Comparison

Scrollar vs ReadLock

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

Head to head
About

Scrollar

This app helps you manage your phone usage by setting daily screen time goals and budgets for app groups. It offers gentle nudges and multiple blocking methods to reduce distractions, all while keeping your data private on your device.

Highlights
  • Daily screen time goals
  • App group budgeting
  • Limit blocking
  • Scheduled blocking
  • CEO Mode focus sessions
  • Privacy-focused design
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

We’ve all been there: You pick up your phone to check one thing… and suddenly an hour is gone.
You tell yourself “I’ll cut back tomorrow.”
But tomorrow never comes. SCROLLAR WORKS - BECAUSE IT DOESN’T SHAME YOU
No guilt trips. No scary warnings. Just a simple idea: give your attention a daily budget — like money.
Spend it how you want, just a little more intentionally. YOUR DAILY SCREEN TIME GOAL
Start by setting a daily limit based on how you actually use your phone — not some unrealistic target. Every minute you save helps your Pixel Pig grow, evolving through 25 levels from a tiny piglet to a golden bank. CREATE YOUR APP GROUPS, YOUR WAY
Organize apps in a way that makes sense to you — social, streaming, gaming, or anything else. Each group gets its own shared daily budget, so you can be strict where it matters and flexible where it doesn’t. THREE WAYS TO BLOCK DISTRACTIONS
 1. Limit Blocking
Go over a group’s limit? Those apps lock until tomorrow.
You set the rules — Scrollar enforces them.
 2. Scheduled Blocking
Create boundaries that fit your life.
No social media during work. No scrolling before bed. Set it once and forget it.
 3. CEO Mode
Need to focus right now?
Start a session that blocks all your tracked apps until you’re done. No shortcuts. GENTLE NUDGES, NOT GUILT TRIPS
Get a heads-up right before you hit your limit. No pressure. No shame.
Just a moment to decide if you want to keep going. SEE WHERE YOUR TIME GOES
Clear, simple insights show your daily and weekly habits. Spot what’s taking your time, track your streaks, and watch your progress build. 100% PRIVATE
No accounts. No cloud. No tracking.
Everything stays on your device — exactly where it belongs. Scrollar doesn’t judge you.
It doesn’t try to control you. It just helps you notice — and makes it easier to put your phone down. Built for people who’ve tried Screen Time and gave up.
Built for people who want to scroll less, but don’t know how to start. Built for you. Terms of Use: https://ntudevelop.github.io/Scrollar/ Privacy Policy: https://ntudevelop.github.io/Scrollar/

About

ReadLock

This app requires users to read a page from a selected text before granting access to blocked apps, categories, or websites. It utilizes Apple's Screen Time system to enforce focus and offers a library of public-domain classics for reading material.

Highlights
  • Earn app access through reading
  • Block apps, categories, and websites
  • Schedule reading locks
  • Manual app locking
  • Built-in reader with public-domain classics
  • Track local reading progress
Features
Read full description

ReadLock makes you read before you scroll. If app blockers are too easy to ignore, ReadLock gives your phone a real forcing function: your selected apps, categories, and websites stay blocked until you read one page. Choose what you want to block, set your reading times, then let ReadLock hold the line. When it is time to read, ReadLock uses Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls system to shield your selected distractions. Finish one page in the built-in reader, and your apps unlock. Why people use ReadLock: - Earn access instead of relying on willpower - Block chosen apps, app categories, and websites - Schedule reading locks for morning, midday, or evening - Lock apps manually when you need a reset - Read bundled public-domain classics like Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Crime and Punishment, and Sherlock Holmes - Track local reading progress in a simple library - Get optional reading reminders and unlock notifications ReadLock is for the moment when you catch yourself opening the same app again and again, even though you meant to do literally anything else. Instead of another dismissible reminder, it turns one page of reading into the key that gets you back in. Read first. Scroll later. Notes: - App blocking requires Screen Time permission and a selected app, category, or website. - Blocking behavior can vary based on iOS, device settings, and the selections you choose. - Full access requires an auto-renewing subscription. Trial, price, and renewal details are shown before purchase. - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Scrollar4 screens
ReadLock3 screens

Verdict

The call

Scrollar and ReadLock are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Scrollar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and ReadLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Scrollar against 5.0 for ReadLock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Scrollar versus ReadLock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollarReadLock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB27 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNguyen Thao UyenMATTHEW HENRY FOSTER

Customer experience

Scrollar

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ReadLock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Scrollar

Subscriptions2
  • Scrollar Premium Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Scrollar Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

ReadLock

Subscriptions2
  • Read Lock Pro Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Read Lock Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Scrollar free?
Scrollar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ReadLock free?
ReadLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Scrollar or ReadLock?
Scrollar and ReadLock are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Scrollar or ReadLock have ads?
Neither Scrollar nor ReadLock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrollar or ReadLock?
Scrollar ships an update every 5 days, and ReadLock every 5 days. Most recently, Scrollar was updated on October 31, 2026 and ReadLock on October 7, 2026.

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