Comparison

Loop vs BrainShift

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Loop

Features
Read full description

You'll spend more than four hours on your phone today. Most of it goes to a handful of apps you never meant to open. Over a year, that's two months of your life. Loop helps you take it back. Loop blocks the apps that waste your time. To get them back, you do a loop: a short routine you built, like read for ten minutes, stretch, or plan your day. Finish the loop, and your apps reopen. Other apps let you tap "ignore" and you're back in the feed in seconds. Loop asks for something small first. Do the thing that matters, then scroll. HOW LOOP WORKS 1. Choose the apps to block, and when. 2. Build a loop from a few short steps, in any order. 3. Hit your limit, and your apps sit behind your loop. 4. Run the loop. The apps reopen when you're done. WHY IT WORKS You don't break a habit by fighting it. You replace it. Loop swaps the mindless reach for your phone with a routine that moves your day forward. Over time, watch yourself rewire. FEATURES - Loops: build short routines from 28+ activities across focus, morning, wind-down, health and reset. - App limits: block the apps you choose, on a daily cap or a set window. - Reminders: gentle nudges for your morning and wind-down loops. - Rewired score: watch your progress build, week by week. FREE AND PREMIUM Loop is free: build loops, set app limits, and track your progress. Premium adds the Lock: an un-skippable block, so your apps stay shut until your loop is done, with no ignore button. Premium also unlocks unlimited loops and cloud sync. Terms of Use: https://joegrn.github.io/loop-terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://joegrn.github.io/loop-privacy-policy/

About

BrainShift

Features
Read full description

Stop fighting your screen time. Start earning it. BrainShift turns focus, reading, movement, sleep, and the plans you complete into screen time you can use with intention. Your earned balance, completed plans, and activity history keep progress visible, so better choices feel rewardingβ€”not punishing. EARN TIME BY DOING WHAT MATTERS β€’ Start focus timers for reading, studying, exercise, mindfulness, and more. β€’ Build recurring habits and one-off to-dos with flexible Plans. β€’ Complete healthy activities to add time to your daily screen-time budget. β€’ Let eligible workouts, walking, mindfulness, and sleep contribute with optional Health access. STAY IN CONTROL β€’ Choose the distracting apps that use your earned time. β€’ See how much time you have earned, spent, and have left. β€’ Use optional app blocking, focus protection, sleep schedules, and Plan commitments when you want stronger boundaries. β€’ Take deliberate Emergency Access when you need a break from a block, then return to your plan. SEE YOUR PROGRESS β€’ Review your focus, plans, and earning activity in one dashboard. β€’ Review screen-time patterns, activity history, and daily progress. β€’ Keep important controls close with widgets, Live Activities, and shortcuts. β€’ Get gentle Focus Nudges without guilt or shame. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Raw Screen Time selections, app and website usage details, and Health data are processed on your device. BrainShift does not sell your personal data or use third-party advertising trackers. You can turn limited installation-linked product analytics on or off in Settings. Health access is optional, and you stay in control of permissions. BRAINSHIFT PLUS BrainShift Plus unlocks premium activities, Custom Plans, Commitment Mode, productive-app earning, sleep tools, custom earning rules, extended history, block-screen styles, and personalization. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://chipmunkstudio.com/privacy/brainshift/ Terms of Service: https://chipmunkstudio.com/terms/brainshift/

Screenshots

Loop4 screens
BrainShift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BrainShift at every 3 days against Loop's every 9 days. BrainShift also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Loop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and BrainShift sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Loop ships an update every 9 days, BrainShift every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Loop versus BrainShift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoopBrainShift
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.518.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size43 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoseph GreenOguzhan Erarslan

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Loop

Subscriptions2
  • Loop Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Loop Premium Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
3 purchases

BrainShift

Subscriptions2
  • BrainShift Plus Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • BrainShift Plus Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • BrainShift Plus Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Loop free?
Loop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BrainShift free?
BrainShift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Loop or BrainShift have ads?
Neither Loop nor BrainShift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Loop or BrainShift?
Loop ships an update every 9 days, and BrainShift every 3 days. Most recently, Loop was updated on October 11, 2026 and BrainShift on October 18, 2026.

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