Comparison

GoSober vs Instead

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

Head to head
About

GoSober

Features
Read full description

GoSober - Your Sobriety and Addiction Recovery Companion Track your sober days, break free from addiction, and build a healthier lifestyle with GoSober. Whether you're quitting alcohol, smoking, gambling, sugar, screen time, or any other habit, GoSober helps you stay motivated and accountable every step of the way. TRACK YOUR CLEAN DAYS See exactly how many days, hours, and minutes you've been sober. Your progress counter updates in real time, giving you a powerful visual reminder of how far you've come. MULTIPLE ADDICTION TRACKING Track several habits at once. Quit drinking, stop smoking, reduce screen time, cut sugar, or overcome any addiction - all in one app. Each tracker runs independently with its own timeline. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Keep your sobriety counter visible on your home screen. Quick glance motivation without opening the app. Multiple widget styles available. MILESTONES AND MOTIVATION Celebrate your progress with milestone badges. Earn rewards at key intervals - 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 100 days, 1 year, and beyond. Each milestone is a victory worth celebrating. MOOD AND JOURNAL Log your daily mood and write journal entries to process your feelings. Track patterns between your emotions and cravings. Build self-awareness on your recovery journey. HEALTH BENEFITS TIMELINE See real health improvements as they happen. From the first hours of quitting to months of freedom, watch your body heal and recover. MONEY SAVED CALCULATOR See how much money you're saving by staying sober. Track your financial progress and use it as extra motivation to keep going. COMMUNITY SUPPORT Connect with others on the same journey. Share your milestones, offer encouragement, and find accountability partners who understand what you're going through. PRIVACY FOCUSED Your data stays on your device. No account required to start tracking. Your recovery journey is personal and private. PERFECT FOR - Alcohol recovery and sobriety - Quitting smoking and vaping - Gambling addiction recovery - Screen time and phone addiction - Sugar and food addiction - NoFap and pornography addiction - Any habit you want to break FEATURES - Real-time sobriety counter with days, hours, minutes - Multiple addiction trackers - Home screen widgets - Milestone badges and celebrations - Daily mood tracking - Journal for reflection - Health benefits timeline - Money saved calculator - Community support - Dark mode - Available in 20+ languages Start your journey to freedom today. Download GoSober and take the first step toward a healthier, happier life.

About

Instead

This app offers a curated menu of real-life activities to help you break the habit of excessive scrolling. It suggests small, engaging tasks based on your available time and mood, promoting mindfulness and intentional downtime.

Highlights
  • Personalized activity suggestions
  • Time-based activity filtering
  • Mood-based activity filtering
  • Customizable activity menu
  • Streak tracking
  • Weekly statistics
Features
Read full description

Instead is a menu of things you'd rather do than scroll. You never decide to lose an hour to your phone — it just happens. Instead fixes the moment right before that. When the urge to scroll hits, it hands you one small, real-life thing to do instead, sized to the time and energy you actually have. Think of it like a restaurant menu for your free minutes: • Starters (1–5 min) — easy wins: step outside, splash cold water, three slow breaths • Mains (10–30 min) — the good stuff: a real walk, ten pages of a book, make the call • Desserts — quick joy, not junk: one loud song, pet an animal, watch the sky Instead requires a paid subscription to unlock its content. New users get a 3-day free trial, after which the subscription auto-renews unless cancelled. WHY IT WORKS When the urge to scroll hits, you don't make good decisions. So you decide now, while you're calm. You build your own menu in about two minutes, and Instead serves it back to you exactly when you need it — no willpower required. HOW IT WORKS • Tell Instead your mood and how much time you have - it filters the menu to what fits this exact moment • Tap "Surprise me" and let it choose for you • Finish it, build a streak, and watch your screen-free habit grow • Add, edit, and personalize your own activities anytime • See your weekly stats and history INSTEAD IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO • Cut your screen time and stop doomscrolling • Break a phone or social-media habit - without an app blocker nagging you • Try a gentler digital detox or dopamine detox • Be more present, mindful, and intentional with your downtime • Find quick things to do instead of reaching for your phone Instead isn't another screen-time blocker or app limit that just tells you "no." It gives you a better "yes" - a personal, curated list of analog, offline, real-life things that leave you feeling better than a feed ever could. Instead offers an auto-renewable subscription: monthly and yearly Includes a 3-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription auto-renews unless cancelled before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

GoSober4 screens
Instead4 screens

Verdict

The call

GoSober and Instead are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. GoSober sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Instead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GoSober ships an update fortnightly, Instead every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
GoSober versus Instead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoSoberInstead
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB65 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperChirag AroraSarthak Jain

In-app purchases

2 purchases

GoSober

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Subscription - Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
One-time1
  • Premium Subscription - Lifetime$24.99
2 purchases

Instead

Subscriptions2
  • Instead Premium Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Instead Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is GoSober free?
GoSober is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Instead free?
Instead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GoSober or Instead have ads?
Neither GoSober nor Instead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GoSober or Instead?
GoSober ships an update fortnightly, and Instead every 11 days. Most recently, GoSober was updated on October 25, 2026 and Instead on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons