Comparison

Shelly vs Tomato

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

Head to head
About

Shelly

This app helps you build healthier phone habits with a visual motivator. It blocks distracting apps, offers focus schedules, and provides gentle breathing reminders to prevent mindless scrolling. Track your progress and improve your digital well-being.

Highlights
  • Visual motivation with a growing snail
  • App blocking and smart schedules
  • Breathing interventions
  • Shell Mode for total focus
  • Daily time allowances
  • Streak tracking
  • History and insights
Features
Read full description

Take back your day with Shelly — your friendly screen time coach to help you build healthy phone habits. Shelly is a cute snail who lives on your phone. The less you doom-scroll, the healthier Shelly gets. The more you mindlessly scroll, the more Shelly retreats into her shell. It's a simple visual nudge that works — no guilt trips, no lectures, just a little friend keeping you honest. Most of us spend 5+ hours glued to our screens without realizing it. Shelly flips the script: block the apps that drain your time, set focus schedules, and get gentle breathing reminders when you're about to spiral into another scroll session. WHY SHELLY WORKS - Visual motivation: Watch Shelly's health improve as your screen time drops - Gentle nudges, not guilt: Breathing exercises instead of harsh lockouts - Smart schedules: Auto-block apps during bedtime, work hours, or study sessions - Shell Mode: Total focus mode that blocks everything except what you whitelist - Real insights: See exactly which apps eat your time and track your progress FEATURES - Instant App Blocking: Pick the apps and sites to block. Done in seconds. - Shell Mode: Block everything except what you whitelist. Total focus. - Breathing Interventions: A 10-second breathing pause before any tracked app opens. - Smart Schedules: Auto-block apps at bedtime, work hours, or custom windows. - Daily Time Allowances: Cap usage on any app. Hit the limit, Shelly blocks it. - Escape Hatch: Need a blocked app? Simple unblock. - Streak Tracking: Stay under your goal. Watch the streak grow. - Home Screen Widget: Today's health score, always visible. - History & Insights: Weekly charts to spot patterns and celebrate wins. DESIGNED FOR - Students who lose hours to scrolling before exams - Creators who need to focus on making, not consuming - Professionals who want deep work without distractions - Parents building healthier phone habits for the family - Anyone who's tired of picking up their phone 150+ times a day PRIVATE & SECURE Shelly uses Apple's Screen Time API. All monitoring and blocking happen entirely on your device. Your usage data never leaves your phone — ever. No tracking. No ads. Just you and Shelly. FOUNDERS NOTE: I built Shelly because I was scrolling for 6 hours a day on my phone and couldn't stop. None of the screen time apps felt right — they were either too strict, too preachy, too complicated, or too easy to bypass. Shelly is the app I wished existed: simple, kind, and effective. All features described above require a subscription. Terms of Service: https://getshelly.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getshelly.app/privacy

About

Tomato

Features
Read full description

Spend less time scrolling and more time living. Tomato is a screen time and focus app that helps you cut distractions, build better habits, and stay in control of your day. Choose the apps that distract you, set a daily limit, schedule times when you want them blocked, or start a Focus Timer when you need to lock in. As your screen time increases, your tomato changes, giving you a simple visual reminder to step away and use your time more intentionally. FEATURES • Block distracting apps • Set a daily screen time limit • Schedule blocking times • Use the Focus Timer for distraction-free sessions • Track your progress over time • See which selected apps use the most time • Build healthier habits with simple check-ins • Stay motivated with your visual tomato companion Whether you’re studying, working, reading, or just trying to spend less time on your phone, Tomato gives you simple tools to stay focused and make your time count. Tomato uses Apple’s Screen Time tools to help you manage selected apps while keeping your activity private. Some features require a Tomato Premium subscription. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID settings. Privacy Policy: [https://sites.google.com/view/tomato-screen-time-privacy/home](https://sites.google.com/view/tomato-screen-time-privacy/home) Terms of Use: [https://sites.google.com/view/tomato-screen-time-terms/home](https://sites.google.com/view/tomato-screen-time-terms/home)

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
Tomato4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shelly and Tomato 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. Shelly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Tomato sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 3 weeks, Tomato every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Shelly versus Tomato: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellyTomato
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpindle Hyperlocal Solutions Private LimitedGalton Ma

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Shelly

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Plan$5.991 Month
  • One time offer$24.991 Year
  • Premium Plan$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Tomato

Subscriptions2
  • Tomato Premium Weekly$5.997 Days
  • Tomato Premium Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tomato free?
Tomato is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shelly or Tomato have ads?
Neither Shelly nor Tomato shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or Tomato?
Shelly ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tomato every 10 days. Most recently, Shelly was updated on October 18, 2026 and Tomato on October 17, 2026.

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