Comparison

Flowton vs ctrl

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

Head to head
About

Flowton

This app gamifies time tracking to help you focus and build habits. It uses a unique system of "flowtons" generated by productive time, which you can bank into "cores" or discard into a "black hole." Visualize your progress and improve your productivity ratio.

Highlights
  • Gamified time tracking
  • Countdown and Count Up timers
  • Core and Black Hole time banking
  • Productivity ratio monitoring
  • Customizable boards
  • Offline functionality
  • Streak maintenance
Features
Read full description

Discover Flowton - a quantum leap in productivity. Flowton is a gamified time tracker that helps you focus, build habits, and visualize your day. Rethink your time around objectives ("cores"). Productive time goes up. Unproductive time goes down. How it works: ◦ Banked time generates flowtons — a productivity particle that only exists when you measure it. ◦ Run Countdown or Count Up timers to deposit time into your Core, or discard it into the Black Hole. ◦ Productive time builds up orbits around the Core. Unproductive time gets ejected into the Black Hole. Monitor and improve your ratio. ◦ Create boards with a multitude of Cores, find the perfect daily setup to achieve your goals. ◦ Visualize your time history, view stats and set objectives. Features: ∘ Sci-fi gamified time tracking. ∘ Multiple time-keeping tools to help you make it your own. ∘ Finish the day strong and store your Core into your productivity history. ∘ Bank Cores daily or over longer periods - you decide how time works for you. ∘ Maintain a streak to stay on track. ∘ Full offline functionality. ∘ Upgrade to Flowton Prime to create (theme) multiple boards, and view more historic day cells. All else is base game. Time is finite. Use it wisely.

About

ctrl

Features
Read full description

You're losing 4+ hours a day to your phone. That's 60 full days every year—gone forever. ctrl-time helps you take them back. WHAT MAKES CTRL-TIME DIFFERENT Most screen time apps shame you with numbers. ctrl-time does something different: it shows you what those numbers actually mean for your life. Every minute wasted is a minute you'll never get back. Every minute saved is a minute you can spend on what truly matters. YOUR LIFE IN WEEKS Inspired by Stoic philosophy, the Life in Weeks grid shows your entire existence at a glance—4,160 weeks, each represented by a single dot. The filled dots are weeks you've already lived. The empty ones are all you have left. It's not meant to scare you. It's meant to wake you up. - See exactly what percentage of your life you've lived - Tap any week to explore what you did (or didn't do) - Export the grid as your iPhone wallpaper - A daily reminder that your time is not infinite FOCUS MODE — BLOCK DISTRACTIONS One tap. Zero willpower needed. ctrl-time uses Apple's native Screen Time integration to block the apps that steal your attention. Choose sessions from 15 to 120 minutes and watch the distractions disappear. - Block Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and any time-wasting app - Native iOS integration—no workarounds or hacks - Live Activities show your timer on Dynamic Island MINUTES RECLAIMED — YOUR NEW KPI Every focus session gives you back precious minutes. ctrl-time tracks them all, showing you exactly how much life you've reclaimed. Watch the counter grow. Those aren't just numbers—that's time you've taken back from the algorithm. REPLACEMENT ACTIONS What will you do with your reclaimed time? - Read a book - Exercise - Learn a new skill - Spend time with loved ones Log your activities and give meaning to every minute you save. Turn screen time into life time. DAILY JOURNALING A minimalist journal to reflect on your day. Each entry is linked to its corresponding week in your Life in Weeks grid—building the story of your life, one week at a time. THREE MOTIVATION STYLES Choose how you want to be guided: STOIC — Direct messages inspired by ancient philosophy. "Memento mori. Your time is not unlimited." EMPATHETIC — Gentle, compassionate reminders. "It's okay to slow down. This is living too." PRAGMATIC — Data and concrete numbers. "18 minutes on Instagram = 18 minutes of life." ALWAYS WITH YOU - Home Screen widgets: Life in Weeks, minutes reclaimed, quick journal - Live Activities: timer visible on Dynamic Island and lock screen - Smart notifications: only when they truly matter PREMIUM Unlock everything: - Unlimited focus sessions - Advanced stats and trends - Goals Progression - Journaling Monthly: $9.99 | Yearly: $25 (save 79%) Spend life, not screen. Your next week starts now. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flowton4 screens
ctrl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Flowton at none against ctrl's shown. ctrl's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Flowton sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ctrl sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flowton ships an update every 3 weeks, ctrl every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on July 28, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Flowton versus ctrl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowtonctrl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlowton LLCGiuseppe Renna

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Flowton

One-time1
  • Flowton Prime (lifetime unlock)$14.99
2 purchases

ctrl

Subscriptions2
  • ctrl-time Premium Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • ctrl-time Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Flowton free?
Flowton is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ctrl free?
ctrl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Flowton or ctrl have ads?
ctrl shows ads; Flowton does not.
Which is updated more often, Flowton or ctrl?
Flowton ships an update every 3 weeks, and ctrl every 5 days. Most recently, Flowton was updated on July 28, 2026 and ctrl on September 7, 2026.

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