Shelly vs Daybreak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Daybreak
This app automatically blocks distracting applications overnight and keeps them locked in the morning until a focus session is completed. It helps users prioritize their morning routine before accessing social media, games, or news.
- Automatic overnight app blocking
- Morning focus session requirement
- Customizable distraction selection
- Simple, automatic scheduling
- Emergency access with limits
- Live Activities and Dynamic Island support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your phone should not be the first thing that takes your attention each morning. Daybreak automatically blocks the distracting apps you choose overnight and keeps them blocked after you wake. Dedicate time in the morning to complete a focus session before those apps become available for the day. HOW DAYBREAK WORKS 1. Choose your distractions Select the social media, video, news, games, or other apps that tend to cloud your mornings. 2. Set your schedule Choose when your apps lock for the night and when your morning focus period becomes available. Daybreak applies the schedule automatically, without requiring you to remember to turn it on. 3. Focus before distractions When you wake up, your selected apps remain blocked until you complete your chosen focus session. After completing it, your apps become available for the rest of the day. BUILT FOR PROTECTED MORNINGS • Automatic overnight and morning app blocking • A clear morning streak • Emergency access for unexpected situations • Live Activities and Dynamic Island support • A simple schedule that runs automatically • Screen Time controls powered by Apple’s Family Controls framework FRICTION WITH A PURPOSE Daybreak does not try to compete with distracting apps for your attention. It creates a clear boundary before the morning begins: focus first, then regain access. Emergency access remains available, but it includes deliberate limits so that it stays an exception rather than becoming the default. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your schedule, selected apps, and focus history are stored on your device. Daybreak does not upload your selected-app information to a remote database. An account is optional. Daybreak can be used without signing in. EARLY ACCESS Every part of Daybreak is available free during its launch while the app is refined with early users. Optional one-time early-support purchases grant lifetime access to Daybreak’s current and future features. There is no recurring subscription during this early-access release. Daybreak requires Screen Time permission to block the apps you select. Permission can be removed from your device settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Daybreak at free with in-app purchases against Shelly's subscription. Shelly's advantage is iOS requirement (18.1 vs 26.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Shelly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Daybreak sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Shelly against 5.0 for Daybreak. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively.
Shelly ships an update every 3 weeks, Daybreak every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shelly | Daybreak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Spindle Hyperlocal Solutions Private Limited | Ryan Setiawan |
Customer experience
Shelly
Daybreak
In-app purchases
Shelly
- Premium Plan$5.991 Month
- One time offer$24.991 Year
- Premium Plan$49.991 Year
Daybreak
- Supporter$9.99
- Champion$19.99
- Founding Member$39.99









