Comparison

Spool vs RelockIn

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Justify phone usage before scrolling
  • AI-powered trigger insights
  • Identify peak phone usage times
  • Instant app and website blocking
  • Reclaim focus and mental clarity
Features
Read full description

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

About

RelockIn

Features
Read full description

Remove Shorts, Reels, ads, and other distractions from YouTube, Instagram, and more. Plus, set up time limits for any app or website, so you put your phone down when you mean to, not three hours later. RelockIn is a web browser AND screen time app, for people serious about reclaiming their time. It lets you customize social media and YouTube to cut out the addictive stuff and keep only the parts you want. Then, protect your focus with time limits for apps and websites, to make every minute of scrolling intentional. FEATURES • Timed unlock sessions - set a time goal before visiting a blocked app or website. Get pulled out when it's done. • Schedules - protect your sleep, focus, or work times by making it hard or impossible to open distracting apps. • Hide YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and more • Block clickbait and endless algorithmic feeds • Hide social media posts from people you don't follow. Remove ragebait, ads, and AI slop. • Protect your setup with custom challenges - like doing math, typing a paragraph, entering a password, or sending an embarrassing accountability email to a friend. • Private and safe. No AI, no ads. The RelockIn browser blocks trackers and we never sell or upload your browsing data. • Active Discord community where you can request new features DEFANG THE WEB We've all been there. You open YouTube planning to watch just 1 video before you go to bed, or open Instagram to quickly check your messages. Then before you know it, hours have passed, and you're left feeling like crap. It's not an accident, and it's not your fault: tech companies have poured billions into designing the most addictive algorithms to steal as much of your time as possible. RelockIn lets you flip the script: you can customize websites to make them boring, functional, and easy to put down. Choose from over 40 options across top sites including YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, and X. RELOCKIN WORKS BETTER Other screen time apps rely on willpower or rigid blocks you end up switching off. RelockIn adds just enough friction: every time you open a distracting app, you choose how long you'll stay. When time's up, you're out. Want more? Start a new session on purpose. That small pause breaks the dopamine loop, so every minute you spend is YOUR choice, not the algorithm's. It's not about restriction - it's about control. You decide when. You decide how long. You decide what content you see. Not the algorithm, and not the big tech CEOs. RelockIn helps you lock out distractions, and lock in to your best future. TERMS, PRIVACY, & CONDITIONS Read at https://relockin.com/terms-of-service and https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula. Privacy policy: https://relockin.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Spool4 screens
RelockIn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spool at 4.4 against RelockIn's 3.7. Spool also leads on ratings volume (172 vs 3). RelockIn's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 71%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Spool sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and RelockIn sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spool holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spool has 172 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Spool's written reviews are positive against 100% of RelockIn's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spool ships an update weekly, RelockIn every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Spool versus RelockIn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpoolRelockIn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (172 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews71.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings172 — better3
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size406 MB277 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSpooli IncJoel Happ

Customer experience

Spool

All ratings172 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive71.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative29.0%

RelockIn

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Spool

Subscriptions8
  • Spool Features Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Spool Weekly Subscription$7.997 Days
  • Full Access: Monthly$7.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Spool Premium Annual$25.001 Year
  • Full Access: Limited Time Offer7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly$34.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Full Access: Yearly$44.991 Year
2 purchases

RelockIn

Subscriptions2
  • RelockIn Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • RelockIn Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Spool free?
Spool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RelockIn free?
RelockIn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spool or RelockIn?
Spool is rated higher. Spool averages 4.4 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while RelockIn averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Spool or RelockIn have ads?
Spool shows ads; RelockIn does not.
Which is updated more often, Spool or RelockIn?
Spool ships an update weekly, and RelockIn every 5 days. Most recently, Spool was updated on October 22, 2026 and RelockIn on October 22, 2026.

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