Comparison

Scrollbye vs shells screen time controls

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

Head to head
About

Scrollbye

Features
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Stop losing hours to β€œjust 5 minutes.” ScrollBye blocks your most addictive apps β€” exactly when you need it. No guilt. No hacks. Just control. Break the scroll loop Social media is designed to keep you stuck. ScrollBye helps you step out on your terms. Block distracting apps, schedule focus time, and finally feel in control of your phone. What makes ScrollBye different? Most apps rely on willpower. ScrollBye removes the decision entirely. Set it once β†’ it works automatically. Smart App Blocking Block any app that steals your time β€” social media, games, anything. Scheduled Focus Time Create daily β€œno-scroll” periods that run automatically. No impulse unblocking Add friction between you and distractions β€” so you don’t relapse in 2 taps. Lightweight & fast No clutter. No complicated setup. Just works. Built for real life Working? Stay focused Studying? Remove distractions Sleeping? Stop late-night scrolling Living? Be present again Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

shells screen time controls

Features
Read full description

Take some of your hours back. Shells shows you where your phone time really goes, then helps you use it a little less. It gives you the whole range, from a gentle nudge to a short pause to a firm block, so you can start gentle and only go firmer for the apps that keep pulling you in. LIGHT: GENTLE NUDGES, NOTHING BLOCKED β€’ Soft Nudges: a Volume Warning at 90% of your daily goal, Usage Milestones as your day adds up, a Daily Check-in Reminder for your streak, and Reach Alerts when you keep reaching for a paused or blocked app. MEDIUM: A SHORT PAUSE BEFORE AN APP OPENS β€’ Mindful Pauses (iOS 26 or later): a Shortcuts automation brings up a calm 15 second breath when you open a chosen app, then you pick how long you'd like it for. Its notifications still come through. β€’ Mindful Pauses + No Notifications: the Screen Time version. The app stays behind a shield between pauses, which can also keep its notifications out of the way. β€’ Exercise Unlock: a few squats or a plank first, counted on your iPhone by the camera. β€’ Steps Unlock: a short walk first. β€’ Quick Session: an optional 20 second pass for a quick reply. STRICT: APPS STAY CLOSED WHEN YOU NEED THEM TO β€’ Morning Block: keep your phone down first thing, apart from the essentials you pick. β€’ App Limits: a daily allowance. Once it's used up, the app stays blocked until tomorrow, with 5 minutes of Emergency access if you really need it. β€’ Scheduled Blocks: close apps at set times, like 9 to 5 on weekdays. β€’ Location Blocks: block apps at the places you choose, or allow them only there. β€’ NFC Locks: apps stay locked until you tap your own NFC sticker. AND A FEW EXTRAS β€’ Holiday Mode: pause or relax any control while you're away. Everything switches back on by itself after the last day you pick. β€’ Focus Sessions: block apps for a set time, with a Lock Screen countdown. β€’ Calm browsing: open Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit inside Shells with the parts you choose hidden, like the feed, Reels or Shorts. β€’ Widgets: time left today, trends, the apps you choose, and one-tap Focus Sessions. SEE YOUR DAY CLEARLY β€’ Three rings for productivity, screen time and a daily health score. β€’ An hour by hour chart, pickups, a 30-day heatmap and a closer look at any app. β€’ If you like, a timeline of the places where you use your phone most. YOUR DATA Your screen time, places and location history stay on your iPhone. What goes online: your optional Sign in with Apple account, referrals and feedback (Supabase), Pro status (RevenueCat), and product analytics with a device ID and your account ID (Statsig), never your screen time or location. Turn on iCloud backup and your settings, check-in notes, places and recent location history go to your own iCloud. We never sell your data. SHELLS AND PRO Each app you pause, each limit or block, each NFC Lock group and each Calm browsing site uses a Shell. Everyone starts with 1, and inviting friends earns up to 2 more. A free account adds basic Insights. Shells Pro gives you unlimited Shells, so every control runs at once, plus every Insights card. Widgets and Holiday Mode are free, and every control works on the free plan using your Shells. Pro comes as Monthly, Annual or Lifetime (one-time purchase). Annual and Lifetime have launch pricing, and new Monthly and Annual subscribers get a 1-month free trial (eligibility applies), until 31 December 2026 unless changed or extended. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage them in your App Store account settings. WHAT YOU NEED iOS 18 or later, Screen Time access and notifications (the Screen Time pause opens from a notification). Mindful Pauses via Shortcuts need iOS 26 or later. Location, Motion, Camera and NFC are optional. Privacy Policy: https://consciousscreentime.netlify.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Scrollbye4 screens
shells screen time controls4 screens

Verdict

The call

Scrollbye and shells screen time controls are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Scrollbye sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and shells screen time controls sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scrollbye ships an update every 2 weeks, shells screen time controls every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Scrollbye versus shells screen time controls: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollbyeshells screen time controls
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks β€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.518.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size6 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKAREL ZAHRADNICEKAndi Yao

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Scrollbye

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$19.991 Year
3 purchases

shells screen time controls

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Scrollbye free?
Scrollbye is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is shells screen time controls free?
shells screen time controls is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Scrollbye or shells screen time controls have ads?
Neither Scrollbye nor shells screen time controls shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrollbye or shells screen time controls?
Scrollbye ships an update every 2 weeks, and shells screen time controls every 3 weeks. Most recently, Scrollbye was updated on October 30, 2026 and shells screen time controls on October 31, 2026.

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