Comparison

Honyomu vs Pause

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

Head to head
About

Honyomu

Features
Read full description

Honyomu is a reading tracker for keeping the books you want to read, are currently reading, and have finished in one place. Save books you discover at a bookstore, keep track of your reading status, and look back on your reading history whenever you like. Books can be added using barcode scanning or book search, and your reading records can be managed together in your personal bookshelf. Apple Watch support also lets you check books you want to read while you’re away from your iPhone. With the Support Plan, additional features including iCloud sync are available, allowing your reading library to stay available across supported iPhone and iPad devices. Before you start a book, while you’re reading it, and after you finish. Honyomu keeps your reading life together in one bookshelf. Support https://sakumori.com/app_support/honyomu/ Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://sakumori.com/privacypolicy/app-privacy/honyomu/

About

Pause

This app helps you reclaim time spent on social media and videos by setting usage limits before you open them. It converts your social media time into an estimate of how many book pages you could have read, encouraging a shift towards reading.

Highlights
  • Set time limits for apps before opening
  • Automatically block apps when time expires
  • Convert social media time to book pages
  • Track reading progress with a virtual companion
  • Home screen widgets and live activities
  • Shareable progress cards
Features
Read full description

What if the time that melts away on social media went into a book instead? A quick break? Catching up on news? Just checking one notification… You meant to look for a minute, and two hours are gone. The break left you tired, not rested. And every day, a faint sense of "what am I doing" quietly eats at your confidence along with your time. You're not alone. That's why Pause exists. Pause asks you to decide how long BEFORE you open social or video apps. Then it shows what that time was worth in pages: how much of a book you could have read. When your time is up, the apps are blocked again automatically. No blame. Just a gentle place to stop, so a little of your scrolling turns into reading, day by day. That book you've been meaning to read, a few pages at a time. A reading habit builds on its own. And a small companion, Pause-kun, grows with every page. [ Free ] • Sessions: pick "just N minutes" before you open. When time's up, the apps are blocked again • Reading timer: paper or app. Time in Kindle, Audible, or Apple Books counts as reading too • Pages instead of minutes: your social time shown as "about N pages of a book" • Honest records: based on Screen Time measurements. No inflated numbers to scare you • A companion that grows: books pile up behind Pause-kun as you pause and read • Home Screen widget and a Lock Screen view while you read (Live Activity) • Share card: the time you turned into reading, and your companion, in one image • Today and this week at a glance * The free version covers up to 3 apps. [ Pause Plus ] The free version is enough for most days. Pause Plus is for people who want to cut back more seriously. It's available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. • Push Mode: a block you can't lift for the period you choose • Unlimited apps • Reward Mode: after you finish, 24 hours with no limits on your blocked apps • Monthly and yearly views, with a full year of history • Name your companion Pause Plus yearly and monthly plans each come with a 1-month free trial. Pause Plus one-time purchase: pay once, no auto-renewal. [ Your privacy ] • Your Screen Time details and the books you read never leave your device. No account, no sign-in • Pause doesn't ban social media. It only asks you to pause. The choice is always yours After the free trial, the subscription converts to a paid plan. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in Settings → Apple ID after purchase. Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://pause-lp.vercel.app/privacy/

Screenshots

Honyomu4 screens
Pause4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Honyomu at 3 against Pause's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Honyomu ships an update weekly, Pause every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
Honyomu versus Pause: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHonyomuPause
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaisaku MoriIku Yagome

In-app purchases

None

Honyomu

No in-app purchases

None

Pause

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Honyomu free?
Honyomu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pause free?
Pause is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Honyomu or Pause have ads?
Neither Honyomu nor Pause shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Honyomu or Pause?
Honyomu ships an update weekly, and Pause every 5 days. Most recently, Honyomu was updated on September 18, 2026 and Pause on September 22, 2026.

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