Gus vs MathBlocker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gus
This app helps you regain control of your time by setting daily limits on app usage. It locks distracting apps when your limit is reached, encouraging you to invest time in your personal goals instead. Track progress on your projects and habits with timed sessions and weekly reviews.
- Set daily app usage limits
- Lock distracting apps at limit
- Invest time in personal goals
- Timed goal sessions and tracking
- Weekly progress reviews
- Protected sessions for focused work
- Daily habit building routines
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You know the moment. You open one app to check one thing, and forty minutes disappear. And every limit you've ever set, you've swiped away. This one is different, and it fits in one sentence: you set a daily limit, Gus makes it hold, and the time you get back goes to your goals. How it works, in order: 1. You set the limit. Decide how much scrolling a day is fine by you. Your limit, your call. Most people start around two hours. 2. Gus makes it hold. At the limit, the apps you picked lock. Mid-scroll, no countdown, no "ignore limit" button. Want more time today? There is exactly one way: time on one of your goals. Every timed minute opens a minute of your apps, up to half an hour at a time. 3. Your goals get the time. Name what actually matters: the side project, getting in shape, real books. Give each one weekly hours. Sessions are timed, every hour is logged, and the week fills up where you decided it should. Evidence, not vibes. Also in the box: • Protected Sessions: lock your distractions while you work, for exactly as long as you say. Breaking one is a real decision, not a one-tap escape. • Weekly Time Budgets: commit hours to each goal and watch the record build. • Daily Habits: meditate, walk, journal. Small timed habits that replace the scroll instead of becoming another chore. • Weekly Review: an honest weekly bill. Limits held, hours built, nothing hidden and nothing inflated. • A focused AI chat, per goal: it advises. It never touches your data. You decide. And one promise: no shame, no guilt trips, no pressure. A rough day is a rough day, not a failure. The numbers reset and tomorrow starts clean. Gus isn't a coach yelling at you to do better. He's a good dog: calm, direct, quietly glad you showed up. Your time is the evidence of what you actually care about. Gus makes sure the evidence is on your side. SUBSCRIPTION & PRICING Subscription options include Weekly and Yearly plans, and both start with a 7-day free trial. Pricing is shown in the app before purchase and may vary by country. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in Apple ID settings. Restore Purchases is available in the app. (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED: Gus requires an auto-renewable subscription to unlock full access.) Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://adomicael.github.io/arc/privacy/
MathBlocker
This app places a math problem between you and apps you overuse. Solve a math question to regain access to blocked applications, with difficulty levels and problem sets from standardized tests.
- Block any app or category
- Adjustable math problem difficulty
- Choose from various standardized test problem sets
- Earn back app time by solving problems
- Set daily, weekly, and per-app limits
- Schedule blocks by time of day
- Usage dashboard
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MathBlocker puts a math problem between you and the apps you open too much. You pick the apps you want blocked. When you try to open one after your time's up, a math question shows up instead. You answer it, you get a few minutes back. You don't, the app stays closed. The questions are real. They come from the same problem sets people use to study for the SAT, ACT, AMC, and AIME. You can set the difficulty. Easy questions if you just want a speed bump. Harder ones if you actually want to stop scrolling. Features - Block any app or category — social, video, games, news, browsers - Pick your difficulty, from warmup arithmetic to competition-level - Choose your problem set: SAT, ACT, AMC, AIME, Putnam, or general practice - Earn time back per problem solved (you set how much) - Daily, weekly, and per-app limits - Schedule blocks by time of day (bedtime, study hours, work hours) - Dashboard with usage broken down by app, hour, and day - Custom block screen so it actually feels like a stop sign - Works with Family Sharing if you're setting it up for someone younger A few ways people use it: blocking social apps during work hours. Locking everything after 10pm with hard math. Pairing it with actual SAT prep so the time you would've spent scrolling becomes practice instead. Everything stays on your phone. No account, no login, no data sent anywhere. iOS 16 and up. iPhone only.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MathBlocker at none against Gus's 2. MathBlocker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Gus's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating and device support 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. Gus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. MathBlocker asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Gus against 5.0 for MathBlocker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.
| Parameter | Gus | MathBlocker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adonias Micael | Andy Phu |
Customer experience
Gus
MathBlocker
In-app purchases
Gus
- Gus Pro (Weekly)7 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Gus Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
MathBlocker
No in-app purchases









