Comparison

Mobile Less vs Sam's List

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

Head to head
About

Mobile Less

This app helps you manage your smartphone usage by setting app time limits, receiving attention reminders, and implementing location-based restrictions. It aims to reduce distractions and foster a more focused digital life.

Highlights
  • Set daily app usage limits
  • Receive attention reminders
  • Smart location-based restrictions
  • Opening delay for impulse breaking
  • Effortless app blocking
Read full description

Blocks that actually hold. No "Ignore Limit." No "15 more minutes." You open Instagram "for a second" and half the evening is gone. With Apple's Screen Time, one tap skips the limit. With Mobile Less, when an app is blocked, it doesn't open. Period. Try everything free for 14 days. No card, no automatic charges. "The only app that really blocks apps. You can't snooze it or change it." — App Store review (translated from Spanish) HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps that steal your day. 2. Decide how and when they're limited. 3. When it's time, they don't open. No negotiating. CHOOSE HOW TO LIMIT EACH APP — Instant block — Lock an app right now for as long as you choose. There's no way to undo it early — that's the point. — Scheduled blocks — Group apps into profiles (Work, Study, Night…) and schedule them by time and day. They switch on by themselves. — Daily time limit — 30 minutes of TikTok a day, not one more. When it's up, it's blocked until tomorrow. — Intervals — Use it for 15 minutes, then it locks for 30. On repeat, all day. Great for studying without going fully offline. — Pause before opening — A 5 to 60 second wait before the app opens. Usually that's all it takes to change your mind. — Time reminder — A nudge every so often while you're inside an app. It doesn't block — it just keeps scrolling from quietly eating your evening. INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE, WITHOUT THE ADDICTIVE PART Open them in distraction-free mode inside Mobile Less: no Reels, no Shorts, no Explore, no endless feed. Messages and search still work. A MINIMALIST HOME SCREEN A widget with your essential apps as a plain text list. No colorful icons, no red badges calling you. WHO IT'S FOR • Students who need three hours in a row without their phone. • People who work from their phone and can't just delete Instagram. • Anyone who has tried other blockers and skipped them in two taps. Made by an independent developer, built on Apple's Screen Time. Available in 12 languages. Less screen. More life. After the trial, keep using the basic version for free, or unlock everything with a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Cancel anytime from your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sam's List

Features
Read full description

Sam’s List is a calm, local-first app for the things that matter each day: write down a task, see what is relevant, and check it off. It also gives you a simple, private place to record everyday spending. TODOS, WITHOUT THE NOISE • Capture tasks in seconds • Organize them in folders or keep them in Inbox • See Today, All, Upcoming, and Calendar views • Add notes, start dates, due dates, reminders, and repeat schedules • Search and filter when you need to find something • Import selected Apple Reminders and Calendar events • Share text or links from other apps into a new task WIDGETS THAT HELP YOU ACT Put your list where you need it. Add dedicated Tasks and Spending widgets to your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Complete tasks from a widget, open the right list or task, and use a Smart Stack to move between task and spending widgets. SIMPLE SPENDING Record an expense with a name, amount, category, date, and note. Review this month’s total, see a clear category chart, browse recent expenses, and create, rename, reorder, or recolor your own categories. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No account. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. Your tasks and spending records stay on your device by default. Optional private iCloud sync is available with Premium. PREMIUM, WHEN YOU WANT MORE Sam’s List Premium is a one-time lifetime purchase—never a subscription. It unlocks private iCloud sync, custom spending categories, Apple Calendar import, Quick Expense with Siri, Shortcuts or Back Tap, and Premium widgets. Sam’s List is a personal organizer and manual spending tracker. It is not a bank or financial advice service.

Screenshots

Mobile Less4 screens
Sam's List4 screens

Verdict

The call

Mobile Less and Sam's List are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Mobile Less sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Sam's List sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Mobile Less versus Sam's List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobile LessSam's List
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlos Pumar JimenezWhy&Key LLC

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Mobile Less

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Month subscriptions$2.991 Month
  • 1 Month subscriptions$4.991 Month
  • 12 Month subscriptions$17.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 12 Month subscriptions$24.491 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime purchase$22.99
  • Lifetime purchase$38.99
1 purchases

Sam's List

One-time1
  • Sam’s List Premium Lifetime$1.99

Questions

Is Mobile Less free?
Mobile Less is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sam's List free?
Sam's List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mobile Less or Sam's List have ads?
Neither Mobile Less nor Sam's List shows ads.

Other comparisons