Brainrot vs ScrollTax
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Brainrot
This app helps you regain control of your digital life by blocking distracting apps and websites. Utilize a focus timer and smart schedules to improve productivity, sleep, and reduce screen time. A visual indicator provides a playful nudge to encourage mindful usage.
- App and website blocking
- Focus timer
- Smart scheduling
- Mindful breaks
- Usage insights
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Reclaim your day with Brainrot, a playful screen time control, app blocker, and focus coach. Pick the apps and sites to block, set schedules, and watch your cute brain avatar decay as you doom scroll. The visual nudge helps you put the phone down. Save about 2 hours per day, feel less distracted, sleep better, and get more done. What you get: - Instant blocking for apps and websites - Focus timer for deep work and Pomodoro - Smart schedules for bedtime, mornings, and meetings - Mindful breaks so you reset without the guilt - Clear insights to spot Brainrot apps fast ### PRIVATE & SECURE Brainrot uses Apple’s Screen Time API; all monitoring and blocking run *entirely* on your device. Your browsing data never leaves your phone. *All features described above require a subscription.* Terms of Service: https://thebrainrotapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://thebrainrotapp.com/privacy
ScrollTax
This app helps you break addictive app habits by making you earn back screen time. Earn points through activities like reading, focusing, chores, or exercise, and spend them to unlock your chosen apps. It enforces limits with a debt system for overspending.
- Lock addictive apps
- Earn screen time via reading, focus, chores, steps, sunlight
- Debt carryover for overspending
- 30 daily grace minutes
- Emergency unlock feature
- Live Activities on Lock Screen
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What if doomscrolling had a price? ScrollTax locks your most addictive apps. Earn them back by reading, focusing, doing chores, walking, or going outside. The system enforces it. Every 5 minutes of screen time costs 1 tax point. Hit zero and your apps re-lock automatically. Go over budget and the overage becomes debt — it carries into tomorrow, so you start the next day already in the red until you work it off. Your phone, on a budget. HOW IT WORKS Pick your apps. Select any apps to put on a budget using the iOS Screen Time picker. Social media, games, news, browsers — they're locked by default. Earn tax points. · Reading — 10 min = 1 point. No cap. · Focus (Pomodoro) — 15 min = 1 point. No cap. · Chores — 10 min = 1 point. No cap. · Steps — 2,000 steps = 1 point. Syncs with Apple Health. · Sunlight — 15 min outside = 1 point. Requires Apple Watch. Spend your budget. 1 point = 5 minutes of screen time. Tracked automatically in the background. Hit zero and your apps re-lock on their own. You also get 30 free grace minutes every day. Go into debt. Spend more than you earn? The overage carries to tomorrow. You'll start the next day already in the red — the only way out is earning your way back. THE LOCK IS REAL ScrollTax uses Apple's own Screen Time enforcement. There's no dismiss button, no three-tap override. If you want Instagram, you have to earn it. Yes, that means walking 2,000 steps. YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE ScrollTax never sees which apps you open or what you view. No account. No cloud. No ads. · Lock any app via iOS Screen Time · All five earn sources: reading, focus, chores, steps, sunlight · 30 grace minutes per day · 1 emergency unlock per day (5 minutes) · Debt carryover — overage rolls to tomorrow · Live Activities — earn timer on your Lock Screen · Hard mode — disable the emergency unlock ScrollTax. Your phone, on a budget. Legal: EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://scrolltax.hipporasy.dev/privacy Terms: https://scrolltax.hipporasy.dev/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ScrollTax at 100% against Brainrot's 18%. ScrollTax also leads on monetization model (free vs subscription) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Brainrot's advantage is ratings volume (23K vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Brainrot sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and ScrollTax sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ScrollTax holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brainrot has 23K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Brainrot's written reviews are positive against 100% of ScrollTax's.
Brainrot ships an update every 6 days, ScrollTax weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Brainrot | ScrollTax |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (23K ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 17.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 128 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smolworks Inc | Marasy Phi |
Customer experience
Brainrot
ScrollTax
Bugs and requests
Brainrot
Reported bugs
2 issues- Stuck on payment screen with no way out
- Requires re-entering info every time
Requested features
2 requests- Free version with limited features
- Free trial period
ScrollTax
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Brainrot
- Unlimited (1 Month)$3.991 Month
- Unlimited (1 Week)$3.997 Days
- Unlimited (1 Week)$4.997 Days
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- monthly$8.991 Month
- Unlimited (1 Year)$9.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)$19.991 Year
- Brainrot (Full Access)$24.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)$29.991 Year
- Brainrot (Full Access)$29.991 Year
- Unlimited (1 Year)3 Days trial$44.991 Year
- Brainrot Annual3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Unlimited$49.991 Year
ScrollTax
- Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Pro - Annually$24.991 Year









