Detox vs Takeback
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Detox
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Your phone is built to keep you scrolling. Detox is built to help you stop. If you've ever looked at your screen time and felt a pang of regret, you're not alone. The average person unlocks their phone over 100 times a day and spends four or more hours in apps designed to maximize attention, not wellbeing. Detox hands the control back to you with a simple, powerful toolkit built on Apple's native Screen Time framework. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps or categories you want to block — social media, games, streaming, news, or anything else that steals your focus. 2. Detox activates Apple's system-level Screen Time shield the moment you confirm. Your chosen apps are blocked instantly and stay blocked even if you close Detox, restart your phone, or try to reinstall them. 3. When you need temporary access, unlock for 1, 5, 15, 30 minutes, 1, 2, or 3 hours. A live countdown keeps you accountable. No complicated setup. No daily permissions. No loopholes. KEY FEATURES • Block any app or category with one tap — instant system-level shield • Live Dynamic Island countdown shows unlock time remaining • Flexible unlock windows from 1 minute up to 3 hours • Daily focus score from 0 to 100 that rewards discipline • Streak counter that grows every day you stay under your limit • Weekly reclaimed time report • Complete app usage breakdown via Apple's DeviceActivityReport • Separate daily, weekday, and weekend screen time goals • Beautiful dark interface with smooth animations and haptic feedback • 40 rotating daily focus tips on attention and intentional living • Works entirely offline — no account, no cloud sync, no data collection THE DYNAMIC ISLAND DIFFERENCE Most screen time apps disappear the moment you close them. Detox doesn't. When an unlock is active, a live countdown lives in your Dynamic Island. You see the timer ticking while browsing, texting, or using any other app. It's your focus companion — always present, never intrusive. When the countdown ends, your shield snaps back automatically. FOCUS SCORE AND STREAKS Detox turns discipline into a game you actually want to play. Your daily focus score reflects how well you've stayed within your goals. Every day under the limit extends your streak. Every mindful moment compounds into a habit that sticks. PRIVACY FIRST Your data never leaves your device. Detox is built on Apple's privacy-preserving Screen Time APIs — we never see which apps you use, how long, or any personal information. No account, no email, no tracking. Everything is processed locally on your iPhone. START TAKING CONTROL TODAY Download Detox, choose the apps that drain your attention, and block them in under 30 seconds. Reclaim your hours. Reclaim your focus. Reclaim your life. --- Subscription options and pricing are displayed at the time of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew at the same price and duration unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.astra-dev.fr/apps/screen-time-detox/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://www.astra-dev.fr/apps/screen-time-detox/privacy-policy.html
Takeback
This app uses a drill sergeant persona to help you break free from excessive phone use. It negotiates your access to distracting apps and implements a progressive 60-day bootcamp to retrain your habits.
- Drill sergeant accountability
- Negotiated app access
- Progressive 60-day bootcamp
- Customizable difficulty (Chill/Savage)
- Habit retraining
- Time and attention recovery
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Every screen time app has an ignore button. That is why they stop working. Takeback does not. Open the app you swore you were done with and Sarge is there first. He is a drill sergeant, and he wants to hear your reasoning. Make your case. He decides. He is not easy. SARGE, YOUR DRILL SERGEANT He knows how long you have already scrolled today and answers accordingly. Ask for twenty minutes at midnight and see how that goes. Ask for five to reply to a message and he will probably wave you through. He negotiates. He counts. He remembers. YOU CANT FOOL HIM Try to talk your way past him and he will ask you to prove it. Say you are at the gym and he wants a photo from the gym. Pictures of pictures do not work on him. THE 60-DAY BOOTCAMP Your daily limit tightens every week. Every clean day pulls your baseline back down. By day 30 most people stop reaching for the phone on reflex. CHILL OR SAVAGE You pick how hard he goes. Chill hears you out. Savage makes you earn every minute. Switch whenever you want. WHAT YOU GET BACK Evenings that end in sleep, not a 2am feed. An attention span you can feel coming back. Hours a week that used to vanish with nothing to show for them. A phone you finally trust yourself with. HOW IT GOES Day 1, Sarge learns your habits and starts easing your limits down. Day 7, the feed starts feeling boring. Day 30, you have hours back and you are spending them on something. Day 60, you are not fighting your phone anymore. Start free for 3 days. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://trytakeback.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Detox and Takeback are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Detox sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Takeback sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Detox | Takeback |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Singabe Djonouma | Gatarn Games Ltd. |
In-app purchases
Detox
- Weekly Pro3 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Monthly Pro$24.991 Month
- Yearly Pro$99.991 Year
Takeback
- Takeback Monthly$19.991 Month
- Takeback Annual$24.991 Year
- Takeback Annual$29.991 Year









