Comparison

GritMode vs Anchor

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

Head to head
About

GritMode

Features
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GritMode helps you pause before opening distracting apps. Choose an app to block with Apple Screen Time, complete a short activity, and earn minutes of access. When the granted time ends, the restriction returns. HOW DOES IT WORK? 1. Pick the apps you want to use more intentionally. 2. Choose an activity and earn minutes: for example, push-ups or a walk. 3. Spend earned minutes on access. Your selected apps are restricted again when time runs out. WHAT ACTIVITIES CAN I USE? GritMode supports push-ups, squats, crunches, plank, steps, and a breathing exercise. Camera-based repetition counting runs on your iPhone. Steps use Apple Health when you choose that option. You can adjust exercise rates and see your earned balance and activity history. IS GRITMODE FREE? Yes. Every feature is free, with no subscription, trial, or in-app purchase. WHAT ACCESS DOES IT NEED? Screen Time / Family Controls is required to choose apps, apply restrictions, and grant access for earned time. Camera access is used for supported exercise counting. Apple Health access is optional and only needed for steps. Notifications are optional. GritMode is for anyone who wants a simple pause between an impulse and opening an app.

About

Anchor

This app offers a unique routine tracker designed for individuals with ADHD, focusing on continuous progress rather than streaks. It features an on-device AI companion for personalized check-ins and weekly reflections, with options for enhanced features through an optional Pro subscription.

Highlights
  • Chain-based progress tracking (no broken streaks)
  • On-device AI companion for personalized check-ins
  • Hard Day Mode to simplify routines
  • Daily check-in and personalized weekly letters
  • Routine linking to existing habits
  • Medication reminders
  • Optional Pro features like unlimited routines and AI memory
Features
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Every habit app starts the same way. You build a streak. Then life gets heavy, and the app shows you a broken streak or a zero. You feel like you failed. You stop opening it. That's not you. That's an app that wasn't built for your brain. Anchor is different. Anchor is a daily routine companion built specifically for ADHD brains. There are no streaks to break. Instead, every day you show up adds a link to your chain. Miss a day? The chain adds a softer, quieter link and keeps growing. Nothing resets to zero. Your chain never breaks - not ever. Because missing days isn't a failure. It's ADHD. YOUR COMPANION Anchor includes an on-device AI companion that checks in with you, helps you shrink an overwhelming day down to just one routine, and writes you a personal weekly letter reading your real week back to you with kindness. Unlike other apps, Anchor's AI runs entirely on your iPhone using Apple Intelligence. Nothing - your routines, your patterns, your letters - is ever sent anywhere. No account. No cloud. No subscription required to start. WHAT ANCHOR DOES Your chain never breaks: every day you show up adds a link. Miss a day, and a softer link is added. Nothing ever resets to zero. On-device AI companion: warm morning check-ins based on your real routines. Not a generic "Great job!" Your real week. Hard Day Mode: feeling overwhelmed? Anchor shows only your most important routine and hides the rest. One thing. That's enough. Daily check-in: tell your companion what kind of day you're having. It adjusts what it shows you and how it talks to you. Link your routines: connect each routine to something you already do ("After my morning coffee: Morning meds"). This method can double follow-through for ADHD brains. Weekly personal letter: once a week, your companion writes you a short letter about your week. Not generic encouragement. Your stats, your patterns, your wins. Alexa announcements (Pro): phone notifications are easy to ignore. Anchor can announce your routines on any Alexa in your home. Morning, afternoon, and evening blocks: see only what you need right now. Medication reminders: on hard days, medication routines are automatically prioritized. No red states. No guilt. No broken streaks. FREE FOREVER Start with up to 3 routines. Your chain and all your history are yours forever - no expiry, no nag screens, no data held hostage. Show up consistently and Anchor unlocks more routine slots automatically - no purchase required. ANCHOR PRO (OPTIONAL) Pro adds a companion that learns you over time - your specific routines, your patterns across weeks, which days run harder, what's becoming automatic. After a few weeks it starts noticing things: "Tuesdays look harder for you - that's just data, not a verdict." Pro includes: Unlimited routines Companion memory - learns your patterns week over week Weekly personal letter, written about your real week "Too much today?" - shrink your day to one routine Alexa announcements - hear your routines spoken aloud in your home, not just on your phone Everything runs on your phone. Nothing sent anywhere. Pro is $2.99/month or $24.99 once - yours forever, no recurring charge. PRIVACY Everything stays on your phone. There is no Anchor account, no server, no analytics. When you delete the app, everything goes with it. Anchor's AI uses Apple Intelligence - running entirely on your device, not ours. The AI companion requires a device that supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later). On every other iPhone, the chain, routines, and reminders work beautifully - nothing is greyed out or locked. BUILT FOR YOU Anchor was built for adults with ADHD who've tried every habit app and stopped using them. If the app ever made you feel worse about yourself, this is what we built instead. No shame. No broken chains. Terms of Use: https://workstreamapps.com/anchor/terms

Screenshots

GritMode3 screens
Anchor4 screens

Verdict

The call

GritMode and Anchor 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. GritMode sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Anchor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
GritMode versus Anchor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGritModeAnchor
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB63 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperOleksandr BiriulinDavid Cavill

In-app purchases

3 purchases

GritMode

Subscriptions3
  • GritMode Premium3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • GritMode Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • GritMode Premium7 Days trial$79.991 Year
2 purchases

Anchor

Subscriptions1
  • Anchor Pro$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Anchor Pro — Lifetime$24.99

Questions

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

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