TimeBack vs Compose
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TimeBack
This app helps you reduce screen time and avoid distractions by blocking addictive applications. It offers customizable blocking schedules, a 'Hard Mode' for complete phone lockdown, and an accountability feature that notifies friends when you override a block.
- App Blocking with custom schedules
- Ad-hoc timers
- Hard Mode for complete lockdown
- Accountability notifications for friends
- Block override options
- Tracking of schedules and goals
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TimeBack helps you cut screen time and avoid doomscrolling with scheduled or ad-hoc blocking. When you slip, friends are automatically notified to keep you accountable. Features: - App Blocking: Block distracting apps with custom schedules or ad-hoc timers. - Hard Mode: Block all apps at once to completely lock down your phone. - Block Overrides: Override a block for 5–60 minutes or until the end of day. - Accountability: If you override a block, your friends can be notified so excuses don’t go unnoticed. - Tracking: Track your schedules, goals, and overrides. Friends can see your progress and weakness moments, keeping you accountable while inspiring them to join. TimeBack simplifies reducing screen time by combining your focus intentions with social incentives. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Compose
This app helps you reduce screen time and increase focus by blocking distracting apps until you write in your private journal. It offers a simple interface, AI organization, and secure storage for your thoughts and memories.
- App blocking
- Private journaling
- AI organization
- Smart search
- Customizable themes
- Scheduled blocking
- Journal prompts
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Every day, a war is being fought for your attention. Billions of dollars go into algorithms designed to capture your time, attention, and energy. Leaving you stressed, unfulfilled, and stuck in a loop you can't seem to break. You wake up, and the first thing you do is scroll. You get ready for bed, and the last thing you do is scroll. Life passes by, one more scroll at a time. Your phone should feel like a tool, not a reflex. When you open an app that pulls you into the void, Compose makes you write a short journal entry first. Then the choice is yours: stay focused, take a short break, or carry on. The gate is intentionally easy to cross. That's the point. A hard block can stop one scroll. Compose gives you something to build instead: a journal of what was happening each time you reached for your phone. Every entry becomes part of your story, one that grows more useful over time. Compose automatically organizes the people, places, emotions, activities, and topics in your writing. It reconnects related moments, asks thoughtful follow-up questions, and brings recurring themes and changes into view. This adds up to lasting change. A few sentences a day can ease stress, build self-awareness, help you notice the small moments, and be more present. With Compose, you can: • Block selected apps, websites, and categories • Create focus profiles and schedules • Write with curated, custom, and follow-up prompts • Find entries even when you can't remember the exact words • Revisit connected moments • Discover long-term themes, patterns, and insights • Receive quotes and affirmations shaped by your journal • Export or delete your entries whenever you like App blocking and journaling are always free. Compose isn't about giving up your phone. It's about using it on purpose and keeping more of your attention for the life around you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Compose at none against TimeBack's 8. TimeBack's advantage is ratings volume (36 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. TimeBack sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Compose asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for TimeBack against 5.0 for Compose. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TimeBack has 36 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | TimeBack | Compose |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (36 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 36 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicholas Camson | Samir Thapa |
Customer experience
TimeBack
Compose
In-app purchases
TimeBack
- TimeBack Premium Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
- TimeBack Premium Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- TimeBack Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- TimeBack Premium$0.99
- 100 TimeBack Points$0.99
- 500 TimeBack Points$4.99
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- 1000 TimeBack Points$9.99
- 2500 TimeBack Points$19.99
Compose
No in-app purchases









