Comparison

ctrl vs App Screen Time Lock

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

Head to head
About

ctrl

Features
Read full description

You're losing 4+ hours a day to your phone. That's 60 full days every yearβ€”gone forever. ctrl-time helps you take them back. WHAT MAKES CTRL-TIME DIFFERENT Most screen time apps shame you with numbers. ctrl-time does something different: it shows you what those numbers actually mean for your life. Every minute wasted is a minute you'll never get back. Every minute saved is a minute you can spend on what truly matters. YOUR LIFE IN WEEKS Inspired by Stoic philosophy, the Life in Weeks grid shows your entire existence at a glanceβ€”4,160 weeks, each represented by a single dot. The filled dots are weeks you've already lived. The empty ones are all you have left. It's not meant to scare you. It's meant to wake you up. - See exactly what percentage of your life you've lived - Tap any week to explore what you did (or didn't do) - Export the grid as your iPhone wallpaper - A daily reminder that your time is not infinite FOCUS MODE β€” BLOCK DISTRACTIONS One tap. Zero willpower needed. ctrl-time uses Apple's native Screen Time integration to block the apps that steal your attention. Choose sessions from 15 to 120 minutes and watch the distractions disappear. - Block Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and any time-wasting app - Native iOS integrationβ€”no workarounds or hacks - Live Activities show your timer on Dynamic Island MINUTES RECLAIMED β€” YOUR NEW KPI Every focus session gives you back precious minutes. ctrl-time tracks them all, showing you exactly how much life you've reclaimed. Watch the counter grow. Those aren't just numbersβ€”that's time you've taken back from the algorithm. REPLACEMENT ACTIONS What will you do with your reclaimed time? - Read a book - Exercise - Learn a new skill - Spend time with loved ones Log your activities and give meaning to every minute you save. Turn screen time into life time. DAILY JOURNALING A minimalist journal to reflect on your day. Each entry is linked to its corresponding week in your Life in Weeks gridβ€”building the story of your life, one week at a time. THREE MOTIVATION STYLES Choose how you want to be guided: STOIC β€” Direct messages inspired by ancient philosophy. "Memento mori. Your time is not unlimited." EMPATHETIC β€” Gentle, compassionate reminders. "It's okay to slow down. This is living too." PRAGMATIC β€” Data and concrete numbers. "18 minutes on Instagram = 18 minutes of life." ALWAYS WITH YOU - Home Screen widgets: Life in Weeks, minutes reclaimed, quick journal - Live Activities: timer visible on Dynamic Island and lock screen - Smart notifications: only when they truly matter PREMIUM Unlock everything: - Unlimited focus sessions - Advanced stats and trends - Goals Progression - Journaling Monthly: $9.99 | Yearly: $25 (save 79%) Spend life, not screen. Your next week starts now. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

App Screen Time Lock

Features
Read full description

App Screen Time Lock helps you set clear daily boundaries for distracting apps. Choose the apps you want to control, give each one its own allowance, and the app applies a Screen Time shield after that allowance is used. Use it to: - Set separate daily limits for social, video, games, and other distracting apps - Enable Strict Lock to reduce impulsive changes after limits are active - Add a Guardian Code for an extra accountability step on sensitive changes - Set a local accountability partner name for shareable unlock requests - Share unlock request messages through the iOS share sheet when you need help deciding - Use limited Break Passes for short, intentional pauses without deleting your setup - Review and share a local event log for lock, pass, and settings changes - Keep useful apps available while only blocking the apps you selected The app uses Apple's Screen Time frameworks. Selected apps are handled as Apple-protected tokens, and your limit settings, Guardian Code data, accountability settings, break-pass state, and event logs are stored locally on your device.

Screenshots

ctrl4 screens
App Screen Time Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: App Screen Time Lock at none against ctrl's 2. App Screen Time Lock also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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. ctrl sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. App Screen Time Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ctrl ships an update every 5 days, App Screen Time Lock every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
ctrl versus App Screen Time Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterctrlApp Screen Time Lock
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size16 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGiuseppe RennaKRISHNA PINNAMANENI

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ctrl

Subscriptions2
  • ctrl-time Premium Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • ctrl-time Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

App Screen Time Lock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ctrl free?
ctrl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is App Screen Time Lock free?
App Screen Time Lock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ctrl or App Screen Time Lock have ads?
ctrl shows ads; App Screen Time Lock does not.
Which is updated more often, ctrl or App Screen Time Lock?
ctrl ships an update every 5 days, and App Screen Time Lock every 4 days. Most recently, ctrl was updated on September 22, 2026 and App Screen Time Lock on September 30, 2026.

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