PACE vs OpenAd
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PACE
This app gamifies deep work by converting your focus time into in-game currency. Earn coins by staying focused, then invest them to build a virtual empire through stock trading, business ownership, and property flipping. Compete on global leaderboards and watch your net worth grow in real-time.
- Convert focus time into currency
- Invest earned coins in virtual assets
- Trade stocks with real market dynamics
- Build and manage virtual businesses
- Compete on global leaderboards
- Track net worth growth in real-time
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Your focus time is worth something. PACE turns every minute of deep work into currency, investments, and empire. Most apps guilt you into studying. PACE makes you want to. HOW IT WORKS Start a focus session. Stay locked in. Earn coins. Invest them. Watch your net worth grow — even while you sleep. The more consistently you work, the wealthier you become. Not someday. Right now, inside the game. BUILD YOUR EMPIRE → Trade stocks with real market dynamics → Flip cars, houses, and gadgets for profit → Own businesses that generate passive income → Manage a football club and compete in tournaments EVERY ASSET. EVERY INVESTMENT. FUNDED BY YOUR FOCUS. COMPETE & DOMINATE Global leaderboards. Friend rivalries. Team campaigns. Weekly tournaments. Your net worth is public. Your grind speaks for itself. WHY STUDENTS AND HIGH PERFORMERS CHOOSE PACE Revision and deep work pay off — but only weeks or months later. PACE closes that gap. Every session produces an immediate, visible return. You can see your effort compounding in real time. No ads. No in-app purchases. No pay-to-win. Just your time, converted into progress. Download PACE. Start your session. Build something.
OpenAd
This app helps you limit screen time by making distractions inconvenient. Gate specific apps or categories, and watch a short ad to unlock them temporarily. It's designed to create friction, encouraging deliberate choices and helping you regain focus.
- Gate apps, categories, or websites
- Watch ads to unlock apps
- Temporary unlocks (5 or 15 minutes)
- Automatic re-locking
- Tracks user resistance
- Private by design, no account needed
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Before you scroll, pay the toll. OpenAd is a free app blocker and screen time tool. Pick the apps that eat your day, and every time you open one, you watch an ad first. It's annoying. That's the point. 100% FREE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. EVER. The ads pay for OpenAd, so you never do. No paywall, no premium tier. HOW IT WORKS • Block any app, category or website • Open a blocked app and pick 5 or 15 minutes • Watch 1 ad for 5 minutes, or 2 ads for 15 • When time's up, the block comes back on its own • Change your mind? Back out, and it counts as a win STOP DOOMSCROLLING, AND SEE THE PROOF • Your screen time receipt: tolls paid, ads watched and urges resisted, for this week or all time. Share it in one tap • A Lock Screen countdown while your apps are unlocked • A Sunday recap of your week • A Home Screen widget with today's resisted urges MADE FOR • Cutting back on social media and doomscrolling • Staying focused while you study or work • A digital detox that doesn't depend on willpower GOOD TO KNOW • If an ad can't load, OpenAd offers a short timed wait instead. • You never have to tap an ad, install anything or buy anything. • Screen Time permission is required to block apps. Notifications and tracking are optional. • You can report an inappropriate ad in Settings. YOUR PRIVACY • The apps you block and your Screen Time activity stay on your iPhone. They're never sent to us or to advertisers. • Ads come from third-party ad partners. "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" is in Settings and on by default. • OpenAd collects basic usage analytics to improve the app. See the Privacy Policy for details. The world's most annoying app blocker. You're welcome.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: PACE at none against OpenAd's shown. PACE also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PACE ships an update every 6 days, OpenAd every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PACE | OpenAd |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 181 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hanna Siniora | Seven Agent Studios LLC |
Customer experience
PACE
OpenAd
In-app purchases
PACE
No in-app purchases
OpenAd
No in-app purchases









