Spool vs Delay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spool
This app helps you break free from excessive screen time by making you pause and justify your phone usage. It uses research-backed techniques to disrupt habit loops and offers instant blocking for apps and websites to help you reclaim focus and improve mental clarity.
- Justify phone usage before scrolling
- AI-powered trigger insights
- Identify peak phone usage times
- Instant app and website blocking
- Reclaim focus and mental clarity
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Less scrolling, more living. Spool blocks doomscrolling, brainrot, and screen addiction at the source — by making you justify yourself before you scroll. Most screen time blockers don't work because they treat phone addiction like a discipline problem. It's not. It's a habit loop your brain is stuck in — a dopamine cycle reinforced every time you reach for your phone without thinking. Spool interrupts the cycle. Before any blocked app opens, you have to state your case to our AI. Use the same excuse too many times and Spool locks you out automatically. Built on cognitive behavioral techniques and behavioral research on attention and habit formation. WHY YOU'LL LOVE SPOOL - Understand your hidden triggers with daily AI insights - Track your phone addiction patterns over time - Discover when you reach for apps most (and why) - Instant app and website blocking that actually works - Schedule blocking windows for your weak hours - Lock in during deep work with custom focus sessions - Reflect on every excuse you've made and spot the loops - CBT-inspired techniques to break the dopamine cycle - Detox from doomscrolling, brainrot, and mindless scroll WHO IT'S FOR Spool is for anyone struggling with phone addiction, doomscrolling, or losing hours to TikTok, Instagram, Reels, YouTube Shorts, or X. Built for people who've tried Screen Time, willpower, and other app blockers — and want something that actually changes the habit, not just the limit. WHAT MAKES SPOOL DIFFERENT Other apps just block. Spool teaches you about yourself. Every excuse you make becomes data. Every reflection makes you more aware. Every blocked attempt strengthens the new habit. Reclaim your focus. Build a more intentional relationship with your phone. ————————————— Spool Full Access — Weekly Length: 1 week, auto-renewing Price: $4.99 USD / week Spool Full Access — Yearly Length: 1 year, auto-renewing Price: $44.99 USD / year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thespoolapp.com/#/privacy
Delay
This app helps users break phone addiction by interrupting mindless scrolling with challenges. It aims to stop the cycle of addictive app usage through strategic interventions.
- Challenge-based interventions
- Dopamine delay
- Stops mindless app opening
- Breaks scrolling cycle
- Fun and engaging
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Turn your screen time into study time. Delay makes you answer practice questions on topics you want to learn before you can open distracting apps like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Instead of setting aside more time to study, learning becomes a transparent layer integrated into something you already do every day. EARN YOUR SCREEN TIME Before opening a blocked app, Delay gives you a few quick practice questions. Answer them correctly to earn access. Every time you reach for a distracting app, you get another small repetition of something you actually want to learn. LEARN WHAT YOU WANT Choose exactly what you want to study. Whether you're learning a language, preparing for an exam, memorizing important concepts, or building knowledge in a new subject, Delay turns your material into questions you can practice throughout the day. LEARN THROUGH REPETITION Delay integrates learning into moments that would otherwise be spent scrolling. Instead of relying on long study sessions, you repeatedly encounter your material throughout the day. Over time, those small repetitions add up. END THE DOOMSCROLL Your apps automatically lock again after your earned screen time expires. If you want to keep scrolling, you study again. This creates a simple cycle: learn, unlock, scroll, repeat. IMPORT YOUR STUDY MATERIAL Bring the material you already want to learn into Delay and turn it into practice questions. Keep different subjects organized and choose what you want to practice when unlocking your apps. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS See how much you've practiced, how consistently you're answering questions, and how your knowledge improves over time. The screen time you would have spent scrolling becomes measurable learning progress. SEAMLESS INTEGRATION Delay works directly with your apps so studying becomes part of your normal routine. Once it's set up, simply use your phone as usual. When you try to open a blocked app, Delay gives you your questions, you answer them, and you're right back in. MAKE SCREEN TIME USEFUL You’re already going to open your favorite apps throughout the day. Delay simply puts learning in between. Instead of finding more time to study, use the time and habits you already have. DOWNLOAD DELAY Delay requires a subscription to access certain features. Download Delay and start turning everyday screen time into learning time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Delay at free with in-app purchases against Spool's subscription. Delay also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Spool sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Delay sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Delay holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 167 and 97 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Spool's written reviews are positive against 88% of Delay's.
Spool ships an update every 9 days, Delay every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spool | Delay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (167 ratings) | 4.8 (97 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews | 87.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 167 — better | 97 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 364 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Prafull Sharma | Yaseen Halabi |
Customer experience
Spool
Delay
In-app purchases
Spool
- Spool Features Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Full Access: Monthly$7.991 Month
- Full Access: Limited Time Offer7 Days trial$34.991 Year
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Full Access: Yearly$34.991 Year
- Full Access: Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
- Full Access: Yearly$44.991 Year
Delay
- Delay - Weekly$6.997 Days
- Delay - Monthly$9.991 Month
- Delay - Family Monthly$17.991 Month
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Delay - Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year









