Comparison

Tonic vs BrainMaxx

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

Head to head
About

Tonic

This app helps you build good habits by making them unlock your other apps. It allows you to set limits on distracting apps and rewards productive behavior. You can customize rules to integrate with your existing life and achieve your goals.

Highlights
  • Habit-based app unlocking
  • Customizable screen time limits
  • Integration with Apple Health
  • Flexible rule setting
  • Productive minute banking
  • Escalating pause feature
Features
Read full description

Your phone works in the wrong order. Tonic isn't just another app blocker: your good habits unlock your apps, and the ones that only need boundaries get limits that fit. You bought the books. You downloaded Duolingo. You signed up for the meditation app. Tonic puts those things first, and lets your phone cooperate with the life you're already building. HOW IT WORKS Set any app as a reward for your good habits. Tonic tracks what would be too hard to log yourself: your progress in apps like Kindle or Duolingo, calories burned, whether you meditated this morning, even whether you've gotten outside. Require your habits each day, or bank productive minutes to spend later. For apps that only need boundaries, Tonic adapts to the problem: screen time limits by hours or by visits, cooldowns between sessions, or moments of pause that escalate the more you reach for it. You choose what locked looks like: a gentle nudge toward the good thing, a strict wall, or a pause that grows each time you haven't earned it. WORKS WITH THE APPS YOU ALREADY LOVE Reading, workouts, meditation, steps, sunlight, and sleep come straight from Apple Health and your Apple Watch, or from time spent in the productive apps you choose. No logging, no proof photos, no check-ins. And the unlock is real: when your habit counts, the shield lifts on its own. You don't open Tonic to prove anything or unlock anything by hand. Finish your reading, and your apps are simply open when you reach for them. WHAT YOU CAN SET UP Every app is a different problem. Rules can look like: "Don't let me into social media for longer than five minutes at a time until my watch has registered 20 minutes of sunlight." "Make it harder each time I reach for Instagram if I've used it more than Duolingo today." "After 5 visits on the weekend, make me pause when I reach for Slack or Teams." "When I reach for social media in the morning, redirect my phone to my journaling app." "Hard block mobile games until I've worked out three times in the last week, then give me an hour each earned day." YOURS TO CONTROL Tonic is self-directed and built for adults. You pick the apps, you set the rules, and you can change them whenever you want. No account. No parent. No lock you can't open. Your habits stay on your device. Tonic never sees which apps you chose, and your rules never leave your phone. Pick one app that gets in your way and one habit you keep meaning to do. Start there. A tonic for your habits. Break the bad, build the good. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tonichabits.com/privacy

About

BrainMaxx

This app helps you complete tasks and habits before you can access your phone's apps. Earn screen time by finishing your to-do list and keep a virtual pet happy with your progress. Build discipline and a healthier relationship with your device.

Highlights
  • Task and habit completion
  • App blocking
  • Earn screen time
  • Virtual pet companion
  • Progress tracking
  • Routine building
Features
Read full description

Get your time, focus, and attention span back with BrainMaxx, the screen time app with a cute brain that rots as you doomscroll and heals when you live your life. Block the apps that eat your day, set schedules, and let the brain nudge you to put the phone down. Save about 2 hours a day, think clearer, sleep better, and actually get things done. What you get: - A brain that rots as you doom scroll, so you see the damage before it's done - App blocking with schedules for mornings, work hours, bedtime and custom times - Unrots: quick habits that heal your brain, like walking, reading, touching grass, and push-ups - A brain that talks you out of scrolling the moment you open a blocked app - Mindful breaks you choose on purpose, without the guilt or shame - Clear insights into your screen time, pickups, and worst hours - Daily streaks that unlock new worlds for your brain PRIVATE & SECURE BrainMaxx uses Apple's Screen Time API. All monitoring, blocking, and your brain health score stay entirely on your device. Your app usage never leaves your phone. Stop scrolling. Unrot your brain. *All features described above require a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://www.brainmaxxapp.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.brainmaxxapp.com/terms Support: support@doerpal.com

Screenshots

Tonic4 screens
BrainMaxx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Tonic at none against BrainMaxx's shown. Tonic also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). BrainMaxx's advantage is ratings volume (176 vs 36). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Tonic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and BrainMaxx sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tonic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 176 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Tonic's written reviews are positive against 92% of BrainMaxx's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tonic ships an update every 3 days, BrainMaxx weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Tonic versus BrainMaxx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTonicBrainMaxx
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (36 ratings) — better4.8 (176 ratings)
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews — better92.3% of reviews
Number of ratings36176 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.417.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB126 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSets Studio LLCJuan Vizoso Prado

Customer experience

Tonic

All ratings36 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative0.0%

BrainMaxx

All ratings176 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Tonic

Subscriptions2
  • Tonic Unlimited7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Tonic Unlimited7 Days trial$29.991 Year
9 purchases

BrainMaxx

Subscriptions9
  • Pro Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$12.997 Days
  • Pro Yearly Offer$29.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • Full Access3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Full Access$34.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription$44.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Full Access$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Tonic free?
Tonic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BrainMaxx free?
BrainMaxx is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tonic or BrainMaxx?
Tonic is rated higher. Tonic averages 5.0 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while BrainMaxx averages 4.8 from 176 ratings.
Do Tonic or BrainMaxx have ads?
BrainMaxx shows ads; Tonic does not.
Which is updated more often, Tonic or BrainMaxx?
Tonic ships an update every 3 days, and BrainMaxx weekly. Most recently, Tonic was updated on October 9, 2026 and BrainMaxx on October 13, 2026.

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