Comparison

Unplug vs Shift Stories

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

Head to head
About

Unplug

This app helps you reduce screen time by setting daily limits on chosen applications. It offers solo and group challenges with a unique point system for accountability. Parents can also use it to manage their teen's screen time and allowances.

Highlights
  • Set daily time limits for apps
  • Block apps when limit is reached
  • Solo and group challenges
  • Commit and earn Unplug Points
  • Family screen time management
  • Guided breathing pauses
  • Customizable shield styles
Features
Read full description

Unplug is a screen time app with something on the line. Choose the apps that pull you in, set a daily limit, and back it with Unplug Points. Stay under and every point comes back. Hit the limit and those apps stay blocked for the rest of the day. HOW IT WORKS • Choose the apps and categories to limit • Back each challenge with Unplug Points, or run it without points as a Premium practice challenge • Set a daily limit and how many days the challenge runs • Hit the limit and those apps stay blocked until tomorrow • Finish under your limit and every point you committed comes back. Go over and those points are gone. FAMILY ALLOWANCE (PREMIUM) Turn screen time into allowance. A parent proposes a weekly screen time limit and allowance, and the teen accepts on their own iPhone. Stay under all week and the allowance is earned. Unplug tracks the week, and the parent pays the allowance directly. Unplug never moves that money, and teens never stake points. During a family deal, Unplug keeps the teen's iPhone on automatic date and time, so the daily limit follows the real clock. UNPLUG POINTS Unplug Points are an in-app purchase. They have no cash value, cannot be cashed out or transferred, and do not expire. Points you commit never go to another user. Finish a challenge under your limit and every point you committed comes back. MORE WAYS TO TAKE IT ON • Personal challenges: your apps, your limit, your points • Focus lock: block your chosen apps for a set stretch, from 15 minutes to 8 hours • One Hour Club: join the weekly group round and keep each other honest • Practice mode (Premium): a full challenge without points SEE YOUR DAY Home shows today's screen time against your usual pace, the apps that take the most of it, and how often you pick up your phone. WHEN YOU HIT THE LIMIT Choose what the block screen says: • A direct "Daily Limit Exceeded" notice • A calm "Time's up for today" • A quote to pause on • A guided breathing pause before you decide (Premium) YOUR DATA Unplug uses Apple's Screen Time technology (Family Controls) to block only the apps you choose. Your progress against each challenge's limit syncs to your account so we can confirm results and settle disputes fairly. We never sell your data, and we never use your screen-time data for advertising. UNPLUG PREMIUM Premium adds practice mode, guided breathing, and Family Allowance. It is an auto-renewable subscription, billed monthly or yearly. Your price is shown in the app before you subscribe. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when your free trial ends if you start one. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Terms of Use: https://unplugmobile.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://unplugmobile.app/privacy.html

About

Shift Stories

A private journal designed for healthcare professionals to debrief after shifts, track mood patterns, and document meaningful moments. It offers tools for processing demanding work, identifying burnout signs, and preparing for career opportunities.

Highlights
  • Guided shift debriefing
  • Daily journaling
  • Mood and burnout tracking
  • Wins Wall for achievements
  • Memory calendar
  • Shift scheduling
  • Interview prep toolkit
Features
Read full description

Every shift has a story. Shift Stories is the personal journal built for healthcare workers — a private space to debrief after hard shifts, track your mood over time, and document the moments that matter. Whether you're a nurse, physician, CRNA, paramedic, CNA, or respiratory therapist - your work is emotionally demanding. Shift Stories helps you process it. DEBRIEF YOUR SHIFT IN MINUTES Answer a few guided questions after every shift — how you felt, what happened, what you're grateful for. Speak your story out loud and we'll transcribe it automatically. DAILY JOURNAL FOR THE DAYS IN BETWEEN Not every hard day happens at work. The Daily Journal gives you a private space to write on your days off, rest days, and the moments between shifts that still need to be heard. TRACK YOUR BURNOUT BEFORE IT TRACKS YOU The Burnout Radar calendar shows your mood patterns over time. Spot the warning signs early before exhaustion becomes a crisis. BUILD YOUR WINS WALL Capture every proud moment, meaningful connection, and personal victory. On the hard days, your Wins Wall reminds you why you do this work. MEMORY CALENDAR Every shift, every journal entry — mapped onto a visual calendar with photos and mood emojis. Scroll back through your month and see your story at a glance. CAPTURE YOUR SHIFTS Log your upcoming shifts and track your schedule. Add your workplaces to easily tag and organize every journal entry by location. PREP FOR YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY The Interview Prep toolkit helps you practice answers to common healthcare interview questions using real stories from your shifts. YOUR VOICE, YOUR DATA, YOUR PRIVACY Voice recordings are deleted immediately after transcription. Photos are stored privately and only used to personalize your entries. Your journal entries are encrypted and never shared. Ever. Try free for 14 days. Then $7.99/month or $59.99/year. Terms of Use: https://stately-souffle-8d7a97.netlify.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://stately-souffle-8d7a97.netlify.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Unplug4 screens
Shift Stories4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Unplug at every 4 days against Shift Stories's every 2 weeks. Unplug also leads on ratings volume (9 vs 2). Shift Stories's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Unplug sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Shift Stories sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. 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 Unplug against 5.0 for Shift Stories. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Unplug ships an update every 4 days, Shift Stories every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Unplug versus Shift Stories: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUnplugShift Stories
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFarrell Bros LLCSalt Brook Ventures LLC

Customer experience

Unplug

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shift Stories

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Unplug

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time7
  • 5 Unplug Points$5.00
  • 10 Unplug Points$10.00
  • 20 Unplug Points$20.00
Show 4 more
  • 30 Unplug Points$30.00
  • 40 Unplug Points$40.00
  • 50 Unplug Points$50.00
  • 75 Unplug Points$75.00
2 purchases

Shift Stories

Subscriptions2
  • Shift Stories Pro Monthly14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Shift Stories Pro14 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Unplug free?
Unplug is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift Stories free?
Shift Stories is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Unplug or Shift Stories?
Unplug and Shift Stories are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Unplug or Shift Stories have ads?
Neither Unplug nor Shift Stories shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Unplug or Shift Stories?
Unplug ships an update every 4 days, and Shift Stories every 2 weeks. Most recently, Unplug was updated on October 15, 2026 and Shift Stories on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons