Comparison

Anti Screen Time vs CineFocus

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

Head to head
About

Anti Screen Time

This app helps reduce screen time through a unique session and rest rhythm, avoiding hard limits and permanent blocks. It offers a gentler approach to managing device usage by alternating periods of full access with short breaks where controlled apps are temporarily unavailable.

Highlights
  • Session and rest rhythm
  • No hard usage limits
  • No permanent app blocks
  • Controlled app unavailability during rests
  • Gentle approach to screen time reduction
  • Full access during sessions
Features
Read full description

Most screen time apps work by capping you. They set hard limits, block apps for the rest of the day, and leave you locked out the moment you hit a number. Anti Screen Time works differently. There are no usage limits and no permanent blocks. You move through a rhythm of sessions and rests, and your total screen time drops, often dramatically, without anything being capped or taken away for good. Here's how it works. You start a session and have full, unlimited access to everything on your phone. When the session ends, a short rest begins, a brief pause where your controlled apps become unavailable for a few minutes. When the rest ends, your apps return, ready for your next session. No daily cutoffs. No "you're out of time." Just a gentle in-and-out rhythm that adds up to far less screen time. Anti Screen Time is for people who've tried strict limits and bounced off them. If hitting a wall every day has never worked, a gentle rhythm of sessions and rests might. Use everything you love, in a calmer cadence. Lower your screen time. No limits, no daily cutoffs, just a gentler rhythm. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.antiscreentime.com/privacy

About

CineFocus

Features
Read full description

CineFocus turns deep work into a cinema ritual. Pick a session, take your seat, tear the ticket — and stay until the credits roll. A focus timer and app blocker for people who want a ritual, not another Pomodoro. Every session is a showing. Every completed session is a memory. Over time, your focus becomes your favorite habit. A FOCUS RITUAL UNLIKE ANY OTHER Choose your session length, pick your seat, select your focus type, and tear the movie ticket to begin. It's deep work, reimagined as cinema — a Pomodoro alternative that doesn't feel like a productivity spreadsheet. IMMERSIVE FOCUS ENVIRONMENTS Sit in a quiet theater. Park at the drive-in under the stars. Each environment is designed to pull you into flow state and keep distractions at the door. BLOCK THE NOISE Lock out social apps, games, and anything else that steals your attention. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit — silenced until the credits roll. Powered by Apple Screen Time. BUILT FOR HOW YOU FOCUS Deep Work — long, uninterrupted blocks for your hardest tasks Study — exam prep, reading, note-taking, test cramming Meditation — quiet, intentional sessions Reading — finish that book, one showing at a time Creative Flow — writing, designing, making Exercise — time-boxed movement TRACK YOUR SHOWINGS See your weekly runtime, daily streak, session count, and genre breakdown. Every session adds up. Every streak tells a story. Perfect for building a deep work habit that actually sticks. WIDGETS, LOCK SCREEN & STANDBY Glance at your current session from your Lock Screen, Home Screen, Dynamic Island, or StandBy. Live Activities keep your focus always in view. MADE FOR Students pulling all-nighters. Writers and designers chasing flow. Remote workers drowning in Slack. Readers reclaiming an hour with a book. Anyone with ADHD who needs a ritual, not a reminder. WHY CINEFOCUS IS DIFFERENT Other focus timers feel like chores. CineFocus feels like a ritual you look forward to. The ticket, the seat, the screen — small details that make deep focus something you actually want to do. No gamified guilt. No dying trees. No airport check-ins. Just you, in the best seat in the house. Turn your phone into a cinema. Turn your focus into a feature film. Get your ticket. Take your seat. The show starts when you do. Love CineFocus? Leave a review — it helps other focused people find us. - Subscription Plans: "CineFocus Premium (Annual Auto-Renewal)", "CineFocus Premium (Monthly Auto-Renewal)" - Subscription Type: Auto-renewable subscription - Subscription Price: $23.99 per year (annual auto-renewal) / $3.99 per month (monthly auto-renewal) - Cancel Subscription: To cancel your subscription, go to your iPhone Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions, and select "CineFocus Premium" to cancel. If you do not cancel at least 24 hours before the subscription period ends, the subscription will automatically renew. - The Apple ID associated with the auto-renewable subscription will be charged in your App Store account 24 hours before each billing period ends to extend the subscription. Terms of Service (including subscription policies): https://cinefocus.netlify.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://cinefocus.netlify.app/privacy

Screenshots

Anti Screen Time4 screens
CineFocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

Anti Screen Time and CineFocus 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. Anti Screen Time sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and CineFocus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Anti Screen Time ships an update every 5 days, CineFocus every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Anti Screen Time versus CineFocus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnti Screen TimeCineFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoseph CaseyAkarys Turganbekuly

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Anti Screen Time

Subscriptions5
  • One Week Subscription$0.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Family Plan7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Family Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$74.99
4 purchases

CineFocus

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Plan$19.99
  • Lifetime Plan$34.99

Questions

Is Anti Screen Time free?
Anti Screen Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CineFocus free?
CineFocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Anti Screen Time or CineFocus have ads?
Neither Anti Screen Time nor CineFocus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Anti Screen Time or CineFocus?
Anti Screen Time ships an update every 5 days, and CineFocus every 3 days. Most recently, Anti Screen Time was updated on November 5, 2026 and CineFocus on October 31, 2026.

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