Comparison

BreakOff vs Scroll Tax

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

Head to head
About

BreakOff

This app enforces app blocking and scheduled focus sessions using Apple's Screen Time API. It helps users build better digital habits through customizable schedules, locked breaks, and progress tracking. An optional Pro version offers advanced scheduling and more emergency breaks.

Highlights
  • Enforced app blocking via Screen Time API
  • Customizable daily/weekly schedules
  • Locked breaks to prevent early termination
  • Emergency breaks for urgent needs
  • Streak tracking and progress visualization
  • Customizable app groups and shield screens
Features
Read full description

Phones down, together. Start a break with your friends, roommates or family, and distracting apps go quiet on every phone that joins, all on the same clock. The time you get back is time with each other. It is easier to put your phone down when the people around you do too. BreakOff makes that one tap. Real blocking powered by Apple's Screen Time API, not reminders you can swipe away. Everything you need to block apps is free, and no account is required to start. BREAK TOGETHER Start a break and share it. Your people join on their own phones, and everyone's chosen apps stay blocked until the break ends. Date night, dinner with friends, a quiet evening at the apartment, homework hour at home: one shared break, one shared clock. BREAK ROOMS Every shared break has a live room. See who is in, who paused and who left, get an alert when someone leaves, and finish on a recap of how everyone did. Rooms are free for you and 3 guests. Pro fits up to 20 and keeps every past room. HOST A BREAK Put up one QR poster and everyone who scans it starts the same break on their own phone. Hosting is part of BreakOff Pro and fits up to 20 people. PUT THE OFF SWITCH IN ANOTHER ROOM Leave a QR code or an NFC tag in the kitchen, by the front door or on the fridge. Start a QR or NFC break and it only ends when you walk over and scan it. The phone stays put, and so do you. FOUR WAYS A BREAK CAN END • Flexible: a timer you can end early. A gentle way to start. • Locked: the break runs its full length, with an emergency escape if you truly need it. • QR Code: the break ends only when you scan your QR code. • NFC Tag: the break ends only when you tap your NFC tag. HARDCORE For when you mean it. Turn on Hardcore (Pro) and a Locked break has no emergency breaks and no way out until the timer ends. Add the free uninstall guard so BreakOff can't be deleted in the middle of a break. RULES AND ROUTINES Let breaks start on their own. Pick a Routine like Family Time, Better Sleep, Slow Morning, School Focus, Work Focus or Weekend Reset, or set your own Rules for any days and times. ALSO IN THE APP • App groups: choose the apps and categories to block, and save different sets for different moments. • Always Allowed: pick the apps that stay open in every break, or block all apps at once. • Circle: keep your people in one place so starting a break together takes seconds. • Time you got back: see how much time you have taken back. • Learn: 31 short stories on focus, attention and phone habits. • Invite a friend: finish a break together and you both get a free week of Pro. WHO IT'S FOR • Couples who want dinner, date night or the last hour before bed back. • Friends and roommates who would rather be at the table than in their feeds. • Families who want everyone at home to put their phones down at the same time, parents included. • Classrooms, teams, and you on your own: set a Routine or protect a focus block. FREE AND PRO Free: all four break modes, app blocking, joining any break, live rooms with alerts and a recap, rooms for you and 3 guests, the uninstall guard, 3 emergency breaks a month, 2 app groups, 2 recurring Rules of your own, up to 3 people in your Circle and 1 active Break Together invite. Pro: Hardcore, break rooms and Host a Break for up to 20 people, every past room, full stats and group streaks, and unlimited app groups, Rules, Circle and Break Together invites. PRIVACY BreakOff blocks apps with Apple's Screen Time framework. See how we handle your data at breakoff.io/privacy. SUBSCRIPTION BreakOff Pro is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: breakoff.io/terms Privacy Policy: breakoff.io/privacy Put your phone down. Pick your people. Take a break together.

About

Scroll Tax

Features
Read full description

The Scroll Tax turns your screen time into a currency. Read curated book summaries and big ideas to earn minutes, then spend them to unlock the apps that usually eat your day. HOW IT WORKS 1. Block your distractions. Pick the apps that steal your attention and The Scroll Tax blocks them using Apple's Screen Time. 2. Read to earn. Every minute of focused reading adds unlock time to your wallet. 3. Spend to scroll. Use earned minutes to open your blocked apps. When the time runs out, they lock again. 4. Stay on schedule. Create blocking schedules for work sessions, mornings, or the whole day. FEATURES - Curated non-fiction summaries and key ideas you can finish in minutes - App blocking powered by Apple's Screen Time (FamilyControls) - A time wallet: reading earns minutes, scrolling spends them - Flexible schedules for deep work and quiet mornings - Stats: time saved, reading streaks, and a leaderboard - Dark, distraction-free design PREMIUM The Scroll Tax Premium unlocks unlimited reading and app blocking. Choose a weekly, monthly, or yearly auto-renewable subscription. New subscribers get the first week free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://scrolltax.ai/terms Privacy Policy: https://scrolltax.ai/privacy SUBSCRIPTION Scroll Tax Premium unlocks unlimited earning and the full library: Weekly $6.99 / Monthly $12.99 / Yearly $39.99. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://scrolltax.ai/terms Privacy Policy: https://scrolltax.ai/privacy

Screenshots

BreakOff4 screens
Scroll Tax4 screens

Verdict

The call

BreakOff and Scroll Tax are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. BreakOff sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Scroll Tax sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BreakOff ships an update every 11 days, Scroll Tax fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
BreakOff versus Scroll Tax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBreakOffScroll Tax
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB27 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBreakOff LLCAleksandrs Mihailovs

In-app purchases

3 purchases

BreakOff

Subscriptions3
  • BreakOff Pro7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • BreakOff Pro Annual Deal$39.991 Year
  • BreakOff Pro Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
3 purchases

Scroll Tax

Subscriptions3
  • Scroll Tax Premium Week7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Scroll Tax Premium Month7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Scroll Tax Premium Year7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is BreakOff free?
BreakOff is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scroll Tax free?
Scroll Tax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BreakOff or Scroll Tax have ads?
Neither BreakOff nor Scroll Tax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BreakOff or Scroll Tax?
BreakOff ships an update every 11 days, and Scroll Tax fortnightly. Most recently, BreakOff was updated on October 30, 2026 and Scroll Tax on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons