Comparison

Scrolloc vs Holdback

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

Head to head
About

Scrolloc

This app helps you regain control over your phone usage by introducing intentional pauses before opening distracting applications. It provides insights into your screen time habits and helps you build healthier digital routines to reduce mindless scrolling and increase focus.

Highlights
  • Intentional limits to stop endless scrolling
  • Screen time control without deleting apps
  • Focus sessions for presence
  • Daily insights and habit tracking
  • Clean, easy-to-use interface
  • System for behavior change
Features
Read full description

You pick up your phone for “a minute.” You lose an hour. You scroll without thinking. You don’t even know why. Scrolloc stops this cycle. You take back control of your screen and your time. It’s screen time control designed to break mindless scrolling habits. You set simple limits. You open distracting apps less. You break the habit of mindless scrolling. You gain up to 2 extra hours every day. STOP MINDLESS SCROLLING Scrolloc adds a short pause before you open social apps. This pause breaks the automatic impulse. You notice what you’re doing. You choose to continue or stop. STAY FOCUSED You stay present during work, family time, or moments that matter. You cut distractions. You protect your focus and your energy. UNDERSTAND YOUR HABITS You see your daily screen time. You see where your hours disappear. You track your progress and build healthier digital habits. FEEL THE DIFFERENCE You scroll less. You stress less. You doomscroll less. You feel calmer, clearer, and more in control. WHAT YOU GET • Intentional limits that stop endless scrolling • Screen time control without deleting your apps • Focus sessions to stay present • Daily insights and simple habit tracking • A clean, easy-to-use interface • A system that actually helps you change your behavior WHY IT WORKS? Scrolloc helps you at the exact moment you lose control - the moment your thumb opens an app without awareness. This small pause creates a huge shift. You regain your time, your attention, and your life outside the screen. START TODAY Stop mindless scrolling. Reduce your screen time. Live with intention again. You pick up your phone for “a minute.” You lose an hour. You scroll without thinking. You don’t even know why. Scrolloc stops this cycle. You take back control of your screen and your time. It’s screen time control designed to break mindless scrolling habits.

About

Holdback

This app helps you regain control of your screen time by locking chosen apps until you meet a daily step goal, adhere to a schedule, or stay within a set time limit. It offers a 'never allowed' option for apps you wish to permanently block. Focus sessions can lock your entire phone for dedicated work periods.

Highlights
  • Unlock apps with step goals from Apple Health
  • Schedule app availability
  • Set daily time limits for apps
  • Permanently block apps
  • Focus sessions to lock entire phone
  • Hard mode to prevent changing settings
  • Track walking history and milestones
Features
Read full description

Holdback locks the apps that eat your day until you've walked your step goal — or on a schedule, or on a daily limit. Steps come from Apple Health FOUR WAYS TO LOCK • Step goal — your apps stay locked until you've walked your goal for the day. • Schedule — pick the hours your apps stay shut. Nights, work blocks, early mornings. • Daily limit — give an app twenty minutes. When they're gone, they're gone. • Never Allowed — apps you are done with, blocked around the clock, with no unlock at all. All four apply only to the apps, websites and categories you choose. Nothing else on your phone is touched. When you want the whole phone shut for an hour, that's a focus session. WALK TO UNLOCK Set a step goal. Until you reach it, the apps you picked won't open. Steps are read from Apple Health, so there is nothing to fake — no taps to farm, no coins to earn, no minutes to buy back. Open Hours keep your morning usable. Pick the window where your apps stay open even if the goal isn't done — or switch it off and the lock runs around the clock. Reach the goal, and everything opens for the rest of the day. YOUR STEPS, IN ONE PLACE Week, month and year of walking, drawn out day by day. Days on goal, longest streak, best day, averages. The record starts the day you install Holdback and keeps going. Six milestones sit on top of it, from 20 000 steps in a day up to 100 000. FOCUS SESSIONS The four rules above run on their own, all day. A focus session is the one you start by hand — and while it runs, every app on your phone is locked, not just the ones you picked. Set a timer, or run an open-ended stopwatch and stop when the work is done. Rain, waves, thunder, fire or birdsong in the background. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps you want under control. 2. Pick how they unlock — a schedule, a limit, steps, or not at all. 3. Get on with your day. HARD MODE Switch it on and your settings lock along with your apps. You can raise a goal at any time, but lowering it, changing the days, or swapping the apps waits until that day's steps are done. It closes the loophole most blockers leave open — editing your way out instead of walking. You can remove every restriction at any time by deleting Holdback. Calls, messages and emergency services are never affected. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Holdback cannot see which apps you block. Apple's Screen Time framework hands the app anonymous tokens, not app names. Your step data is read from Apple Health and never leaves your device. No account, no sign-up, no ads, no data sold. Terms of Use: https://holdbackapp.github.io/legal/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://holdbackapp.github.io/legal/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Scrolloc4 screens
Holdback4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Holdback at none against Scrolloc's shown. Holdback also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Scrolloc sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Holdback sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Scrolloc against 5.0 for Holdback. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Scrolloc versus Holdback: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollocHoldback
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.617.6
Further details — not scored
Size182 MB262 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMindful Software Studio LLCRaman Pazdniakou

Customer experience

Scrolloc

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Holdback

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Scrolloc

Subscriptions3
  • Scrolloc PRO Weekly$7.997 Days
  • Scrolloc PRO Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Scrolloc PRO Yearly7 Days trial$99.991 Year
2 purchases

Holdback

Subscriptions2
  • Holdback Pro Weekly$7.997 Days
  • Holdback Pro Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Scrolloc free?
Scrolloc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Holdback free?
Holdback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Scrolloc or Holdback?
Scrolloc and Holdback are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Scrolloc or Holdback have ads?
Scrolloc shows ads; Holdback does not.

Other comparisons