Comparison

Nerve vs Take a Stack

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

Head to head
About

Nerve

Transform unproductive app usage into a brain-training challenge. Answer logic puzzles and brainteasers to earn back access to blocked apps, with higher difficulty offering greater rewards and risk.

Highlights
  • App blocking via Apple Screen Time
  • 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards
  • Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet modes
  • Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic
  • 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions
  • ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking
  • Daily quests and achievements
Features
Read full description

Nerve turns screen time into a game of brains and risk. Block the apps you waste time on, then answer brainteaser questions to earn your screen time back. Harder questions unlock more time — if you have the nerve to try them. HOW IT WORKS Pick the apps you want to block. When you try to open one, Nerve challenges you with a brainteaser. Answer correctly and the app unlocks. Answer wrong and you're locked out on a cooldown. It's that simple. PICK YOUR RISK Choose from 6 difficulty tiers — Gimme, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, and Genius. Gimme questions earn you a few minutes. Genius questions earn you hours. But if you get it wrong, harder questions have shorter cooldowns while easier ones make you wait longer. Risk and reward, every time. DOUBLE OR NOTHING Got it right? Gamble your winnings on a harder question for double the screen time. Keep going until you cash out or lose it all. THE GAUNTLET Think you can go all the way? Start at Gimme and climb through all 6 tiers. Every correct answer adds time. One wrong answer and you stop — but you keep what you've earned. Complete all 6 for the ultimate payout. 1000 BRAINTEASER QUESTIONS Logic puzzles, lateral thinking, pattern recognition, wordplay, math tricks, spatial reasoning, number sense, sequencing, deduction, and visual puzzles. These aren't trivia — they're brainteasers designed to make you think. BRAIN SCORE Track your intellectual growth with an ELO-inspired rating system. Start at 1000 and climb through 7 ranks: Novice, Student, Scholar, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, and Genius. See your strengths and weaknesses across 10 question categories. DAILY QUESTS & ACHIEVEMENTS Three new quests every day to keep you on track. Earn streak multipliers for consecutive days. Unlock 20+ achievements as you progress. The more you play, the more screen time you earn per question. FEATURES - Block any app using Apple Screen Time - 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards - Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet challenge modes - Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic - 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions - 10 question categories - ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking - Daily quests with bonus rewards - 20+ unlockable achievements - Streak tracking with time multipliers - Per-category performance analytics - Weekly progress reports - Cooldown skip packs - Works entirely on-device — no account required SUBSCRIPTION Nerve requires a subscription. Plans: - Monthly: $7.99/month - Yearly: $34.99/year (save 63%, includes 3-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/terms.html Support: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/support.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Take a Stack

Features
Read full description

Save an immutable script and selection manifest, then compare the current project against it. See changed copy, reordered lines, different takes, gap changes and unavailable audio before you deliver again. HOW IT WORKS 1. Open a script and choose Delivery checkpoints. 2. Name and save a checkpoint of the current script, selected takes and gaps. 3. Edit a line or continue recording through the normal project workflow. 4. Return to the checkpoint, filter changed lines and share a detailed change report. Keep line-by-line recording, take selection, Alt Take Rescue, recording tools, stitching, mastering and audio exports. Checkpoints do not alter your selections. WHAT TO KNOW Checkpoints are manifests, not audio backups. They do not copy or restore recordings, measure listening quality or export a mix. Audio contents and export or processing settings are not compared. File presence does not verify playback. Keep separate exported-audio backups. iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Nerve4 screens
Take a Stack3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nerve at Free against Take a Stack's $0.99. Take a Stack's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Nerve is free to download; Take a Stack costs $0.99 up front. Nerve sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Take a Stack asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nerve ships an update every 4 days, Take a Stack weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Nerve versus Take a Stack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNerveTake a Stack
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBest Day Labs, LLCRobert Corbin

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Nerve

Subscriptions3
  • Nerve Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Nerve Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Nerve Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Cooldown Skip Pack$0.99
  • Nerve Pro Lifetime$14.99
None

Take a Stack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nerve free?
Nerve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Take a Stack free?
Take a Stack costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nerve or Take a Stack have ads?
Neither Nerve nor Take a Stack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nerve or Take a Stack?
Nerve ships an update every 4 days, and Take a Stack weekly. Most recently, Nerve was updated on October 24, 2026 and Take a Stack on October 24, 2026.

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