Comparison

BlockLab vs Tally

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

Head to head
About

BlockLab

Features
Read full description

Your phone is designed to distract you. BlockLab is designed to stop it. BlockLab uses Apple's Screen Time framework to block distracting apps during focus sessions and scheduled blocks — the same system-level protection built into iOS, with a cleaner, more intentional interface built around how you actually work. Focus your way Create Focus Profiles with the exact apps you want blocked. Start a manual session when you need to lock in, or set a recurring schedule so blocking happens automatically — no willpower required. Real blocking, not suggestions When a session is active, blocked apps are shielded at the system level. There's no sneaking past it. Grace Period Need a moment before a block kicks in? BlockLab gives you a grace period so you can wrap up what you're doing before focus mode takes over. Pay once. Use forever. No subscription. No monthly fee. No paywalled features. Buy BlockLab once and it's yours. BlockLab is for people who want a simple, honest tool — not an app that gamifies your attention or monetizes your habits.

About

Tally

This app helps you understand where your time goes by gently prompting you to log activities throughout the day. It provides visual breakdowns of your time, allowing you to identify patterns and achieve a better balance between productivity and rest.

Highlights
  • Gentle daily prompts for logging
  • Quick-log from notifications
  • Customizable categories with icons
  • Visual daily timeline
  • Balance bars for productivity and rest
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly insights
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

You know the feeling. It's 9 PM and you're wondering where the day went. You were busy — but doing what, exactly? Tally answers that question. Not with timers or complicated tracking. Just a gentle nudge throughout the day: "What did you just do?" Tap a category and you're done. Three seconds, tops. Do this for a few days and something shifts. You stop guessing and start seeing. The afternoon you thought was productive? Mostly phone. The evening you felt was wasted? Actually a solid mix of cooking and reading. Tally doesn't judge. It just shows you the picture. YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE Your daily timeline is a visual map of how your hours were spent, color-coded by category. At a glance, you see the shape of your day — what you did, and what slipped by unlogged. LOG WITHOUT THINKING - A gentle nudge at the interval you choose - Quick-log directly from the notification — no need to open the app - Pick from your most-used categories with a single tap - Only active during your waking hours — you set the schedule CATEGORIES THAT FIT YOUR LIFE Tally comes with 10 default categories: Work, Rest, Exercise, Social Media, Reading, Commute, Cooking, Entertainment, Social, and Other. Add your own — unlimited, with custom icons and colors. Your categories should reflect how you actually spend time, not how you wish you did. BALANCE, NOT JUST DATA Tally tracks four dimensions of a well-spent day through balance bars: - Create: time spent on focused, productive work - Recharge: rest, exercise, cooking — recovery that actually counts - Focus: your day minus the distractions - Awareness: how much of your day you've accounted for Each bar has a personal target. When all four close, you've had a balanced day — by your own definition, not anyone else's. SEE THE PATTERNS The Insights tab breaks down your time across four views: - Daily: where today's hours went, charted by category - Weekly: seven days side by side — spot the rhythm of your week - Monthly: trends that only emerge over longer stretches - Yearly: the full picture of how your time adds up No scores designed to guilt you. Just clean data about your own life. BUILT TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY - iCloud sync keeps your data across all your devices - Dark mode that follows your system setting - Works offline — your data is local first, always - No account required. No sign-up. No analytics tracking you. Tally is completely free. Every feature, every insight, every category — no paywalls, no limits, no "upgrade to unlock" screens. WHAT TALLY IS NOT Tally is not a Pomodoro tool. There are no work/break cycles. Tally is not a billing tracker. There are no projects or clients. Tally is a mirror. It shows you where your time goes. What you do with that information is entirely up to you. Terms of Use: https://www.theblackholecompany.com/termsConditions.html

Screenshots

BlockLab3 screens
Tally4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BlockLab at every 2 weeks against Tally's every 6 weeks. BlockLab also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BlockLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tally sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlockLab ships an update every 2 weeks, Tally every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and July 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BlockLab versus Tally: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlockLabTally
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel CatinellaYoussef Ismaili

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BlockLab

One-time1
  • BlockLab Premium$2.99
5 purchases

Tally

One-time5
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Generous Tip$9.99
  • Crazy Tip$49.99

Questions

Is BlockLab free?
BlockLab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tally free?
Tally is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BlockLab or Tally have ads?
Neither BlockLab nor Tally shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlockLab or Tally?
BlockLab ships an update every 2 weeks, and Tally every 6 weeks. Most recently, BlockLab was updated on September 7, 2026 and Tally on July 4, 2026.

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