Para vs Core Time
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Para
This app helps you reduce screen time by making a friend the gatekeeper to your blocked applications. Instead of self-control, it relies on accountability partners to grant early access. It offers flexible blocking options and a strict mode to prevent cheating.
- Friend-controlled app unlocking
- Customizable blocking schedules
- Daily usage limits
- Location-based app locking
- Strict mode to prevent cheating
- Accountability streaks
- Mindful mode for gentle pauses
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The free app blocker where a friend holds the key. Para locks the apps you scroll too much, and only a friend you pick can let you back in early. No passcode to guess, no setting to flip off at midnight. You've set screen time limits before. You've also tapped "Ignore Limit" fifteen seconds later. That's not a willpower problem, it's a design problem: when you're the only one who can undo the block, undoing it is always one tap away. Para hands that tap to someone else. HOW IT WORKS • Pick the apps that eat your day: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, games, anything. • Choose a friend to hold the key. They get Para free, too. • Want back in early? Ask for the time you need and say why, for the whole block or just one app. Your friend gets a notification and says yes or no. • They can end an unlock early, and they approve it if you want a block turned off. BLOCK YOUR WAY • Block now: lock apps for 30 minutes, an hour, or until tonight. • Schedules: weeknights, work hours, bedtime, or a custom schedule with your own days and times. • Daily limits: pick a cap, and the apps lock when you hit it. • Places: apps lock when you arrive at home, the office, the gym or bed, and unlock when you leave. • Mindful mode: no hard block, just a pause that asks how long you need before the app opens. HARD TO CHEAT • Strict mode: no ending a block early yourself. • Lock app deletion: deleting Para to get around a block needs your friend's OK. • Every early unlock goes through a real person, so the easy way out isn't easy anymore. BETTER TOGETHER • Hold the key for your friends, too, and keep each other honest. • Add friends by username, from your contacts, or with a QR code. • Build a streak of days you didn't need to ask. • See your real screen time, your most-used apps, and your daily average. • Prefer to go it alone? Solo mode lets you hold your own key. WHO IT'S FOR • Anyone who wants to stop doomscrolling and spend less time on their phone. • People who have tried Screen Time or other app blockers and kept turning them off. • Students during exams, and anyone who needs focus at work. • Couples, roommates and friends who want an accountability partner for screen time. • Night scrollers who want their phone out of bed. FREE, WITH NO ADS Every feature is free. There's no paywall and nothing locked. If you'd like to help keep it that way, you can back Para with an optional monthly Supporter plan or a one-time gift. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Para uses Apple's Screen Time framework, so your usage data stays on your iPhone. Your friend sees your requests, never what you do on your phone. Get your evenings back. Hand a friend the key. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ https://www.parascroll.com/privacy https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/
Core Time
This app provides a strict approach to blocking distracting applications and websites, helping users regain focus and manage screen time. It offers customizable lock durations and schedules, ensuring boundaries are enforced without negotiation.
- Strict app blocking
- Customizable lock durations
- Automatic scheduling
- Cold turkey focus mode
- Dopamine detox support
- ADHD-friendly focus aid
- One-tap recovery
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Core Time is a strict app blocker and screen time app lock for people who need more than a gentle reminder. Block apps cold turkey, protect your focus, and stop losing hours to social media, dopamine loops, and phone addiction. If Screen Time limits are too easy to ignore, Core Time gives you a harder reset. Choose the apps and websites that pull you away from what matters, set your lock duration or schedule, and let Core Time enforce the boundary until time is up. ▶ STRICT APP BLOCKER Select distracting apps, set a timer, and tap Lock Now. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit, games, and other dopamine traps stay blocked while your lock is active. ▶ SCREEN TIME APP LOCK Use Core Time as a stronger screen time blocker when default limits are not enough. Create hard app limits for study, deep work, bedtime, weekends, or any moment when one more scroll can ruin your day. ▶ COLD TURKEY FOCUS No snooze. No soft warning. No willpower negotiation. Core Time is built for people who want a cold turkey app blocker that removes temptation instead of asking you to resist it. ▶ STUDY, EXAMS, AND DEEP WORK Start a lock before homework, exam prep, reading, writing, coding, or meetings. Keep your phone nearby without letting social media or games steal your focus. ▶ DOPAMINE DETOX AND DIGITAL DETOX Trying to break a scrolling habit? Use Core Time to block the apps that trigger quick dopamine hits and build a calmer digital routine. It is useful for a daily digital detox, a weekend reset, or a longer phone addiction recovery plan. ▶ AUTOMATIC SCHEDULES Set recurring locks for school hours, work blocks, family time, or sleep. Core Time can activate on your schedule so you do not need to decide again every day. ▶ ADHD-FRIENDLY FOCUS SUPPORT When impulse control is hard, a reminder is not enough. Core Time helps by removing the option to open the apps you already decided to avoid. ▶ NO WAY OUT DURING A LOCK During an active lock, selected apps and websites show a shield screen. Core Time uses Apple's Screen Time API and Family Controls framework so blocking runs on your device and stays private. ▶ ONE-TAP RECOVERY If something goes wrong, use Fix Now in Settings to reset Core Time to a clean state quickly. ▶ RECOMMENDED FOR • Students preparing for exams or homework • Professionals protecting deep work blocks • People with ADHD who need stronger focus boundaries • Anyone reducing phone addiction, doomscrolling, or social media overuse • Night owls who want to stop scrolling before bed • Parents who want a clear app blocking routine on their own device Core Time is not another reminder app. It is a strict app blocker, screen time blocker, app lock, focus timer, and digital detox tool for people who want their time back. Take back control of your phone. Download Core Time and start your next focus block today. ▶ USE CASES THAT MATCH REAL LIFE Use Core Time before a study session, during exam prep, while writing, when coding, during meetings, at the gym, or before sleep. If you keep opening the same apps without thinking, create a lock before the habit starts. ▶ WHY IT HELPS Core Time turns a vague intention into a real boundary. Instead of checking your phone, feeling guilty, and trying again tomorrow, you make one decision up front and let the app enforce it. ▶ BUILT FOR REPEAT ROUTINES The best results come from repeated locks: weekday work blocks, daily study sessions, lunch breaks without scrolling, and bedtime screen time limits. Start small, then make your focus routine automatic. ▶ SCREEN TIME CONTROL AND APP DETOX Use Core Time as screen time control when you need cold turkey blocking, app detox, a dopamine detox app, or a phone detox app. It works as a blocker for apps that interrupt study, deep work, sleep, and real life. Terms of Use (EULA): https://core-ground.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://core-ground.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Core Time at 5.0 against Para's 3.9. Core Time also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Para sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.00 per month and Core Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Core Time holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Para's written reviews are positive against 100% of Core Time's.
Para ships an update every 2 weeks, Core Time weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Para | Core Time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pilas Studios LLC | coreground |
Customer experience
Para
Core Time
In-app purchases
Para
- Para Supporter $1$1.001 Month
- Pantalla Premium14 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Para Supporter $5$5.001 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Para Supporter $10$10.001 Month
- Para Supporter $15$15.001 Month
- Para Supporter $20$20.001 Month
- Pantalla Premium (Annual)14 Days trial$29.991 Year
Core Time
- Core Time Pro (Monthly)$6.991 Month
- Core Time Pro (Annual)$24.991 Year
- Core Time Pro (Annual)$49.991 Year









