Friction vs ScrollNinja
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Friction
This app helps you break free from mindless scrolling by requiring you to complete quick physical challenges before accessing distracting apps. Earn scrolling time through exercise and build healthier digital habits with a privacy-first approach.
- Complete physical challenges to earn screen time
- Connect to Screen Time for app control
- Track progress and build discipline
- Privacy-first design with on-device detection
- Breaks impulsive scrolling loops
- Customizable app blocking
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Friction helps you stop doomscrolling by making screen time intentional. Instead of opening distracting apps automatically, Friction asks you to complete a quick challenge first. Do a few push-ups, squats, or a plank, and earn scrolling time on purpose. How it works: • Connect Screen Time and choose the apps you want to control • Complete short physical challenges to unlock access • Earn minutes based on reps and track your progress • Build better habits through small, repeatable actions Why Friction: • Breaks impulsive scrolling loops • Turns “just 5 minutes” into a conscious choice • Helps you train discipline daily, not occasionally • Clean, fast flow designed for real-world use Privacy-first by design: • Exercise detection runs on-device • We do not collect, store, or share your Screen Time data • Challenge processing stays local to your device If you’re serious about reducing mindless scrolling and reclaiming your focus, Friction is built for you. Subscription notice: • Friction uses an auto-renewable subscription to access paid features • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase • Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • You can manage and cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings If you’re serious about reducing mindless scrolling and reclaiming your focus, Friction is built for you. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ScrollNinja
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You were not born to scroll. Every day the feed takes hours you will never get back. ScrollNinja gives them back, one mission at a time, and turns you into the person you could be: more focused, calmer, more creative, more in control. Try it free for 7 days. Feel the change before you pay. BECOME YOUR NINJA Pick your ninja from 50 painted characters. Every mission makes them stronger. Watch them change through 5 painted ranks, from Curious Novice to Scroll Master. On Day 3 your ninja can reach Level 5 and earn a sword. Who will you be in 90 days? ONE MISSION A DAY, MADE FOR YOU No guessing, no menus to explore. Every day ScrollNinja gives you one mission, at the hour you scroll the most, and tells you why it is for you. Too hard? It gets smaller. Doing great? It grows with you. GROW FOUR POWERS - Focus: your attention back. Finish a movie, a book, a task. - Wisdom: a calm, clear mind. - Fantasy: your imagination and better nights. - Discipline: you decide, not the feed. FOCUS AND MEDITATE - Focus sessions lock the apps that pull you in. - Guided meditation and breathing, from 3 minutes. - Calm sounds made by us: rain, forest, waves, a fireplace on a winter night, temple bells, koto and more. Mix two. - Come back and tap Finish to collect your XP. Honest points, no tricks. BLOCK THE FEEDS - Block the apps you pick, right now, for as long as you choose. - Plan blocks for the night or for work hours. - Social sites are blocked in Safari too, so there is no back door. WHEN THE URGE HITS Tap Rescue Me and breathe with your ninja instead of opening the feed. CHALLENGES AND THE DOJO 7-day challenges for every power, each ending with a red seal. Train with friends and ninjas around the world in the weekly Dojo. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your Screen Time data stays on your iPhone, through Apple Screen Time. We never see your messages, photos or what you watch. No ads, no tracking, and we never sell data. SUBSCRIPTION Start with 7 days free. ScrollNinja Pro is a monthly auto-renewing subscription: $4.90 in the US, €4.90 in Europe, £4.90 in the UK, or the local price shown in the app before you buy. Early members keep this early price for as long as their subscription stays active. If you do not cancel at least 24 hours before the free week ends, the subscription starts and payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://scrollninja.app/privacy ScrollNinja is a game that helps you build better phone habits. It is not a medical or therapeutic tool, and its powers are game points, not a measure of intelligence, creativity or mental health.
Screenshots
Verdict
Friction and ScrollNinja 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
Both are free to download. Friction sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and ScrollNinja sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Friction ships an update every 6 days, ScrollNinja every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Friction | ScrollNinja |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (319 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 319 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 143 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TalkUp LLC | Loris Liusso |
In-app purchases
Friction
- Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription$7.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$14.991 Year
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
ScrollNinja
- Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Yearly$29.991 Year









