unscroll vs ReadUp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
unscroll
This app helps you reclaim your time by blocking distracting applications and replacing them with curated articles, video essays, and podcasts. It allows you to set custom blocking schedules and provides an offline reader with no ads or popups. You can also listen to articles as audio and track your progress in taking back your scrolling time.
- Block distracting apps
- Focus sessions with timers
- Custom blocking schedules
- Curated articles, videos, podcasts
- Offline reader with no ads
- Article to audio playback
- Track reclaimed time
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unscroll blocks the apps that steal your time and replaces them with curated articles, video essays, and podcasts. Same impulse, better outcome. How it works 1. Pick the apps you want to block 2. Open a blocked app — a shield appears 3. Tap "Send me something to read" — get a curated article instantly What you get • Block distracting apps with iOS Screen Time • Focus sessions with timers and intentions • Custom blocking schedules (work hours, evenings, always-on) • Curated articles, videos, and podcasts • Clean offline reader — no ads, no popups • Listen to any article as audio • Read YouTube videos as text transcripts • Translate articles into 30+ languages • Create and share collections with a code • Track your progress and reclaimed time Why unscroll is different Other apps just block your phone and leave you staring at a wall. unscroll gives you something better to do. You still pick up your phone — but now you read, learn, and grow instead of scrolling. The numbers don't lie The average person scrolls 3+ hours a day. That's over 1,000 hours a year. Enough to read 170 books. Learn a new skill. Finish 25 online courses. unscroll helps you take that time back. Subscription unscroll requires an active subscription. Plans start with a free trial so you can explore everything risk-free. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store settings. Terms of Use: https://unscrollread.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://unscrollread.com/privacy Support: support@unscrollread.com
ReadUp
This app encourages reading by temporarily blocking distracting applications. Users set reading goals and unlock their apps only after completing their reading sessions, promoting focused engagement with content.
- Block distracting apps
- Set reading goals
- Unlock apps after reading
- Curated book library
- Focused reading experience
- Track reading progress
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Read first. Scroll later. Your phone makes scrolling effortless and reading easy to postpone. ReadUp flips that around: Block the apps that distract you. Pick books you want to read. Read until you reach your goal, then your apps unlock. No endless bans. No pretending you’ll never scroll again. Just one simple trade: Your attention, spent on something worth reading first. How it works 1. Choose the apps you want to block 2. Pick a book and set a reading goal 3. Read actively in ReadUp 4. Unlock your apps for the time you earned 5. Return tomorrow and keep your progress going You can keep reading for as long as you want. ReadUp never interrupts a good chapter just because you’ve reached your goal. Why ReadUp? Most app blockers only tell you to stop. ReadUp gives you something better to do. A chapter before TikTok. A few pages before Instagram. A meaningful story before another hour disappears into your feed. You don’t have to delete the apps you enjoy. You simply put reading first. What’s inside * A curated library of great books * A focused, comfortable reading experience * Custom reading and unlock times * App shielding using Apple’s Screen Time controls * Active reading and inactivity tracking * Saved reading position * Reading streaks and daily progress * Pages read, books completed, and reading time tracked * A view of how much scrolling time you’ve replaced What changes You finish more books. You scroll with intention. You protect time for something meaningful. Your phone comes after the promise you made to yourself. Less doomscrolling. More stories, ideas, and pages you’ll remember. Read first. Then scroll. ** Ongoing use requires an active subscription. ** Privacy Policy: https://readup-app.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://readup-app.com/tos/ Contact: contact@readup-app.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ReadUp at 100% against unscroll's 0%. ReadUp also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). unscroll's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (133 vs 6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. unscroll sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and ReadUp sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ReadUp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: unscroll has 133 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of unscroll's written reviews are positive against 100% of ReadUp's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | unscroll | ReadUp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (133 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 133 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 96 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Titun LLC | Nedas Mikucionis |
Customer experience
unscroll
ReadUp
In-app purchases
unscroll
- unscroll+ (weekly)$4.997 Days
- unscroll+ (monthly)$9.991 Month
- unscroll+ (yearly)$34.991 Year
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- unscroll+ (yearly)3 Days trial$59.991 Year
ReadUp
- Full Access (Weekly)$8.997 Days
- Full Access (Yearly)3 Days trial$49.991 Year









