Comparison

EarnScroll vs Dopamine Detox

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

Head to head
About

EarnScroll

This app helps you earn screen time by completing real-world tasks like working out, reading, or journaling. It uses a unique 'forge' aesthetic and a discipline system to combat mindless scrolling and encourage productivity.

Highlights
  • Earn screen time through real tasks
  • Doom scroll blocking with a forge aesthetic
  • 12 ranks of discipline with earn multipliers
  • AI-generated daily task plans
  • Set daily screen time allowances
  • Streak system with limited freeze tokens
  • Task options: water, meditation, journal, workout, reading, steps
Features
Read full description

You scroll for hours. You know it. You hate it. You've tried screen time limits, app blockers — nothing sticks. Because restriction alone doesn't work. You need something to earn. EarnScroll makes you earn every minute of scroll. Complete real tasks — workout, read, meditate, journal — and earn screen time to unlock your apps. No tasks done? No scroll. This is not another app blocker. This is a forge. A discipline system for people done with brain rot and ready to take control. ◆ EARN YOUR SCREEN TIME Other apps just block. EarnScroll makes you earn it. Pick daily tasks during onboarding. Each task earns you minutes that stack on a free daily allowance. When you want to scroll, slide to unlock — iOS monitors usage and re-locks when your budget runs out. You don't lose your phone. You earn the right to scroll. ◆ DOOM SCROLL BLOCK — THE FORGE WAY Every app blocker looks the same — clean, minimal, forgettable. EarnScroll is different. Dark medieval forge aesthetic. Crossed swords. Rank badges. Hammer strikes. This is a scroll block forged in discipline. When your app looks like a forge, you feel like a warrior — not a patient. You're not restricted. You're tested. ◆ BRAIN ROT STOPS HERE Brain rot is real. Hours of mindless scrolling, doom scrolling through reels and feeds — it rewires your attention. EarnScroll is the brainrot antidote. Every time you want to scroll, you face a choice: earn it or don't. You start doing more and scrolling less. Not because the app blocked you, but because you earned something better. ◆ 12 RANKS OF DISCIPLINE Be present every day and level up through 12 ranks: Scroller → Starter → Committed → Focused → Disciplined → Consistent → Driven → Relentless → Elite → Master → Legend → Ascended Each rank unlocks earn multipliers and higher stakes. Miss a day? You lose streak days. Ascended loses 14 days per miss. No participation trophies. You earn your rank or you fall. Rank-up celebrations with stoic quotes. Shareable achievement cards. Your discipline war record. ◆ REAL TASKS, NOT CHECKBOXES • Water — animated glass filling counter • Meditation — countdown timer with rain, forest, singing bowls • Journal — built-in editor, 200-char minimum, browsable history • Workout — session timer with auto-logged stats • Reading — book search, page tracking, session logging • Steps — HealthKit sync, auto-completes at your goal Each task earns scroll time through real effort. ◆ AI GOAL GENERATION Describe your goal in plain text. AI generates 4-6 daily tasks with earn rates. "Get fit," "be more present," "limit screen time to one hour" — the AI builds your forge plan. ◆ LIMIT SCREEN TIME WITH CONSEQUENCES Set a daily allowance — 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Beyond that, earn every minute. Time runs out, apps lock. No snooze button. The scroll block is real. Dynamic Island shows remaining time. Lock Screen widget tracks your balance. ◆ STREAK SYSTEM One freeze token per month. That's it. Miss a day and your streak takes a hit. This isn't a digital wellbeing nudge — this is discipline with consequences. ◆ WHO THIS IS FOR You watch discipline content on Instagram... while doom scrolling for three hours. You don't need another app blocker or screen time limit you'll ignore. You need to earn your scroll. Tried everything — deleting apps, app blockers, digital detox? EarnScroll doesn't just block. It makes you earn. Earning changes behavior. ◆ FREE VS PRO Free: 10 tasks, 1 project, 1 shielded app. Pro: Unlimited everything. AI tasks. Book tracking. HealthKit. Full forge. Stop the doom scroll. Block the brain rot. Earn your screen time. Be present. The forge awaits. By subscribing, you agree to the Apple Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dopamine Detox

Read full description

Real life doesn't autoplay. Dopamine Detox helps you take your attention back from the apps built to hold it. Pick a program and commit. A 24-hour cleanse, a 7-day detox, a 30-day rebuild, or 90 days of building permanent boundaries. Every day gives you three things to do: Remove, Reset, Replace. BLOCK WHAT'S STEALING YOUR TIME Choose the apps, categories, and sites that pull you in, and Dopamine Detox shields them for as long as your detox runs. Blocking is built on Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) framework, so it works at the system level — and your choices never leave your device. No Screen Time access? The whole app still works in self-guided mode. INTERRUPT THE CRAVING Feel the pull to open something? Tap once. Name what you're actually looking for, get an intervention written for that specific trigger, then wait it out on a timer that won't let you decide yet. Most cravings don't survive ten minutes of honesty. SIDE QUESTS INSTEAD OF SCROLLING Forty real-world quests across Move, Create, Connect, Think, Explore, and Do Nothing. Walk without headphones. Call someone. Sit for fifteen minutes doing absolutely nothing. Attach a photo and the quest becomes something you can look back on. THE RECORD OF WHAT YOU DID INSTEAD Every entry you write builds a private timeline of your reclaimed life. Played guitar. Watched the sunset. Long way home. It stays on your device — we can't read it, and neither can anyone else. EARN IT, DON'T WAIT FOR IT Real Life XP, twelve levels, twenty-six badges, and a streak that counts intentional days. Your Dopamine Battery charges from what you actually complete, not from time passing. A full battery and a finished detox are the same thing. WIDGETS Your streak, today's progress, and the day's three steps on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. Tick a step straight from the widget. DETOX PRO Unlocks the 30-Day Rebuild and 90-Day Lifestyle programs, and Go Offline sessions longer than an hour. Your streak, XP, and journal are never paywalled. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No analytics. No ads. No trackers. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

EarnScroll4 screens
Dopamine Detox3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: EarnScroll at 17.6 against Dopamine Detox's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. EarnScroll sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Dopamine Detox sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EarnScroll ships an update every 4 days, Dopamine Detox weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
EarnScroll versus Dopamine Detox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarnScrollDopamine Detox
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMehdi DimachkCasey Millstein

In-app purchases

2 purchases

EarnScroll

Subscriptions2
  • EarnScroll Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
  • EarnScroll Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.901 Year
2 purchases

Dopamine Detox

Subscriptions2
  • Dopamine Detox Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Dopamine Detox Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is EarnScroll free?
EarnScroll is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dopamine Detox free?
Dopamine Detox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do EarnScroll or Dopamine Detox have ads?
Neither EarnScroll nor Dopamine Detox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EarnScroll or Dopamine Detox?
EarnScroll ships an update every 4 days, and Dopamine Detox weekly. Most recently, EarnScroll was updated on October 28, 2026 and Dopamine Detox on October 31, 2026.

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