BlockMate vs 15minutes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
BlockMate
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Stop doomscrolling. Without willpower. BlockMate is your AI mate for intentional screen time on iPhone. Instead of hard-blocking apps, it asks one honest question when you reach for Instagram, TikTok, or any app you'd rather not be on. Most of the time, you put the phone down on your own. The friendly way to reduce screen time, without locking yourself out of your own phone. THE PROBLEM You unlock your phone 80+ times a day. Most of those weren't your idea. Hard blockers fail because you override them. Willpower runs out by 2 PM. The lever that actually works is intention β and you only need one second of it, the moment your thumb is moving. Whether you call it doomscrolling, phone addiction, or just a habit you'd like to break, the same one-second lever applies. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps that pull you in. Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, YouTube Shorts β gate any apps, categories, or websites in Safari. BlockMate uses Apple's FamilyControls API, so the gating is real. 2. When you reach for one, BlockMate asks why. A short, honest exchange. No password, no countdown β a 30-second conversation. The AI mate reflects what you said before it asks anything. 3. Walk away, or get exactly the time you asked for. Real reason? You get the minutes you named. Just bargaining? You'll catch yourself, and the app stays closed. Auto-locks when time's up. WHY IT WORKS - Reflects, then asks. A bare question is interrogation. BlockMate restates what you said before asking anything. - Self-compassion, not shame. Honest impulses get honored. Guilt cycles drive more scrolling, not less. - Your past self knew. You set this up in a clear moment, for a foggy one. - Adapts as you grow. The more intentional you become, the quieter BlockMate gets. VS HARD BLOCKERS Opal, One Sec, Jomo, ScreenZen, Refocus β every one promises to reduce screen time. Every one relies on willpower. BlockMate uses a different lever: a 30-second conversation in the moment your thumb is moving. A mate, not a warden. PRIVACY - Apple FamilyControls β your blocklist stays on your device. - Conversations are short, anonymized, and never sold. - No ad networks. No third-party trackers. The product is the business. PRICING Free to start. Upgrade to unlock unlimited negotiations, multi-app gating, and adaptive coaching that learns your patterns. Yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. The friendly way to reduce screen time. Helping people live a little more, scroll a little less. Terms of Service: https://cloudy-bite-d28.notion.site/Terms-of-Service-354cc3aac91081908268cf66507229ec Privacy Policy: https://cloudy-bite-d28.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-2f1cc3aac9108061b102e03cf5eb3ce8
15minutes
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Social media is not always the problem. Losing track of time inside it is. 15minutes gives the feed a beginning and an end. Choose the apps that tend to pull you in, use them for up to 15 minutes, and then take a one-hour break. When the hour is over, your minutes return and the cycle can begin again. Those 15 minutes are shared across your whole selection, so switching from Instagram to TikTok to Reddit does not reset the clock. You decide exactly what belongs in that selection, whether it is a social network, game, browser, or messaging app. There is no daily allowance to burn through before lunch and regret that evening. Instead, 15minutes creates a rhythm you can live with all day. The hour away gives the urge time to fade and gives something else time to begin. Closing 15minutes or restarting your phone will not bypass an active block. A BETTER PLACE TO LAND Reach for a blocked app and you will find a short, surprising fact instead of a blank screen. Browse discoveries from science, history, language, and the everyday myths many of us still believe. It turns a reflexive tap into a small moment of curiosity without reopening the feed. TIME AWAY CAN EARN TIME BACK Premium rewards the hours when you could scroll but choose not to. Each uninterrupted hour away from your selected feeds adds five bonus minutes, up to twice your usual budget. Open one of those apps and the earning streak starts over. AN EXIT THAT MAKES YOU PAUSE If you genuinely need an app before the hour is over, you can always get back in. The free version asks you to complete a 20-second breathing exercise. Premium lets you adjust the exercise or replace it with a few mental-math questions. Breathing remains available as a fallback, so you are never trapped; the brief moment of intention is the point. You can also end a session early. Any unused minutes are set aside and the one-hour break begins immediately, giving you an easy way to act the moment you realize you have had enough. ROUTINES FOR REAL LIFE With Premium, Work, Free Time, and Sleep can each have their own schedule and app list. Work and Free Time rules can also start automatically when you arrive at a saved place such as the office, gym, or home. Depending on the moment, you can block an app completely or give it a separate repeating budget. Every routine is off until you choose to set it up. PROGRESS WITHOUT MAKE-BELIEVE MATH See todayβs completed breaks, your day streak, minutes used, and trends over 7, 30, or 60 days. βTime reclaimedβ includes only breaks you actually kept. Unlock early and the counter stops, because progress should reflect what really happened. THE CORE STAYS FREE The 15/60 cycle, block screen, 20-second breathing unlock, progress view, and off switch are free for good. Premium adds earned minutes, the complete fact collection, custom cycle lengths, automatic routines, and more unlock options. The essential blocker itself is never held behind a subscription. NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED There is no signup, login, or profile to create. Your history and settings stay on your device; only subscription billing communicates with a server. Choose your apps once, then let 15minutes hold the boundary when your attention is somewhere else. Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
BlockMate and 15minutes are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters β price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them β neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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
Both are free to download. BlockMate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and 15minutes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | BlockMate | 15minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | β | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad β better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oleh Hykavyy | Nikola Hack |
In-app purchases
BlockMate
- BlockMate Pro (Monthly)$6.991 Month
- BlockMate Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
15minutes
- Weekly Premium Subscription$1.997 Days
- Monthly Premium Subscription$5.991 Month
- Annual Premium Subscription$39.991 Year









