Bastion vs Key
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bastion
This app helps you reduce distractions and break phone addiction by requiring you to walk to unlock apps. Earn screen time with real steps, fostering healthier habits without deleting your favorite applications.
- Walk to earn screen time with step tracking
- App blocker for social media and websites
- Screen time control without relying on discipline
- Live unlock timer
- Lock Screen and Dynamic Island support
- Save earned minutes
- Daily streaks for consistency
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A privacy-first app blocker for screen time control that helps you reduce distractions and stay focused by walking to unlock apps. ScrollBlock is a screen time control app and app blocker designed to help you stop scrolling, break phone addiction, and build real focus by turning movement into screen time. Instead of relying on willpower, ScrollBlock adds smart friction. You walk to unlock your apps. You earn screen time with real steps. You stay in control. If you struggle with constant scrolling, social media distractions, or losing hours on your phone, ScrollBlock helps you reset your habits without forcing you to quit the apps you enjoy. HOW IT WORKS Choose the apps you want to control such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, X, and more. ScrollBlock uses Apple’s Screen Time system to block apps completely, making them difficult to bypass. To unlock your apps, you need to move. Every 60 steps earns 1 minute of screen time. Walk more to unlock more. No shortcuts. Movement replaces mindless scrolling. FEATURES Walk to earn screen time with real-time step tracking Powerful app blocker for social media apps, websites, and categories Screen time control without relying on discipline Live unlock timer showing your remaining screen time Lock Screen and Dynamic Island support for quick tracking Save earned minutes and use them anytime Daily streaks to build consistency and better habits Insights dashboard to track reduced screen time and progress Helps reduce phone addiction and improve focus naturally WHY IT WORKS Most screen time apps depend on discipline alone. ScrollBlock changes your behaviour by introducing real-world friction. The simple act of walking creates a pause between impulse and action. This helps break the habit of constantly checking your phone while building a healthier routine. You do not delete your apps. You earn your screen time. WHO IT IS FOR ScrollBlock is built for anyone who wants better control over their phone usage. Whether you are trying to reduce screen time, improve focus, study without distractions, or stop scrolling late at night, this app gives you a practical and effective system that actually works. PRIVACY All step tracking happens on-device. App usage data never leaves your phone. No tracking. No accounts required. SUBSCRIPTION ScrollBlock offers a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan and a monthly plan. Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID settings. Purchases can be restored when using the same Apple ID. Privacy Policy: https://scrollblock.io/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://scrollblock.io/terms-of-service
Key
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Key blocks the apps that eat your time. To get them back, you scan a small physical token called a Key, kept somewhere inconvenient on purpose: a kitchen drawer, or a shelf in another room. Locking takes one tap. Unlocking means standing up and walking to wherever you left your Key. That short walk gives you time to change your mind, and most of the time you do. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps and websites you want out of reach. 2. Lock them by holding the button, or by tapping your Key to your phone. 3. To unlock, scan your Key. There is no unlock button on the screen. MODES You probably don't want the same rules at work and in bed. Modes are separate blocklists you can switch between: a Work mode can block social apps while a Sleep mode blocks nearly everything. There is also a Light mode that inverts the idea. It blocks every app except the few you name, which turns your phone into something close to a dumb phone. SCHEDULES A schedule locks the phone for you at a set time. Sleep mode can start at 11 every night, work mode at 9 on weekdays. The lock ends when you scan your Key, or at an end time you choose. EXTRAS Auto-relock arms itself after you scan: once you spend 5, 10 or 15 minutes in your unblocked apps, Key locks them again. If you tend to delete blockers in weak moments, Key can prevent app deletion while a lock is on. Websites can go on the blocklist along with apps. FORCE UNLOCKS Sometimes you need your phone and your Key is at home. You get five force unlocks that open everything without scanning. Five is enough for real emergencies and too few to become a habit. PRIVACY Key runs on Screen Time, Apple's own framework. Apple designed it so that apps like Key receive anonymous tokens instead of app names, which means Key never finds out which apps you chose to block. Your blocklist and your history stay on the phone. The account exists only to identify you; it's an email address, and nothing else syncs. There are no streaks or scores anywhere in the app, and it will never tell you to do better. THE KEY The Key itself has no battery and nothing to set up. There is no pairing step either; any Key works with any phone. Keep one at home and one at the office if you like. The same Key works on multiple phones You pay for the Key once. The app has no subscription. Get yours at trykey.co.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Key at none against Bastion's 2. Key also leads on ads (none vs shown). Bastion's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.2). On price, update cadence 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. Bastion sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Key asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bastion | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Automation Launchpad | Titun LLC |
In-app purchases
Bastion
- Bastion Monthly$4.991 Month
- Bastion Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
Key
No in-app purchases









