Comparison

Deep Flow vs Pull to Refresh

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

Head to head
About

Deep Flow

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DeepFlow helps you block distractions and understand your digital habits with ethereal simplicity. In a world of endless notifications and infinite scrolls, your attention is constantly under attack. DeepFlow gives you the power to fight back—without the complexity of other apps or the burden of expensive subscriptions. COMPLETELY FREE Unlike other screen time apps that charge $100+ per year, DeepFlow is 100% free. No subscriptions. No premium tiers. No hidden costs. Just powerful tools to help you focus. PRIVACY FIRST Your data stays on YOUR device. DeepFlow never collects or transmits personal information to external servers. Your digital habits are nobody's business but yours. POWERFUL APP BLOCKING Toggle focus mode to silence noisy apps instantly. Create custom block lists and regain your deep work state without interruptions. Whether you're studying, working, or spending time with family, always stay present. BEAUTIFUL ANALYTICS Visualize your daily digital habits with stunning, interactive charts. Understand where your time goes with weekly overviews, category breakdowns, and productivity metrics that help you see patterns and make meaningful changes. MINDFUL BREAKS DeepFlow cares about your wellbeing. Scheduled breathing exercises and eye-strain relief reminders keep you healthy while you work. Take intentional pauses that refresh your mind and body. APP LIMITS Set daily time limits for specific apps or categories. When time is up, the app is gently paused for the day. Build healthier habits without willpower alone. UNDERSTAND YOUR HABITS • Weekly Overview: Track progress with visual charts showing daily patterns • Category Analysis: See time spent across different app categories • Productivity Metrics: Measure focus improvements over time • Trend Insights: Spot patterns and celebrate wins PERFECT FOR • Students who need to focus during study sessions • Professionals minimizing workplace distractions • Parents wanting better screen time balance • Anyone seeking a healthier relationship with technology • Digital minimalists who value simplicity WHY DEEPFLOW? Most screen time apps overwhelm you with features or lock everything behind paywalls. DeepFlow is different. We believe everyone deserves powerful focus tools, beautiful design, and complete privacy, without paying a premium. Download DeepFlow today and rediscover what you can accomplish when you're truly focused. Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: hello@signalappstudio.com

About

Pull to Refresh

This app locks your most time-consuming applications until you complete physical exercises. Earn back minutes for your apps by doing push-ups, sit-ups, or other movements, with the camera accurately counting your reps. Your exercise data can be saved to Health.

Highlights
  • App time allowance setting
  • Exercise-based rep counting
  • Pose detection for accurate reps
  • Health app integration
  • Optional public leaderboard
  • Strict mode for enhanced blocking
Features
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Pull to refresh. Actually pull. Pick the apps that eat your day, give them an allowance, and when it runs out they lock. To get back in, you do reps. The camera counts them on your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps. Instagram, TikTok, X, games — whatever you actually lose hours to. 2. Set the allowance. So many minutes a day, a few minutes an hour, or nothing at all. 3. Run out, and they shut. 4. Do a set. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups or jumping jacks. 5. Spend what you earned, on whichever app you were reaching for. THE COUNTING IS HONEST Reps are scored from your body's joint positions, not from your phone shaking in a pocket. A rep only counts on a full movement — down to depth and back — so half-reps score nothing, and the app tells you why instead of leaving you guessing. Shaking the phone pays exactly zero. Time is measured in real use of those apps, not on a clock. Put the phone down mid-scroll and the minutes you paid for are still there. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE Pose detection runs on the device. No video is recorded, stored or uploaded, and there is no account to make. iOS hands the app opaque tokens rather than names, so it can tell that you picked an app — never what you do inside it. IT COUNTS TWICE Finished sets can be saved to Health as workouts, so reps done here go to your Move ring and show up in Fitness with everything else. RACE SOMEONE Put your reps on a public board and chase a friend. Opt-in, under any name you like, and leaving deletes your row. PRO Free covers a whole working loop: one group of apps on a daily allowance, every exercise, rep counting, Health and the leaderboard. Forever. Pro makes the lock harder — it never makes it softer: - Strict mode. A rule you cannot switch off the moment you want to. Changing it costs a cooling-off period first, which is exactly when you would have caved. - Minutes per hour. Short check-ins instead of one long sitting. - As many rules as you like, with different limits for different apps. - Your whole history, with streaks. Money never buys screen time here. Only reps do that. Pro is a subscription, renewing until cancelled, or a one-off payment for good. Manage or cancel any time in Settings. WORTH KNOWING Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time. You will be asked to grant it on first launch, and the camera when you do your first set. Deleting the app removes every lock, whatever you have bought — this is a speed bump you chose, not a cage. Privacy Policy - https://ef03b566.pull-to-refresh.pages.dev/privacy EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Deep Flow4 screens
Pull to Refresh4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Deep Flow at none against Pull to Refresh's 2. Pull to Refresh's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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. Pull to Refresh sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Deep Flow asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deep Flow ships an update monthly, Pull to Refresh every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Deep Flow versus Pull to Refresh: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeep FlowPull to Refresh
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTejeshwar AmirthyIvan Chernoknizhnikov

In-app purchases

None

Deep Flow

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Pull to Refresh

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Yearly$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Deep Flow free?
Deep Flow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pull to Refresh free?
Pull to Refresh is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Deep Flow or Pull to Refresh have ads?
Neither Deep Flow nor Pull to Refresh shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Deep Flow or Pull to Refresh?
Deep Flow ships an update monthly, and Pull to Refresh every 3 days. Most recently, Deep Flow was updated on October 5, 2026 and Pull to Refresh on October 2, 2026.

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