Comparison

ScrollBuddy vs SquatKey

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 break addictive scrolling habits by introducing friction and scheduled limits. It allows you to set time budgets for your favorite social apps, offering gentle nudges and optional accountability with a partner. Focus on your well-being and reclaim your time with a kinder system.

Highlights
  • Scheduled time windows for app usage
  • Daily time budgets for apps
  • Kind block screens when time is up
  • Limit multiple social apps in one place
  • Micro-escape timers for breaks
  • Optional buddy accountability
  • Smart nudges and warnings
Features
Read full description

Your apps start the day shut. You write up to three tasks, say what each is worth, up to thirty minutes, and finishing one earns exactly that. That is the whole loop. The apps you named are blocked from midnight, before you have to decide anything. Willpower at seven in the morning is a bad plan. A choice you already made is a good one. Then you write the day. One to three tasks, no more. SB, the buddy in the app, helps you turn a vague intention into something you can start, and asks about the one that is too big to begin. Once the page is sealed, that is the day. Finishing a task puts its minutes in the bank. Before a task counts as done, SB asks one honest question about it. "Done, really? What did the gym session actually look like?" Nobody checks your answer. That is the point. The bank holds up to 150 minutes. Spending takes a moment. SB asks what it is for and how long, 2 to 30 minutes, and the apps shut again quietly when the time is up. A bank left unspent is a good day. In the evening the bell rings at the hour you chose. SB tells the day back to you in your own words: what got done, what you said about it, what did not happen, and how much closer you are to this month's goal. Then he asks what tomorrow is for, and you write the next page before you sleep. The month has one goal, with a finish line you can count. Twelve gym sessions. Four chapters. Ten applications sent. Tasks either serve it or they do not, and the book keeps the tally. ScrollBuddy was built by one person. Your first full day is on the house: plan it, live it, finish it, and write tomorrow. After that it costs money to keep going: a small subscription, monthly or yearly, or a single purchase that keeps it for good. The prices are shown in the app before you decide. If it does not help, walk away free, no hard feelings. There is no account and no login. Your goal, your tasks, your honest answers and your day count live on your phone and nowhere else. There is no partner to disappoint, no leaderboard, and nobody reading your day but you. Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time permission. ScrollBuddy never sees which apps you open or what you do inside them.

About

SquatKey

Features
Read full description

Your phone is locked. Squats are the key. SquatKey blocks the apps that eat your day — and sells the minutes back for squats. Ten squats, ten minutes. Your addiction funds your legs. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick your poison. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube — choose the apps and websites that steal your time. 2. The clock runs out. You get a daily allowance. When it's gone, your apps lock behind a shield. No snooze button. 3. Pay in squats. Hold your phone, do real squats, and watch the minutes land. Your phone's motion sensors count every honest rep. WHY IT WORKS WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE FAILED Screen Time limits have an "Ignore" button. Grayscale didn't stop you. Deleting the app lasted four days. SquatKey works because it doesn't ask for willpower — it puts a price on scrolling, and your legs pay it. REAL BLOCKING, NOT A REMINDER Built on Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) framework — the same system-level blocking used by parental controls. Blocked apps are actually unopenable until you earn more time. NO CAMERA. EVER. Squats are detected by the accelerometer with the phone in your hand or pocket. Nothing is filmed, nothing leaves your device. We can't even see which apps you block — Apple keeps that private by design. YOUR RULES • Chill, Standard or Beast mode — set your free daily allowance and the squat price of a minute • Streaks, ranks and achievements with Sir Lockalot, your knight-padlock coach • Stats that show the time you took back, not the time you lost THE MATH At 4 hours a day, your phone costs you 60 days a year. SquatKey members trade a few sets of squats for hours of reclaimed time — and get stronger legs as a side effect. SquatKey is a subscription with a free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase or after the trial. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://squatkey.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://squatkey.com/privacy Your comeback starts with one squat.

Screenshots

ScrollBuddy4 screens
SquatKey4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ScrollBuddy at fortnightly against SquatKey's monthly. SquatKey's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, 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. ScrollBuddy sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and SquatKey sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScrollBuddy ships an update fortnightly, SquatKey monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ScrollBuddy versus SquatKey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollBuddySquatKey
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron VinodNil Basora

In-app purchases

9 purchases

ScrollBuddy

Subscriptions5
  • Weekly Premium$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium$3.991 Month
  • ScrollBuddy Monthly Premium$12.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • ScrollBuddy Annual Premium$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • Good buddy$4.99
  • Great buddy$9.99
  • Best buddy$17.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Premium$49.99
2 purchases

SquatKey

Subscriptions2
  • SquatKey Weekly$5.997 Days
  • SquatKey Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is ScrollBuddy free?
ScrollBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SquatKey free?
SquatKey is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ScrollBuddy or SquatKey have ads?
Neither ScrollBuddy nor SquatKey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScrollBuddy or SquatKey?
ScrollBuddy ships an update fortnightly, and SquatKey monthly. Most recently, ScrollBuddy was updated on October 22, 2026 and SquatKey on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons