Comparison

Friend Controls vs grounded | mindful screen time

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.**

About

grounded | mindful screen time

This app offers a mindful approach to screen time by introducing brief awareness checks before you open distracting applications. It helps you regain control over your phone usage by prompting reflection rather than outright blocking.

Highlights
  • Pre-app awareness checks
  • Customizable app selection
  • Variety of reflection prompts
  • Time-limited app access
  • Gentle relationship with phone
  • Focus on awareness, not control
Features
Read full description

Stop reaching for distraction & start returning to yourself. Grounded transforms the moment you instinctively reach for your phone into a moment of awareness. Instead of falling into endless scrolling, you’re gently invited to breathe, check in, and reconnect with what you actually need. Meditate. Breathe. Reflect. Focus. Or simply decide your phone isn’t what you needed after all. Grounded helps you replace unconscious habits with intentional ones. & not through guilt or restriction, but through calm awareness Designed for people who want a slower, more mindful relationship with technology. — Inspired by the book Safe to Receive and the nervous system work behind it. — Subscription info Monthly: $8.99 USD/month Annual: $39.99 USD/year Subscriptions auto-renew through your Apple ID unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Manage or cancel anytime in iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Questions? Reach out at support@fulfilledsoul.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://fulfilledsoul.com/privacy

Screenshots

Friend Controls4 screens
grounded | mindful screen time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Friend Controls at 676 against grounded | mindful screen time's 10. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Friend Controls sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and grounded | mindful screen time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Friend Controls against 4.8 for grounded | mindful screen time. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Friend Controls has 676 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Friend Controls's written reviews are positive against 89% of grounded | mindful screen time's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Friend Controls ships an update every 9 days, grounded | mindful screen time weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Friend Controls versus grounded | mindful screen time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFriend Controlsgrounded | mindful screen time
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (676 ratings)4.8 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.6% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings676 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.417.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB36 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRyan MoazzamiDatrie Allman

Customer experience

Friend Controls

All ratings664 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive83.6%
Neutral7.3%
Negative9.1%

grounded | mindful screen time

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Friend Controls

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly Access$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Access$5.991 Month
  • Monthly Access$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Yearly Access2 variants$14.991 Year
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Access$24.991 Year
  • Yearly Access$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Access$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$29.99
3 purchases

grounded | mindful screen time

Subscriptions2
  • Grounded Monthly$8.991 Month
  • Grounded Annual$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Grounded Lifetime$129.99

Questions

Is Friend Controls free?
Friend Controls is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is grounded | mindful screen time free?
grounded | mindful screen time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Friend Controls or grounded | mindful screen time?
grounded | mindful screen time is rated higher. Friend Controls averages 4.7 out of 5 from 676 ratings, while grounded | mindful screen time averages 4.8 from 10 ratings.
Do Friend Controls or grounded | mindful screen time have ads?
Neither Friend Controls nor grounded | mindful screen time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Friend Controls or grounded | mindful screen time?
Friend Controls ships an update every 9 days, and grounded | mindful screen time weekly. Most recently, Friend Controls was updated on November 8, 2026 and grounded | mindful screen time on October 31, 2026.

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