Comparison

Screen Time Control vs SFirewall

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

Head to head
About

Screen Time Control

This app helps you regain control of your digital life by managing screen time, blocking distractions, and boosting productivity. It offers features like app limits, scheduled blocking, and a Pomodoro timer to improve focus and mental well-being.

Highlights
  • Set daily app and website limits
  • Schedule app blocking
  • Limit social media scrolling
  • Pomodoro timer for focus
  • Track productivity and minimize distractions
  • Personalized customization options
Features
Read full description

Don’t let your smartphone take over you! With HeadUp, you will be in full control of your digital life. Keep your distractions at bay. Be packed with productivity. Reach a balance, enjoy and benefit from your digital well-being.  Unlock the Benefits of a Balanced Digital Well-Being Your smartphone must work for you but not the other way around. With our app, it's all about making tech serve you better. * Save Time from Less Screen Time: * Say goodbye to endless scrolling * Spend more time with people who matter * Experience the freedom of having extra time for work, hobbies, self-care, etc. * Become Less Distracted: * Say hello to focused days * Stay focused on what truly matters * Enjoy a distraction-free environment * Be More Productive: * Manage your screen time and boost your efficiency * Achieve more in less time with focused, uninterrupted work sessions. * Set and reach your goals with Promodoro * Improve Your Mental Health: * Cut down your screen-time overload  * Reduce your stress and anxiety * Enjoy calmer mind Features that HeadUp Provides at Your Fingertips * App Limits: Set daily limits for your screen time (either or both for apps and website surfing). Get alerts or app blocking when you exceed these limits. * Scheduled Blocking: Set an app blocking schedule, block apps at specified times or even days, and control distractions. * Scrolling Limit: Set daily and one-time limits for  social media and control how long you spend on them. * Pomodoro Timer: Boost your focus with the Pomodoro technique. Break tasks into manageable chunks, set a timer, and complete these tasks at your best. * Progress Tracker: Visualize your productivity and minimize distractions with clear, insightful stats. Feel secure: Data Safety is Our Priority Your data is personal and only yours. With HeadUp, you can rest assured of top-notch privacy. Your information is protected from anyone else, including the developers. And we ensure it will always stay that way. Customize Your HeadUp – Your Key to Digital Well-Being HeadUp is all about personalization and customization. Benefit with its flexible settings and fine tuning. Tailor its features to fit your lifestyle and your goals.  So, do you want to transform your digital life? Download HeadUp Now and take full control of your screen time. Block distractions. Achieve goals. HeadUp is here to support you every step of the way! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION* A HeadUp Premium subscription is required for full access to all features and content. When you subscribe, the payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless you turn off auto-renewal in your iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends. You can manage your subscription and disable auto-renewal at any time in your account settings. If you start a subscription before your free trial ends, any remaining trial period will be forfeited once your purchase is confirmed. TERMS AND PRIVACY* https://headup-app.com/privacy https://headup-app.com/terms

About

SFirewall

Features
Read full description

SFirewall helps you step away from the apps and websites that pull you in, and keeps you there. It uses Apple's Screen Time to block apps and sites on your iPhone, and only your accountability partner can loosen what you set. HOW IT WORKS Pick what pulls you in: social, video, news, games, shopping, work social, gambling and adult sites. Choose the exact apps with Apple's own picker. Then hand your iPhone to someone you trust and they choose a 4 digit partner code. Adding a block is always instant. Turning a block off, removing an app or a site, or loosening a limit takes the partner code. If the code is ever forgotten, a 7 day reset lets you set a new one, blocks stay in place meanwhile, and your partner is told. ALWAYS ON, FOCUS AND POWER Always on: blocked all the time, like gambling and adult sites. Focus: the categories you choose, during the hours you schedule. Power: a stricter set for when you need a hard stop. Set weekly blocks on the Schedule tab, or start Focus or Power right away with Lock now. A running block keeps its end time, even with the code. ALLOWED SITES ONLY Block every website except a short list you allow. When you land on a blocked site, tap Ask to allow this site, and your partner approves it with the code. TIME LIMITS Give an app or a website a daily allowance, like 30 minutes of a social app. When the time is up it stays blocked until midnight. Up to five limits. SAFARI PAGE WATCHING The SFirewall Safari extension checks pages as they load and blocks any page with your page words, then closes the tab. Page text never leaves your iPhone. If the extension is switched off, your partner is told. FILTER EVERY APP A small VPN that runs on your iPhone and only handles DNS checks every site name apps look up against SFirewall's adult list, adult brand names, your keywords and your running blocks, then Cloudflare's family filter. It covers apps and in app browsers that use the phone's DNS. No other traffic goes through it. Another VPN, or an app with its own encrypted DNS, can bypass it; if it is switched off or another VPN takes its place, your partner is told. It also forces SafeSearch, so Google, YouTube, Bing and DuckDuckGo show safe results in every app. A lighter mode uses Cloudflare's family filter alone. APPS AND THE APP STORE Block apps by name, even before they are installed, set an App Store age limit, and keep apps from being deleted while Always on runs. With Partner lock, your partner also sets the Screen Time passcode, so removing SFirewall needs them too. HISTORY AND YOUR PARTNER History lists every change and every use of the partner code, the Safari pages you visited in the last 7 days, and the apps you used, drawn by Screen Time. Invite your partner to the free SFirewall app on their own iPhone. They get an alert when the code is used or blocking is turned off, see whether blocking is on, and see the Safari pages you visit, with their addresses, for 7 days. SFirewall shows you exactly what is shared before you invite, and your partner has to accept. MAC COMPANION, OPTIONAL SFirewall for Mac is a separate free download from the SFirewall website. Link it and one partner code guards both, and your iPhone can see and change your Mac's blocks. The iPhone app works fully on its own. PRIVACY No accounts. No servers. No ads, analytics or tracking. Your settings live on your iPhone and in your own iCloud. The only things that leave your devices are what you choose to share with your partner, through Apple's iCloud sharing, and, with Filter every app on, the site names your iPhone looks up, which Cloudflare's family filter answers. The developer never receives any of it. Requires Screen Time. Partner alerts need iCloud on both iPhones.

Screenshots

Screen Time Control4 screens
SFirewall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SFirewall at none against Screen Time Control's 3. Screen Time Control's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.4). On price, ads and device support 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. Screen Time Control sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. SFirewall asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Screen Time Control versus SFirewall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreen Time ControlSFirewall
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB41 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMIRRORHUB MCHJMark Schwab

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Screen Time Control

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • 1 credit$0.49
None

SFirewall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Screen Time Control free?
Screen Time Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SFirewall free?
SFirewall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Screen Time Control or SFirewall have ads?
Neither Screen Time Control nor SFirewall shows ads.

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