Comparison

BlockRot vs hey!

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

Head to head
About

BlockRot

This app helps users break free from phone addiction and reclaim focus by rewarding healthy real-life habits with screen time. It uses a unique gem system and a virtual companion to motivate users to build discipline and reverse the effects of excessive digital consumption.

Highlights
  • Rot Gems system for earning screen time
  • Penguin companion for motivation
  • Photo-based task verification
  • 30+ healthy habit tasks
  • App blocking via Apple Screen Time
  • Private and secure by default
Read full description

BlockRot - Beat Brainrot. Reclaim your focus. Feeling tired, always have brain fog or just addicted to your phone? You’re not the only one. You’re experiencing Brainrot; a new condition caused by constant overstimulation, effortless dopamine loops, and endless scrolling. BlockRot helps you break that cycle and take back control of your life. Why You’ll Love BlockRot BlockRot Fixes BrainRot at the Root BlockRot isn't just a screen time blocker, it helps you reverse the effects of brainrot by rebuilding healthy habits, restoring focus, building discipline and giving you a system that actually works. It's a digital detox that actually works. Earn Rot Gems by Living Your Life Complete healthy tasks like working out, making your bed, going outside, journaling, and breathing exercises. Each action earns you Rot Gems, your currency for screen time. Track Progress, Build Discipline Stay motivated with streaks, a growing gem balance, and Rottie, your penguin companion who keeps you on track every day. Key Features - Rot Gems System A reward framework that turns healthy real-life actions into screen time, and helps rewire your brain away from mindless scrolling. - Rottie, Your Penguin Companion A friendly mascot that keeps you motivated and on track with your daily habits. - Photo-Based Task Verification Prove you completed your tasks with a photo, AI checks your submission instantly so you can't cheat your way to screen time. - 30+ Healthy Tasks Workouts, mindfulness, journaling, breathing exercises, gratitude, hydration and more, all rewarding you with Rot Gems. - App Blocker Block your most distracting apps using Apple Screen Time. Your blocked apps stay locked until you earn the gems to unlock them. - Safe & Private by Default No account required. No cloud storage. Everything stays on your device. Reverse the Symptoms of Brainrot: - Mindlessly picking up your phone every few minutes - Shrinking attention span and inability to focus - Chronic fatigue from late night scrolling - Feeling foggy, lazy, and unmotivated - Relying on your phone to feel okay Rebuild Your Focus and Your Life: - Earn your screen time instead of wasting it - Build habits that actually stick - Create a healthy relationship with your phone - Feel sharp, energised, and in control again - Become someone you're genuinely proud of Break free from brainrot. Earn your screen time. Download BlockRot today. Privacy Policy: https://mahogany-dibble-0ef.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-35802f6c51b0805db658ee7d1455a1d3?pvs=74 Terms of Use: https://www.notion.so/Terms-and-Conditions-35802f6c51b080fe9c13f1b686c1c2ee Contact: blockrotapp@gmail.com BlockRot requires a paid subscription to access all features.

About

hey!

This app helps you manage phone usage with a virtual companion who encourages breaks and rewards them with in-app currency. Earn coins by taking breaks to buy items for your companion or decorate their room. Track your progress and mood without pressure to maintain streaks.

Highlights
  • Virtual companion for focus
  • Earn coins for breaks
  • Decorate companion's room
  • Track mood and sessions
  • Focus Filter integration
  • No streaks or pressure
Read full description

You opened your phone to check one thing. Somehow, you're still here. hey! is a little taro pal called Taro. He lives in a room on your phone and watches only the apps you choose. When time in them runs long, he asks: "Hey, you still with me?" Take a break and he adds 5 coins. Keep using and he steps out of the way. Nothing is ever locked. MEET TARO Taro's mood goes okay, good, glowing. Breaks lift it, snacks lift it, and it drifts back to okay on its own — it never drops lower. There's nothing you can do to make it worse, and nothing to lose by coming back after a week away. Check in with your own mood any time; Rhythm remembers it. COINS FOR EVERY BREAK Every break you take earns 5 coins, and the check-in says so before you choose. Coins do one thing: they buy things for Taro. WORK TOGETHER Sit down with Taro for a light session: 25 minutes on, 5 off, for one, two or four rounds. Pick what you're working on. Finish and earn 30 coins, plus 10 more for finishing every round you planned. End early and you keep what you finished. Pause whenever you need to. During a round Taro checks in the moment you open one of your apps, instead of waiting out the usual delay. Keep using still works. SNACKS AND KEEPSAKES Spend coins in the Shop. Treats — a strawberry, a rice ball, a cookie — lift Taro's mood a little, and water is free once a day. Keepsakes like a mug, a plant, a lamp or a cushion go into his room and stay there for good. GIFTS YOU CAN'T BUY Sometimes Taro finds you something: a pebble by the door, a pressed leaf, a seedling he grew while you worked. Gifts are never for sale. They sit on the From Taro shelf with the day they arrived. YOUR WEEK, NOT YOUR SCORE Rhythm shows the breaks you took, how you've been feeling, the sessions you ran and every gift on the shelf. No streak to break. No day that counts against you. Nothing resets. ON FOR FOCUS Add hey! as a Focus Filter in iPhone Settings. Taro wakes when that Focus turns on and rests when it turns off. The app walks you through setup. Manual sessions are there when you'd rather start one yourself. YOUR APP CONTENT STAYS PRIVATE Apple's Screen Time tools count use in the apps and websites you select. hey! doesn't read your messages, your photos or the videos you watch. No account. No advertising. Optional usage sharing helps us improve setup and check-ins; it never includes what you do in other apps. TRY IT FREE FOR 14 DAYS Eligible new subscribers get 14 days free when they choose a monthly or yearly plan and confirm with Apple. Every plan includes all features. After the trial, your selected subscription renews automatically at the price shown before you confirm unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Manage or cancel in App Store settings. Lifetime access is a separate one-time purchase with no subscription trial or renewal. Local prices appear in the app. Restore purchases with the Apple Account used to buy. HELP SHAPE HEY Suggest a feature and vote on ideas at tryhey.app/feedback. Need a hand? Reach us at hello@tryhey.app. Requires iPhone with iOS 18 or later and Screen Time permission. Check-ins depend on Apple's usage signals and can arrive a little late. Time adds up across the apps and websites you select while a Focus or session is active. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BlockRot4 screens
hey!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BlockRot at daily against hey!'s every 9 days. BlockRot also leads on ratings volume (499 vs 1). hey!'s advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, 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. BlockRot sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and hey! sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

hey! holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BlockRot has 499 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlockRot ships an update daily, hey! every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BlockRot versus hey!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlockRothey!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (499 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings499 — better1
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size241 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatthew HeesterX1 Consulting LLC

Customer experience

BlockRot

All ratings387 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral1.7%
Negative36.2%

hey!

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

BlockRot

Subscriptions10
  • Premium Weekly$7.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$24.991 Year
Show 7 more
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$79.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year
3 purchases

hey!

Subscriptions2
  • hey Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • hey Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • hey Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is BlockRot free?
BlockRot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is hey! free?
hey! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BlockRot or hey!?
hey! is rated higher. BlockRot averages 4.7 out of 5 from 499 ratings, while hey! averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BlockRot or hey! have ads?
Neither BlockRot nor hey! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlockRot or hey!?
BlockRot ships an update daily, and hey! every 9 days. Most recently, BlockRot was updated on October 20, 2026 and hey! on October 22, 2026.

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