Comparison

Steppin vs Turnstep

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

Head to head
About

Steppin

This app encourages healthier digital habits by allowing users to earn screen time on their favorite apps through physical activity. By tracking steps, users can unlock more time on their devices, promoting a better balance between movement and mindful phone use.

Highlights
  • Unlock screen time with steps
  • App blocker controls
  • Customizable earning rules
  • Integrates with Apple Health
  • Promotes healthier digital habits
  • Reduces social media distractions
Read full description

Turn Your Steps into Screen Time - Move More, Scroll Less! Steppin helps you build healthier digital habits by unlocking screen time through movement. Walk more, earn time on your favorite apps, and take back control of your focus and mental health. The endless scroll isn’t just stealing your screen time—it’s draining your focus, mental health, and productivity while keeping you stuck in a cycle of phone addiction. Steppin offers a better way. Turn every step counter milestone into earned screen time, helping you build healthier digital habits while staying active. It’s time to regain control, improve your well-being, and balance movement with mindful phone use. Why Walking + Screen Time? Steppin bridges the gap between fitness, mental wellness, and digital detoxing by pairing habit tracking with screen time control. By earning screen time through movement, Steppin promotes healthier habits, reduced social media distractions, and better focus so you can scroll with intention, not addiction. How Steppin Works 1) Choose Your Restricted Apps - Pick the apps you want to limit with app blocker controls and take back your screen time control. 2) Set Your Rules - Earn 1 minute of screen time for every 100 steps or customize your goals to fit your lifestyle, whether you're focusing on screen time reduction, digital wellness, or fitness motivation. 3) Step Tracking - Steppin syncs with the iPhone’s built-in step counter and integrates with Apple Health for seamless tracking across your favorite fitness trackers. 4) Earn Your Time - Walk more, unlock more. Hit your step counter goals to earn your screen time and reinforce habit tracking for a healthier balance. 5) Guilt-Free Scrolling - Enjoy your favorite apps knowing you've prioritized health, movement motivation, and mental wellness while reducing social media distractions. Your Data, Your Privacy We take your privacy seriously. Steppin uses Apple’s Screen Time API to enable app blocking without storing sensitive personal data. For full details, check out our terms at steppin.net/terms && https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Ready to Escape? Say goodbye to phone addiction and hello to mindful usage. Download Steppin now and start balancing screen time and movement one step at a time.

About

Turnstep

Features
Read full description

200 steps = 1 minute on the apps that eat your evening. When those minutes run out, the apps go quiet until you move again. That's the whole app. Turnstep reads the steps, stairs, workouts and swims you already do, straight from Apple Health. No camera, no reps to film, nothing to log. The algorithm on the other end is a professional. You needed a teammate. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps that deserve a speed bump. 2. Walk, climb, work out, swim. Apple Health does the counting. 3. Spend what you earned. At zero, those apps are shielded until you move. A 12-minute walk ≈ 15 more minutes. The fastest refill is right outside. FOUR WAYS TO EARN — ALL AUTOMATIC • Steps — 200 steps = 1 minute (adjustable: 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500) • Flights climbed — 1 flight = 25 steps, read by the iPhone barometer • Exercise minutes — 1 minute = 1 minute (requires Apple Watch) • Swim distance — 25 m = 1 minute (requires Apple Watch) Steps and stairs need only your iPhone. All four sources are free. EARNED MEANS EARNED • Hand-typed Health entries are rejected. Sensors only. • Steps are capped at 210 per minute — shaking the phone gets you nowhere. • Steps and exercise minutes are de-duplicated hourly: one run, one payout. • Multiple Health sources are merged by Apple, never counted twice. ALSO INSIDE • Daily step goal, 4,000–15,000 (default 8,000). Hit it and bank a +15 min Emergency Reserve — one at a time, spendable from the shield screen when you're stuck. • Your first 7 days include 15 free minutes a day while you find your rhythm. • Streaks for any day you earn 10+ minutes, plus streak freezes for when life wins. • 4 themes — one to start, three unlocked by streaks — reskin ring and widgets. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets: balance, today's steps, streak. • Turning the shield off takes a breathing screen and a 30-second press-and-hold. Never one tap. • Health off → Preview Mode. Screen Time off → Bank Mode. Never a dead end. • Local notifications only, including a warning 5 minutes before you run out. PRIVACY, PRECISELY No account. No sign-up. No email. Your movement, Health data and app choices never leave your iPhone. No analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no ad SDK, no tracking, no data brokers. Apple's Screen Time framework hands apps nothing but opaque tokens, so Turnstep cannot see which apps you picked, what you do in them, or your usage history. It shows a number: "6 apps." That is the entire picture we get. One honest exception: subscriptions are validated through Apple's StoreKit and RevenueCat (anonymous mode), which sees purchase and entitlement data only — never movement, Health or app choices. SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED Turnstep Pro — $4.99/month or $24.99/year, with a 3-day free trial on the annual plan for first-time subscribers. The subscription is what runs the shield, so blocking apps needs an active plan. It includes everything: • All four earning sources — steps, stairs, workouts, swims • Unlimited blocked apps, at a rate you set • Every widget, every theme, the Emergency Reserve, streaks and share cards • Live Activity + Dynamic Island, and the Apple Watch app Cancel any time in Settings. You can walk the whole app and see your own numbers before you decide. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Turnstep Pro is an auto-renewing subscription: $4.99 per month, or $24.99 per year. The annual plan includes a 3-day free trial for Apple Accounts that have not used the offer before. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase confirmation. It renews at the same price and duration unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends; renewal is charged within 24 hours before that point. Manage or cancel in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Prices in USD; may vary by region. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://turnstep.apphive.tech/privacy

Screenshots

Steppin4 screens
Turnstep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Turnstep at every 4 days against Steppin's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Steppin sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Turnstep sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steppin ships an update every 2 weeks, Turnstep every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Steppin versus Turnstep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteppinTurnstep
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (156 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings156 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBoston Venture Studio, Inc.Anandkumar Patil

Bugs and requests

Steppin

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App shows 0 steps despite activity
  • Screen goes black during setup
  • App randomly refreshes and loses progress

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More detailed analytics
  • Ability to schedule app access

Turnstep

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Steppin

Subscriptions3
  • Steppin Pro Subscription - Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Steppin Pro Subscription - Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Steppin Pro Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Turnstep

Subscriptions2
  • Turnstep Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Turnstep Pro Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Steppin free?
Steppin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Turnstep free?
Turnstep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Steppin or Turnstep have ads?
Neither Steppin nor Turnstep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steppin or Turnstep?
Steppin ships an update every 2 weeks, and Turnstep every 4 days. Most recently, Steppin was updated on October 25, 2026 and Turnstep on October 18, 2026.

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