Comparison

Steps vs Scroll Patrol

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

Head to head
About

Steps

Features
Read full description

Stop procrastinating. Start moving. Steps gives your daily walk a deadline. Set a step goal and a cutoff time. If you reach your goal before the deadline, everything stays unlocked. If you don’t, your selected apps lock until tomorrow. It’s a simple system that removes excuses and keeps you accountable. How does it work? 1. Set your daily step goal 2. Choose a deadline for the day 3. Pick the apps you want locked if you miss it Now your day has a rule: • Walk before the deadline. • Reach your goal and your apps stay unlocked. • Miss it and they lock until the next day. Designed to prevent procrastination! Many people plan to walk later… and never do. Steps fixes that by giving your activity a clear deadline and consequence. Instead of saying “I’ll walk later”, you’ll find yourself thinking: “I should go now.” Stay motivated • Live step tracking • Time remaining until your deadline • Daily streak tracking • Weekly step progress • A monster that reacts to your progress Emergency Unblocks Need access unexpectedly? You get a small number of emergency unblocks each week. Use them wisely. Walk now. Not later.

About

Scroll Patrol

Earn screen time by completing physical exercises, tracked automatically via machine learning or synced from Apple Health. Users have full control over reward rates and app restrictions, with optional password protection for added self-control.

Highlights
  • Earn screen time through exercise
  • Automatic exercise tracking (ML)
  • Syncs with Apple Health
  • Customizable reward rates
  • App restriction options
  • Password protection for settings
  • No ads or subscriptions
Features
Read full description

Scroll Patrol puts the apps you lose hours to behind a workout. Pick the apps that pull you in. They stay locked until you have minutes to spend on them — and the only way to get minutes is to move. EARN TIME WITH YOUR BODY Push-ups, squats, jumping jacks and planks are counted by your camera, automatically, while you move. Prop your phone up, start a set, and watch the count climb. No wearable, no manual logging, no honour system. Prefer to walk? Scroll Patrol reads your steps and distance from Apple Health and turns them into minutes too. That happens in the background — no workout to start. SPEND IT WHERE IT MATTERS Earned minutes go into one balance. You decide which app gets them. Give Instagram fifteen minutes, keep the rest for later, or spend the lot in one go. MINUTES YOU ACTUALLY USED Time counts down while you are in the app, and stops when you leave it. Put your phone in your pocket and your minutes are still there when you come back. Every patrolled app shows how much is left, and warns you a minute before it locks. Adding time tops up what is already there rather than starting over. NO QUIZ. NO ACCOUNT. NO WAITING. No twenty-screen questionnaire, no "calculating your personalised plan", no email address. Three short screens and you are picking apps. You can be earning minutes within a minute of opening it for the first time. PRICED TO BE KEPT Apps in this category routinely ask $10-15 a month. Scroll Patrol is $2.99 a month with the first week free, $24.99 a year, or $49.99 once for life. Every version includes everything; there is no higher tier and nothing is held back. BUILT TO STAY ON YOUR PHONE No account, no sign-up, no server. Camera frames are analysed on device and never recorded, saved or sent anywhere. Your exercise history, your Health data and your app choices stay on your phone. Purchases go directly to Apple. We have nothing to sell because we collect nothing. Scroll Patrol uses Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls APIs to lock apps, and Apple Health to read steps and walking distance. Both require your permission, and both can be turned off at any time. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Scroll Patrol Pro is $2.99 per month, which begins with a 7-day free trial, or $24.99 per year, or $49.99 as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in Settings inside the app, or in your Apple Account settings. Privacy policy: https://scroll-patrol.pages.dev/support#privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Steps3 screens
Scroll Patrol4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Steps at none against Scroll Patrol's 2. Steps also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 4 months). Scroll Patrol's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Scroll Patrol sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Steps asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steps ships an update daily, Scroll Patrol every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Steps versus Scroll Patrol: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStepsScroll Patrol
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony Duenez RamirezOuroboros Technologies, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Steps

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Scroll Patrol

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Scroll Patrol Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Steps free?
Steps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scroll Patrol free?
Scroll Patrol is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Steps or Scroll Patrol have ads?
Neither Steps nor Scroll Patrol shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steps or Scroll Patrol?
Steps ships an update daily, and Scroll Patrol every 4 months. Most recently, Steps was updated on November 9, 2026 and Scroll Patrol on November 5, 2026.

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