests, verify with photos, and earn rewards while distracting apps remain locked. This app uses game mechanics to motivate you to build positive habits and stay off your phone.
- Daily real-world quests
- Photo verification for completion
- App blocking until quests are done
- Earn crowns for progress
- Focus mascot for motivation
- Streak tracking and journal
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Almost every app on your phone is engineered to keep you scrolling. Journey is engineered to get you off it by turning real-world habits into a game you actually want to play. Each morning, you unlock a set of real-world quests like going to the gym, reading, running, or getting outside. Complete them and earn Knight's gold. The apps that waste your time stay locked until you buy more screentime, so you stop instinctively scrolling everytime you pick up your phone. It's the same reward loop that makes games addictive, except now it's working for you instead of against you. - Daily Habits Every morning at 6 AM, your main quest resets. Each one is a real-world habit: exercise, reading, going outside. Earn time on social media by completing it or else you'll stay locked out. - App Blocking Pick the apps that drain your focus and lock them down. Your apps unlock only after you buy more screentime with the gold you earn. - Focus Buddy Your mascot reflects how you're doing. Stay off your phone and it thrives. Pick it up too much and it lets you know. It's a visual reminder that keeps you motivated to do better. *Access to Journey requires a paid subscription* Terms of Service: https://www.brainnourishment.io/_files/ugd/2e1950_ad149e0f2a11466682626871fd073315.pdf
Screenshots
Verdict
Friend Controls and Journey both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Friend Controls's written reviews are positive against 74% of Journey's. Journey's advantage is ratings volume (2.5K vs 664). On price, rating, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Friend Controls sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Journey sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 4.8 for Journey. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 664 and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Friend Controls's written reviews are positive against 74% of Journey's.
Friend Controls ships an update every 9 days, Journey every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Friend Controls | Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (664 ratings) | 4.8 (2.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.6% of reviews — better | 73.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 664 | 2.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 174 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ryan Moazzami | Brain Nourishment, LLC |
Customer experience
Friend Controls
Journey
In-app purchases
Friend Controls
- Monthly Access$2.991 Month
- Weekly Access$4.997 Days
- Monthly Access$5.991 Month
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- Monthly Access$9.991 Month
- Yearly Access2 variants$14.991 Year
- Monthly Access$14.991 Month
- Yearly$19.991 Year
- Yearly Access$24.991 Year
- Yearly Access$29.991 Year
- Yearly Access$44.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$29.99
Journey
- Full Access To Journey$7.997 Days
- JourneyKeep$9.997 Days
- JourneyKeep Pro$14.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Full Access To Journey$24.991 Year
- Full Access$34.991 Year
- Full Access To Journey$49.991 Year
- Full Access To Journey$59.991 Year
- Knight Lifetime$99.99









