FocusGuard vs Screen Time Limit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
FocusGuard
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Take back your time. FocusGuard blocks the apps that pull you in, and makes sure the block holds when your willpower doesn't. THE PROBLEM Most of us unlock our phones dozens of times a day, usually without deciding to. The apps are built to keep you scrolling, and a simple time limit is one tap away from "Ignore". Blocking only works if it's hard to undo. THE SOLUTION FocusGuard is built on Apple's Screen Time, so blocks are enforced by iOS itself. You choose how strict to be, from a gentle pause to a session that can't be cancelled. HOW IT WORKS 1. Tell us your goal. A short setup builds your plan: a daily focus goal, a starter schedule and the apps that distract you most. 2. Block in one tap. Start a focus session from a quick preset or with Siri. 3. Pick your strictness. Flexible allows a mindful pause, Focus asks for a 30-second challenge to quit, Strict can't be ended early. 4. Watch your streak grow. Every focused day counts toward your streak, gems and milestones. WAYS TO BLOCK ⢠Focus Sessions: block the apps and sites you choose for a set time ⢠Schedules: block automatically on the days and hours you pick, including overnight ⢠Daily App Limits: give social apps a daily budget. When it's spent, they lock until midnight ⢠Always On: keep apps blocked until you turn it off ⢠Dumb Phone Mode: allow only the few apps you truly need. Everything else locks ⢠Sleep Mode: distractions lock automatically at bedtime HARD TO BACK OUT OF ⢠Strict Mode: no cancel button. One Emergency Pass per week for real emergencies ⢠Mindful Pause: one slow breath and a reason before a short, timed unlock. Apps lock again on their own ⢠See how many times you resisted today, right on the block screen ⢠PIN and uninstall protection against impulse decisions STAY MOTIVATED ⢠Focus Score: your progress toward today's focus goal ⢠Weekly focus charts, streaks, evolving gems and milestones ⢠Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, plus a Live Activity while you focus ⢠Siri and Shortcuts: start focusing or lock apps hands-free ⢠Focus sounds: white, pink and brown noise WHY FOCUSGUARD IS DIFFERENT ⢠Blocks are enforced by iOS Screen Time, not a reminder you can swipe away ⢠No VPN profile, no account, no ads ⢠FocusGuard never sees which apps you use. Apple keeps that private, and your data stays on your iPhone FREE ⢠Unlimited Flexible focus sessions with Mindful Pause ⢠1 schedule plus Sleep Mode, and 1 daily app limit ⢠Streaks, Focus Score, widgets and 7-day stats FOCUSGUARD PRO ⢠Focus and Strict difficulty ⢠Dumb Phone Mode ⢠Unlimited schedules and app limits ⢠PIN and uninstall protection ⢠30-day history and focus heatmap Pro is available as a weekly, monthly or yearly auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings ā your name ā Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screen Time Limit
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Block distracting apps and get your hours back ā with a pause that actually changes the habit. Most app blockers put up a wall, so you find a way around it. Focus gives you a breath and an honest question instead. Most people put the phone down right there. THREE WAYS TO BLOCK, ONE QUESTION EACH: WHEN DO MY APPS COME BACK? SPRINT ā NO EARLY EXIT Pick a length, start the countdown and your chosen apps are blocked until the timer runs out. Once a Sprint starts it cannot be ended early, not even from inside Focus. That's the point. Use a preset or set your own length. RHYTHM ā RECURRING FOCUS WINDOWS Block apps on a schedule: weekday mornings, every evening, weekends, whatever your week looks like. Add multiple windows, switch them on and off, and run windows overnight for better sleep. ALLOWANCE ā A DAILY TIME LIMIT Give yourself a daily budget of minutes. Spend it however you like; when it's gone the apps close until tomorrow, when the budget resets. See how many minutes are left today at a glance. MINDFUL UNLOCK ā A BREATH, NOT A WALL Reach for a blocked app and Focus offers ten seconds of breathing first. Then it asks what you need the app for: someone needs you, it's for work, looking something up, boredom, or just habit. Boredom and habit get a gentle second look before you go in. If you still open it, it's only for a few minutes, then the app goes back behind the shield on its own. FOCUS STREAKS Every day you hold your limits counts. Keep apps blocked for an hour, or finish the day inside your Allowance, and your streak grows. Follow your run on a 12-week heatmap and unlock milestones: 3 Day Spark, One Week Strong, Fortnight Focus, Month of Clarity and Hundred Days. INSIGHTS See your real screen time, your daily breakdown and the apps you use most, alongside the time you held, focused days and blocked attempts. Mindful Unlock shows how often you put the phone back down, and what you reach for it out of. BLOCK ANY APP OR CATEGORY Choose individual apps or whole categories: social media, video, games, shopping, news and more. Block Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X or anything else that pulls you away. Each mode keeps its own list. LOCKED DOWN, ON YOUR SIDE Protect your blocks with a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, so changing a limit takes a real decision, not a reflex. Auto-Lock keeps Focus itself locked when you step away. GENTLE REMINDERS Get a notification when a session ends and when your streak is at risk. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Focus is built on Apple's Screen Time framework. Your screen time is calculated on your device and never handed to us. Light and dark appearance, built for iPhone and iPad. A Plus subscription unlocks every mode, unlimited apps and Sprints of any length. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and can be managed in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://stechza.org/privacy Terms of Use: https://stechza.org/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FocusGuard at none against Screen Time Limit's 4. Screen Time Limit's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Screen Time Limit sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. FocusGuard asks for nothing beyond the download.
FocusGuard ships an update every 2 months, Screen Time Limit fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FocusGuard | Screen Time Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No ā better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | erdem caygor | Muhammad Zikaria |
In-app purchases
FocusGuard
No in-app purchases
Screen Time Limit
- Subscriptions$3.997 Days
- Subscriptions$9.991 Month
- Subscriptions$19.991 Year
- Subscriptions$49.99







