Comparison

Spool vs Productivity 101

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 break phone addiction by requiring users to justify app usage to an AI before opening. It tracks habits, identifies triggers, and uses cognitive behavioral techniques to build healthier screen time habits.

Highlights
  • AI-justified app access
  • Habit trigger identification
  • Dopamine cycle breaking techniques
  • Custom focus sessions
  • Daily AI insights
  • Screen time pattern tracking
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

Productivity 101

Features
Read full description

Block the apps that steal your focus — and keep them blocked until the work is done. Pick the apps that distract you and Productivity 101 locks them while you focus. Need a breather? Take a break straight from the block screen and the block comes back on its own when it ends. Premium keeps apps locked until you hit your daily target, lets you set your own breaks, and adds Strict mode: quitting early takes a 2-minute wait and a typed promise. Free for 7 days with the yearly plan. Productivity 101 turns focus into a measurable habit. Start a session like a chess clock: your work time counts up, and when you need a break you tap once — break time is tracked separately, so you always know your true focused hours. End the session for a clean summary of work, breaks, and focus rate. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ It's built for people who are accountable to themselves — students with deadlines, founders, freelancers, and anyone who works long hours and wants to see the proof. TRACK WHAT MATTERS • Chess-clock timer with separate work and break tracking • Assign each session to a task; set daily or weekly time targets • Live progress bars and a clear daily goal STAY MOTIVATED — PROFESSIONALLY • A Focus Score and Levels earned purely from real logged hours • Daily and weekly objectives, with streaks and streak protection • Badges at 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 hours per task UNDERSTAND YOUR PATTERNS • A contribution heatmap of your focus, day by day • Personal records, lifetime hours, and per-task trends • Daily and weekly recaps MADE TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY • Hands-free voice control of the timer • Optional reminders as you near a target • Works offline; syncs securely across your devices when you sign in You're accountable to yourself. Productivity 101 keeps the score.

Screenshots

Spool4 screens
Productivity 1014 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Productivity 101 at none against Spool's shown. Productivity 101 also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Spool's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, 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 Productivity 101 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spool ships an update every 10 days, Productivity 101 monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Spool versus Productivity 101: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpoolProductivity 101
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (176 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings176 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size464 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpooli IncFINLAY OSCAR HAWKER

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

Productivity 101

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Premium (Yearly)7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Spool free?
Spool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Productivity 101 free?
Productivity 101 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spool or Productivity 101 have ads?
Spool shows ads; Productivity 101 does not.
Which is updated more often, Spool or Productivity 101?
Spool ships an update every 10 days, and Productivity 101 monthly. Most recently, Spool was updated on November 8, 2026 and Productivity 101 on October 31, 2026.

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