Cascade vs WhyOpen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cascade
This app helps you regain focus by blocking chosen applications and offering mindful exercises when you feel the urge to open them. It allows you to set up automated focus routines and track your progress with friends.
- App blocking
- Mindful exercises
- Customizable routines
- Social focus tracking
- Weekly progress reports
- Lock screen widget
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Cascade blocks the apps you pick, for as long as you pick. The rest of the app is about the moment you want to open them anyway. WHEN THE URGE COMES The feeling you name decides what you get: a short breathing exercise, a small thing to do away from the screen, or a question to think about. Each takes a minute or two. None of them lead back to the feed. ROUTINES Set the days and hours once. Sessions start and end on their own, even when the app is closed. ALWAYS ON Always locked keeps the apps you choose closed until you remove them. Check-ins add a short pause before an impulsive open. FRIENDS Add friends with a code. In the Progress tab you see each other's focus time, longest session and streak. You can invite friends into a focus session, or into a shared routine so everyone focuses at the same hours with their own apps. Every finished session also counts as a vote for the person you are becoming, and your friends can see your votes too. THE WEEKLY LETTER At the end of every week Cascade writes you a short letter: which days you focused, why you stopped, what you finished. Past letters stay in an archive. ALSO INSIDE Short meditations for focus, calm and sleep. Rewire, a course on why feeds are so hard to put down. A lock screen widget and Live Activities for your sessions. PRIVACY The list of apps you block stays on your phone. Blocking runs on Apple's Screen Time framework, on your device. We never see your apps. What you type in Ask Cascade goes to our server to be answered. PRICE Free: unlimited Zen sessions, one meditation, one Rewire lesson. Pro unlocks everything else, as a subscription or a one time purchase. The yearly plan starts with a 7 day free trial. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
WhyOpen
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WhyOpen helps you break mindless phone habits by adding one simple pause before distraction. When you try to open a locked app, WhyOpen asks: “Why are you opening this?” That small moment of reflection helps you make intentional choices, reduce impulsive scrolling, and stay focused on what actually matters. With WhyOpen, you can: Lock distracting apps during selected times Set your own personal “why” prompts Track unlock attempts and behavior patterns Build streaks and celebrate consistency Review simple stats to understand your habits Stay in control without extreme restrictions WhyOpen is designed for students, professionals, creators, and anyone who wants a healthier relationship with their phone. You don’t need more willpower. You need a better pause. Choose with intention. Open with purpose. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hilmicanceliker.com/whyopen/whyopen.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: WhyOpen at every 6 days against Cascade's every 2 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. Cascade sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and WhyOpen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cascade ships an update every 2 weeks, WhyOpen every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cascade | WhyOpen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 322 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IDIL CIVEZ | Hilmican Celiker |
In-app purchases
Cascade
- Monthly Pro14 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Yearly Pro14 Days trial$24.991 Year
WhyOpen
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Yearly$14.991 Year









