Comparison

Promise Piece vs Takeback

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

Head to head
About

Promise Piece

Features
Read full description

Promise Piece helps you build lasting habits by tracking your daily promises for 28 days. Keep your promise today with: • Simple daily tracking • 28-day countdown calendar • Visual progress tracking • Streak tracking • Beautiful, minimalist design

About

Takeback

This app uses a drill sergeant persona to help you break free from excessive phone use. It negotiates your access to distracting apps and implements a progressive 60-day bootcamp to retrain your habits.

Highlights
  • Drill sergeant accountability
  • Negotiated app access
  • Progressive 60-day bootcamp
  • Customizable difficulty (Chill/Savage)
  • Habit retraining
  • Time and attention recovery
Features
Read full description

Takeback is Sarge, an AI coach who lets you into your social apps when you have a real reason and cuts off the doomscrolling. Not another app blocker. Other blockers lock everything, so you delete them by Friday. Or they're easy to skip. Sarge is tougher, but fair. A REAL REASON GETS YOU IN DMing a friend? Work? You get in. Doomscrolling? He cuts you off. He knows how long you've already scrolled today. 5 MODES. FIND YOURS. Some days your apps stay open, and the second you start doomscrolling, they lock. Some days every open costs a short wait while he tries to talk you out of it. On Blackout days, only a strong reason or a real emergency gets you in. Sarge picks your first modes, then you choose the one that works. HARDCORE WHEN YOU NEED IT On Hardcore days you say it out loud. Hold to talk, tell him why you need your apps, and he talks back. HE LEARNS YOU How you scroll. When you slip up. Then he adjusts your plan, and your daily limit steps down to your goal. YOUR ANTI-ALGORITHM Thousands of engineers. Billions of dollars. One job: keep you scrolling. Willpower can't beat that. It was never your fault. Sarge is an AI on your side against a billion-dollar feed. WANT MORE TIME? EARN IT. Go for a walk, work out, touch real grass, or hold a focus block. He checks the proof: your steps, a fresh photo, or 45 minutes with no unlocks. Pictures of pictures don't work on him. WHAT CHANGES Evenings that end in sleep, not a 2am feed. An attention span you can feel coming back. Hours that used to vanish with nothing to show for them. A phone you finally trust yourself with. WHO'S BEHIND IT Takeback is run by Stan Tatarnykov. He built games played by 80M+ people, so he knows how apps keep you hooked. Now he's on your side. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://trytakeback.com/privacy

Screenshots

Promise Piece4 screens
Takeback4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Promise Piece at none against Takeback's 9. Promise Piece also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price 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. Takeback sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Promise Piece asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Promise Piece ships an update every 4 days, Takeback every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Promise Piece versus Takeback: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPromise PieceTakeback
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert MillGatarn Games Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

Promise Piece

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Takeback

Subscriptions9
  • Takeback Monthly Plan$8.991 Month
  • Takeback Pro Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Takeback Yearly Plan$19.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • Takeback Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Takeback Annual3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Takeback Yearly$39.991 Year
  • Takeback Annual$44.991 Year
  • Takeback Annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Takeback Pro Annual$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Promise Piece free?
Promise Piece is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Takeback free?
Takeback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Promise Piece or Takeback have ads?
Takeback shows ads; Promise Piece does not.
Which is updated more often, Promise Piece or Takeback?
Promise Piece ships an update every 4 days, and Takeback every 10 days. Most recently, Promise Piece was updated on October 25, 2026 and Takeback on October 25, 2026.

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