Spin vs Roost.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spin
Read full descriptionHide full description
Can't decide what's for dinner? Which movie to watch? Whose turn it is to do the dishes? Stop debating. Spin-n-Decide turns every tough call into a satisfying spin of a colorful wheel. WHY SPIN-N-DECIDE Most "decision" apps make you type out every option, every time. Spin-n-Decide builds the wheel for you — from a template, from your saved list, or from real places nearby. Then it remembers what you picked, so dinner debates and movie nights stop looping forever. BUILD A WHEEL IN SECONDS • Type 3 to 12 of your own choices, one at a time • Start from a built-in template — chores, fruits, sports, weekday picks, and more • Auto-fill from real places: restaurants, cafés, cinemas, or shopping • Toggle "Include fast food" when you want every option on the table • Reorder, recolor, and rename slices any time NEARBY MODE — POWERED BY OPENSTREETMAP • Use your current location, or any zip code • Adjust the search radius from a quarter mile to 25 miles • Pick your favorites from a curated list of nearby places • The wheel is auto-named with the location ("Restaurants Near 94103") • Tap a saved spin to open the place in Apple Maps A SATISFYING SPIN • Smooth, weighted-physics wheel animation • Bright color palette — every slice stands out • Big, readable result card after every spin HISTORY THAT ACTUALLY HELPS • Every spin is saved automatically to History • Browse past picks in a clean Calendar view • Re-open any place in Maps with one tap • Delete entries you don't want to keep SHARE WHEELS WITH FRIENDS • Encode any wheel into a single deep link • Send it via Messages, Mail, AirDrop — anywhere a link works • Recipients open the link to import the wheel directly PRIVACY, BY DEFAULT • 100% on-device storage using Apple's SwiftData • No accounts, no sign-in, no cloud sync we can see • No analytics SDKs, no trackers, no advertising identifiers • Location is requested once per nearby search and never stored • Postal codes resolve through Apple's on-device geocoder PERFECT FOR • Couples and roommates picking dinner • Families settling chore rotations • Friend groups choosing the next movie or bar • Teachers and parents running classroom decisions • Anyone tired of "I don't care, you pick" Stop arguing. Start spinning. Let the wheel decide.
Roost.
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bedtime without the phone fight. Roost locks the apps that keep you — or your kids — up at night, on a schedule you set, behind a PIN that can’t be undone in a weak moment. Set it once and it runs automatically. Now with Roost +, you can also pause apps by location. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps. Pick the feeds, games, and chats that should pause. 2. Set the schedule. Match school nights and weekends to the way your family actually works. 3. Add locations with Roost +. Pause selected apps when the device arrives at places like school, tutoring, or afterschool care, then unlock them when it leaves. 4. Make it stick. A parent PIN and Apple Screen Time help keep settings from being switched off. When a schedule starts, your chosen apps are locked until the window ends. With Roost +, apps can also lock and unlock automatically based on saved locations. No nightly nagging, no manual on/off. ROOST + Roost + is an optional subscription add-on for location-based app blocking: - Create saved locations with custom names and radius controls. - Automatically pause apps when the device arrives. - Automatically unlock apps when the device leaves. - View location-based roosting status inside the app. FOR PARENTS Roost is built around routines instead of constant policing: - Parent PIN protects your settings and early wake-ups. - Recovery email lets you reset your PIN securely if you forget it. - Screen Time guide walks you through the iOS settings that keep Roost firmly in place. - Location-based blocking helps protect focus during school, tutoring, care programs, and other daily routines. FOR EVERYONE Not a parent? Roost works just as well for grown-ups who scroll past their own bedtime. Run it in self-managed mode and give yourself a gentle, automatic pause for the apps you can’t put down. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Roost is built to need as little of your data as possible: - Your PIN is hashed and stored only in your device’s secure Keychain. It never leaves your phone. - The apps and schedules you choose are represented by Apple’s private Screen Time tokens. We never see which apps you block or when. - Location-based blocking uses saved places to trigger Roost + on your device. - We don’t sell data or run ads. The only personal information Roost collects is an email address, used solely to send a PIN reset code if you ever forget your PIN. BUILT ON APPLE SCREEN TIME Roost uses Apple’s Family Controls, Screen Time, and Location Services frameworks to block apps reliably at the system level. Made for iPhone and iPad. Sleep first. Scroll later. Questions? Email support@useroost.app Privacy Policy: https://useroost.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://useroost.app/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spin at none against Roost.'s 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Roost. sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Spin asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Spin | Roost. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Amy Vishwanatha | Merit Apps LLC |
In-app purchases
Spin
No in-app purchases
Roost.
- Roost+ Monthly$4.991 Month
- Roost+ Yearly$39.991 Year









