Comparison

ScrollBuddy vs Zoned

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

Head to head
About

ScrollBuddy

This app helps you focus by locking other applications until you complete tasks. Earn credits for finished tasks to unlock apps for a set duration. Track your progress and review your accomplishments.

Highlights
  • Task-based app unlocking
  • Credit system for app access
  • Configurable task completion strictness
  • Progress tracking and history
  • Daily and monthly win recaps
  • Customizable app themes
Features
Read full description

Your agent names wins with you, checks what you can show and marks them done. The apps you lock stay shut until you spend the credits a finished win earns. Name today's three wins with the agent you already run: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP agent. Ship the pricing page, gym after work, call the dentist. Or write them on the phone. Three at a time. Finish one, name the next. Your agent saw the work, so let it be the one who checks. You choose how much a finish needs. Easy. Your word is enough: say it is done and the credits are yours. Normal. Show what you can: one line of what you did, and it has to fit the win. Strict. Show it or wait: a link, a file or SB's proof before the credits come. Work your agent finishes that you never named shows as done for you, and it pays nothing, so your credits stay yours. A finished win earns credits, up to 30 for one win. Credits are not money: one credit opens one minute. Open your apps for any length from 2 to 30 minutes, and when the time is up they close again. Look back on the work. Each finished win can keep a photo, private to you. Star the one that mattered most: it becomes the day's key win. Wins holds your month as a mosaic of days, and the Recap tells your week, your month and your year so far. Share a win or a day as a card. Light by day, Night pine by night, or match this device. Connecting your agent, the dashboard and the phone app that locks your apps are free. SB on WhatsApp is the paid part: your first day with SB is free, and the yearly plan starts with a free week. The app shows the price before you buy. Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time permission. ScrollBuddy never sees which apps you open or what you do inside them. Your day stays on your phone until you sign in with your number; then your wins, credits and goal are kept so your phone, your agents and SB see the same day. Signing in is invite only for now. UK and EU numbers; the code comes on WhatsApp.

About

Zoned

This app transforms your focus time into a digital currency. Earn credits by completing focused sessions and spend them to temporarily unlock distracting apps. It uses system-level blocking to keep you on track, rewarding success rather than shaming failure.

Highlights
  • Earn credits for focus sessions
  • Spend credits to unlock apps
  • System-level app blocking
  • Daily credit gift
  • Focus Score tracking
  • Live Activities countdown
  • AR Focus Box
Read full description

Zoned turns your focus into currency. Subscription required — no free version. Every minute you spend focused earns you credits. Spend those credits to unlock the apps you want to use — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, whatever pulls you in. No credits, no access. It's that simple. Built on Apple's Screen Time framework, Zoned shields apps at the system level — not just inside Zoned itself. When you're out of credits, the apps stay locked. WHY ZONED IS DIFFERENT Most focus apps shame you for failing. Zoned rewards you for succeeding. The credit economy makes every focus session feel like progress — not punishment. — Earn credits by completing focus sessions of your chosen length — Spend credits to temporarily unlock specific apps — Daily Gift: a small credit boost every morning to get you started — Bonuses for every completed session — Focus Score: track your progress with daily, weekly, and long-term stats — Live Activities: see your active unlock countdown on your lock screen and Dynamic Island — AR Focus Box: place your phone inside a virtual box to enforce a strict focus session ZONED PRO — Subscription Required Zoned requires an active subscription to use. There is no free version of the app. Try Zoned Pro free for 3 days, then $19.99/year or $3.99/week. Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. Manage your subscription in iOS Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YqgbukM1XdIyS0hes6Yo1lPDFZucq8Rb8pvHkaWuAU8/edit?usp=sharing

Screenshots

ScrollBuddy4 screens
Zoned4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Zoned at 5.0 against ScrollBuddy's 4.1. ScrollBuddy's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (11 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. ScrollBuddy sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Zoned sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zoned holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScrollBuddy has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ScrollBuddy versus Zoned: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollBuddyZoned
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (11 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron VinodImbram Wojdak

In-app purchases

5 purchases

ScrollBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • ScrollBuddy Monthly$4.991 Month
  • ScrollBuddy Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Good buddy$4.99
  • Great buddy$9.99
  • Best buddy$17.99
2 purchases

Zoned

Subscriptions2
  • Zoned Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Zoned Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is ScrollBuddy free?
ScrollBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zoned free?
Zoned is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScrollBuddy or Zoned?
Zoned is rated higher. ScrollBuddy averages 4.1 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Zoned averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ScrollBuddy or Zoned have ads?
Neither ScrollBuddy nor Zoned shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScrollBuddy or Zoned?
ScrollBuddy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zoned every 3 weeks. Most recently, ScrollBuddy was updated on November 8, 2026 and Zoned on October 31, 2026.

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