Comparison

Polym vs Brain Games

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

Head to head
About

Polym

Enhance your memory and recall with audio-first lessons and active learning techniques. Explore a wide range of subjects through engaging courses, flashcards, and integrated memory training. Learn effectively anytime, anywhere with this distraction-free educational tool.

Highlights
  • Audio-first lessons for on-the-go learning
  • Active audio learning with flashcards
  • Spaced repetition and interleaving techniques
  • Expansive course catalog across various subjects
  • Progress tracking and due date reminders
  • Distraction-free learning interface
Features
Read full description

Polym: Remember what you learn. Polym (pronounced: poly-m) is a learning app built for the retention of foundational knowledge. Audio and text feeds deliver sets you can finish in a sitting, drawn from a catalog of essential subjects: logic, mathematics, psychology, philosophy, history, economics, and more. Embedded retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and interleaving move what you learn into long-term memory. Designed to strengthen attention with cognition tracking to keep you accountable. Some content and features require a subscription to access. What you'll immediately receive • Audio and text feeds • Active learning, spaced repetition, and interleaving • A collection of foundational knowledge, including classic book excerpts • Cognition tracking What you'll work toward • Improved retention and recall • Strengthened attention • Greater verbal fluency • Faster pattern recognition Begin with a single set. Essential for aspiring polymaths. By using this app, you agree to Apple's standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Brain Games

This app helps break mindless scrolling habits by requiring users to solve a quick puzzle before opening distracting apps. It turns passive screen time into active mental exercise, empowering users to regain control over their device usage and build discipline.

Highlights
  • Logic, math, memory, and pattern puzzles
  • App blocking by category or individual app
  • Tracks abandoned app unlocks
  • Difficulty scales with user speed
  • Privacy-focused, no data leaves device
  • Integrates with Apple's Screen Time framework
Features
Read full description

Let's be honest: you've opened Instagram, closed it, and reopened it within the same minute. No new notifications. No reason. Just thumbs moving on their own while your brain idles in the back seat. That's not a willpower problem. That's autopilot. And you can't out-discipline a habit your hands do without asking you. BrainScreen fixes the loop with one beautifully annoying idea: before you can open the apps that eat your day, you have to solve a quick puzzle. Logic, math, memory, patterns — 15 seconds of actually thinking. Two things happen. Sometimes you solve it, get in, and carry on (a little sharper than before). And sometimes, halfway through the puzzle, your brain catches up and goes "wait, why am I even opening this?" — and you close the app and get on with your life. That second moment is the whole point. Most of your unlocks aren't decisions. They're reflexes. A tiny puzzle is just enough friction to turn the reflex back into a choice. GET SMARTER, NOT NUMBER Every app you'd normally scroll into becomes a 15-second mental rep. Over a week that's hundreds of little workouts for your brain instead of hundreds of dead-eyed scrolls. Same phone. Opposite result. - Logic puzzles designed to catch you mid-autopilot - Quick math with just enough time pressure to wake you up - Memory and pattern challenges - Word and attention tests that are weirdly satisfying - Difficulty that scales up as you get faster YOU PICK THE GATEKEEPING You decide which apps get the puzzle treatment. Lock down the obvious offenders, leave your maps and music alone. You're in charge of where the friction goes. - Block any app or whole category - Set it once, forget it, let the puzzles do the work - Built on Apple's Screen Time framework, so the blocks actually hold — no flimsy workarounds WATCH THE WINS ADD UP BrainScreen counts the unlocks you started but abandoned — the scrolls you talked yourself out of. Turns out "didn't open it" is a stat worth celebrating. - See how many pointless unlocks you skipped - Build streaks that reward discipline, not screen time - Track your puzzle speed climbing as your brain wakes back up ACTUALLY PRIVATE Your app activity never leaves your phone. We use Apple's own Screen Time technology, which means we literally cannot see what you do — and we built it that way on purpose. Your business stays your business. THE MATH THAT SHOULD ANNOY YOU The average person burns 4+ hours a day on their phone. A lot of that is autopilot you'd happily skip if something just made you pause. BrainScreen is that pause. Trade the mindless scroll for a few seconds of thinking, and get back hours you didn't know you were losing. Your thumbs have been running the show long enough. Time to make your brain do the unlocking. BrainScreen offers an auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use - https://brainscreen.io/terms.html Privacy Policy - https://brainscreen.io/privacy.html EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Polym4 screens
Brain Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Polym at 70% against Brain Games's 0%. Polym also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Brain Games's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Polym sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Brain Games sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polym holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Polym's written reviews are positive against 0% of Brain Games's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polym ships an update every 11 days, Brain Games fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Polym versus Brain Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolymBrain Games
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (36 ratings) — better4.0 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings36 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPolym App LLCScreentime Labs LLC

Customer experience

Polym

All ratings36 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

Brain Games

All ratings21 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Polym

Subscriptions7
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$14.993 Months
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • Standard Access14 Days trial$79.991 Year
5 purchases

Brain Games

Subscriptions5
  • Brain Screen Pro$7.997 Days
  • Brain Screen Pro$39.991 Year
  • Brain Screen Pro$49.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Brain Screen Pro$59.991 Year
  • Brain Screen Pro$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Polym free?
Polym is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brain Games free?
Brain Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Polym or Brain Games?
Polym is rated higher. Polym averages 4.6 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Brain Games averages 4.0 from 21 ratings.
Do Polym or Brain Games have ads?
Polym shows ads; Brain Games does not.
Which is updated more often, Polym or Brain Games?
Polym ships an update every 11 days, and Brain Games fortnightly. Most recently, Polym was updated on October 6, 2026 and Brain Games on October 7, 2026.

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