Study Guard vs ReadUp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Study Guard
This app transforms social media habits into a learning tool by requiring flashcard mastery to unlock phone access. It offers AI-powered flashcard generation from notes and PDFs, custom creation, and progress tracking to boost focus and academic success.
- Social media leverage for study motivation
- Flashcard mastery unlocks phone access
- AI flashcard generator from notes/PDFs
- Custom flashcard creation
- Temporary social media blocking
- Progress tracking and insights
- Unlimited flashcard sets
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Study Guard – Turn Your Social Media Addiction into a Learning Powerhouse Never wait for study motivation again with Study Guard—the app that holds you accountable to mastering your flashcards. Transform your social media habits into an unexpected ally for academic success. SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED - Study Guard requires a paid subscription to access all features after your free trial ends. WHAT YOU GET WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION: - Social Media Leverage Instead of letting endless scrolling derail your study sessions, Study Guard uses your social media habits as motivation. Each glance at your apps becomes a chance to earn time by proving your mastery of flashcards. - Accountability at Its Best Study Guard holds you directly accountable. Answer your flashcards correctly to unlock your phone and access social media, ensuring you stay committed to reviewing the material you worked hard to create. - Custom Flashcard Creation Use our intuitive interface to create custom flashcards manually. Spend hours preparing your content? With Study Guard, every flashcard counts. - AI Flashcard Generator Automatically generate flashcards from your notes and PDFs in 20+ languages. Save time and create comprehensive study materials effortlessly. - Focus-Driven Learning When it's time to study, distractions are minimized. The app temporarily blocks access to social media until you achieve your study goals, turning the habit that once hindered you into a powerful tool for concentration. - Progress Tracking & Insights Monitor your performance with detailed analytics. Track your success, identify areas for improvement, and stay motivated to keep pushing your boundaries. - Unlimited Flashcard Sets Create and manage as many flashcard decks as you need for all your subjects and learning goals. SUBSCRIPTION & FREE TRIAL: Study Guard requires a subscription to use. Start with a FREE TRIAL to experience all features at no cost. After your trial ends, a paid subscription is required to continue using the app. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Account Settings after purchase. Download Study Guard now and let your passion for social media fuel your path to knowledge. Whether you're a student striving for excellence or a lifelong learner seeking to optimize your study routines, Study Guard integrates seamlessly into your lifestyle, making every moment count. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ReadUp
This app encourages reading by temporarily blocking distracting applications. Users set reading goals and unlock their apps only after completing their reading sessions. It offers a curated library and tracks reading progress to help users reduce screen time and finish more books.
- Block distracting apps
- Set reading goals
- Unlock apps after reading
- Curated book library
- Track reading progress
- Reading streaks
- Replace scrolling time
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Read first. Scroll later. Your phone makes scrolling effortless and reading easy to postpone. ReadUp flips that around: Block the apps that distract you. Pick books you want to read. Read until you reach your goal, then your apps unlock. No endless bans. No pretending you’ll never scroll again. Just one simple trade: Your attention, spent on something worth reading first. How it works 1. Choose the apps you want to block 2. Pick a book and set a reading goal 3. Read actively in ReadUp 4. Unlock your apps for the time you earned 5. Return tomorrow and keep your progress going You can keep reading for as long as you want. ReadUp never interrupts a good chapter just because you’ve reached your goal. Why ReadUp? Most app blockers only tell you to stop. ReadUp gives you something better to do. A chapter before TikTok. A few pages before Instagram. A meaningful story before another hour disappears into your feed. You don’t have to delete the apps you enjoy. You simply put reading first. What’s inside * A curated library of great books * A focused, comfortable reading experience * Custom reading and unlock times * App shielding using Apple’s Screen Time controls * Active reading and inactivity tracking * Saved reading position * Reading streaks and daily progress * Pages read, books completed, and reading time tracked * A view of how much scrolling time you’ve replaced What changes You finish more books. You scroll with intention. You protect time for something meaningful. Your phone comes after the promise you made to yourself. Less doomscrolling. More stories, ideas, and pages you’ll remember. Read first. Then scroll. ** Ongoing use requires an active subscription. ** Privacy Policy: https://readup-app.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://readup-app.com/tos/ Contact: contact@readup-app.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Study Guard at 4.6 against ReadUp's 4.1. Study Guard also leads on ratings volume (390 vs 12). ReadUp's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 26%). 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. Study Guard sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and ReadUp sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Study Guard holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Study Guard has 390 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of Study Guard's written reviews are positive against 50% of ReadUp's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Study Guard ships an update every 2 weeks, ReadUp every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Study Guard | ReadUp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (390 ratings) — better | 4.1 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 26.5% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 390 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Jason Mayo | Nedas Mikucionis |
Customer experience
Study Guard
ReadUp
In-app purchases
Study Guard
- Study Guard (Weekly)$4.997 Days
- Study Guard Plus$5.991 Month
- Pro Plan (Yearly)$19.991 Year
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Study Guard Plus Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Study Guard (Yearly)3 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Study Guard (Lifetime)$79.99
ReadUp
- Full Access (Weekly)$8.997 Days
- Full Access (Discounted Yearly)$24.991 Year
- Full Access (Yearly)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Full Access (Yearly)$39.991 Year
- Full Access (Yearly)3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Full Access (YearlyNT)$49.991 Year









