Barrier vs Keelder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Barrier
This app helps you regain control over your phone usage by creating a physical barrier to accessing distracting applications. Instead of simply closing apps, it requires you to wait a set amount of time with your phone face down before granting temporary access, prompting reflection on your digital habits.
- Select apps to limit
- Automatic app locking
- Face-down phone wait for unlock
- Temporary app access
- Customizable wait times (5-60 seconds)
- Unlimited apps with paid version
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Most blockers simply close apps. One tap and you’re back to scrolling. This app works differently. To open social media, you have to put your phone face down and wait. From 5 to 60 seconds — you choose. There’s no “cancel” button. You just sit there, staring at the back of your phone. In those seconds, your brain snaps out of autopilot. You remember that you actually had things to do. And you realize — is this feed really worth a minute of your life? Most of the time — it’s not. This isn’t blocking. It’s a physical barrier that brings back control. How Barrier works: 1. Choose apps → Select the apps you want to limit 2.Auto-blocking → Apps are locked automatically 3.Unlock → Put your phone face down for a set time 4.Temporary access → Apps become available for a limited time Paid features: - Unlimited apps and category (Free: 5 apps or 1 category) Privacy Policy: https://sabellus.github.io/portal/privacybarrier.html Terms of Use: https://sabellus.github.io/portal/termsbarrier.html
Keelder
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You reach for your phone on autopilot. The app doesn't open. Instead, you meet one short line, written by you, for exactly this moment. That's all Keelder does. And the moment changes. Pick the apps that pull you in. In a calm minute, write one line in your own words: your anchor. From then on, a shield carries those words every time you reach for those apps. Under the words, a quiet count: "Today: open 3 · line 3". The line is yours. You decide how many opens a day is enough. Opening anyway is allowed, and counted. Past the line, the count just keeps climbing. The line is a mirror, not a wall. Each open unlocks the app for about 15 minutes. Then the shield returns, and your words are waiting. If you want a real wall, there is one: an optional hard stop at the line. Off by default. Your call. The Reflect tab keeps a quiet record of your opens: the time and the words you met, and the hours of day when you usually reach for your phone. No streaks, no scores, no shame. The apps are built to pull you back; you were never the problem. Keelder is not a blocker. It does not fight you for your phone. It gives you one honest moment before the feed, in the one voice that is hard to scroll past: your own. Keelder uses Apple's Screen Time permission to show the shield. There is no account, no server, and no analytics. Everything, including your words, stays on your phone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Keelder at none against Barrier's 3. Keelder also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Barrier sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Keelder asks for nothing beyond the download.
Barrier ships an update every 2 weeks, Keelder every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Barrier | Keelder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Savelii Veprev | Ilya Liutsko |
In-app purchases
Barrier
- Premium for week$2.997 Days
- Premium for month$4.991 Month
- Premium Forever$9.99
Keelder
No in-app purchases









