Comparison

Screen Time Log vs ACCESS

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

Head to head
About

Screen Time Log

Features
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PREMIUM — PURCHASE REQUIRED: All features described below are part of Pro and require a purchase: a weekly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Log your screen time by hand — and finally notice it. ScreenTimeLog is a manual screen time diary: after a scroll session you open the app, log the minutes, tag the category, and note how you felt. No automatic tracking, no blocking, no judgment — just the honest act of writing it down. That act is the whole point. Automatic trackers count minutes you never look at. Writing "45 min · Social · felt drained" with your own thumb is a mindfulness practice — and it is the moment your habits start to change. Because every entry carries a mood, ScreenTimeLog can show you the one chart no automatic report has: whether your heavy phone days actually feel worse. WHAT YOU GET • Open the app and see today at a glance — 2h 14m logged, 3 entries, and a day streak you will not want to break • A donut of where the day really went — Social, Streaming, Games, Productivity, Reading — so "I was busy" becomes "I scrolled for 90 minutes" • A mood on every entry, from Drained to Refreshed, feeding a scatter chart of mood vs screen time with a plain-language verdict on your pattern • Daily limits per category with a live bar that turns amber at 80% and red when you blow past it • Detox goals like "Screen-free dinner" or "No phone first hour", with weekly targets and screen-free streaks • A gentle reminder at the hour you choose, so the diary actually gets written every evening PERFECT FOR • Anyone who has seen the built-in weekly screen time report, winced for ten seconds, and changed nothing • People running a digital detox or 7-day social media detox who want a written record, not another blocker • Journalers who want phone habits and mood in one private place • Anyone who suspects doomscrolling drags their mood down — and wants proof either way WHY NOT JUST USE THE BUILT-IN REPORT? Because passive numbers do not change behavior. The OS tells you a total on Sunday; a diary makes you face each session the day it happens. And no automatic report knows how you felt, lets you set a "Screen-free dinner" goal, or shows whether your worst-mood days are your heaviest-scroll days. Manual is not a limitation here — it is the method. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Your diary stays on your iPhone. No account, no cloud, no analytics on your entries. What you log is nobody's business but yours. PREMIUM (PURCHASE REQUIRED) ScreenTimeLog Pro unlocks unlimited category limits, unlimited detox goals, the full Insights tab — trends, category breakdown, and mood-vs-screen-time correlation — plus CSV export of your entire log. Pro is available as a weekly subscription, a yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Tonight, before bed, log today's minutes. That one honest entry is where less screen time starts. Terms of Use: https://leanstudio.asia/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://leanstudio.asia/privacy-policy Support: support@leanstudio.asia

About

ACCESS

This app allows you to set time limits for specific applications on your device. Once your allotted time is used, the apps will automatically lock for a predetermined period, reopening when the lock expires. It offers a free basic version and a paid Pro version with advanced features.

Highlights
  • Set time budgets for apps
  • Automatic app locking
  • Automatic app unlocking
  • Customizable lock durations
  • Strict mode for enforced limits
  • Usage history and widgets (Pro)
Features
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ACCESS — the scroll has a bottom. Set clearer screen-time boundaries on one iPhone, for yourself or with a parent. Choose your apps, decide when they should pause, and keep the rules together in one place. THREE WAYS TO SET A BOUNDARY • Quiet hours: close your selected apps at scheduled times, such as bedtime, even when use allowance remains. • Regular Lock: iOS counts actual use across your selected apps. When their shared allowance runs out, they lock for the duration you chose. There is no session to start. • Daily limit: set one combined daily allowance for the selected apps, not a separate allowance per app. It resets at 4 AM. Use the features separately or together. A Lock ending does not override Quiet hours or a reached Daily limit. Home keeps the clock and current restriction visible, with quick links to the same controls in Settings. A PASSCODE WHEN YOU NEED ONE Parents can add a six-digit ACCESS passcode during setup or later in Settings. It protects changes to the app's settings and early-release actions on this phone. During a restriction, tap Unlock now and enter the passcode to open the selected apps for 15 minutes, when Temporary unlock is enabled. A running Lock pauses and resumes with its remaining time. End Lock early is a separate passcode-protected action; Quiet hours and the Daily limit still apply. The passcode is optional for personal use. Without one, settings are not parent-protected; an early release requires creating a passcode first. Normal scheduled endings remain automatic. You can also start a voluntary Lock now without entering the passcode when no restriction is already active. ACCESS uses individual Screen Time permission. Its local passcode cannot prevent deleting ACCESS or revoking that permission. No child account is required for local setup. Remote monitoring and remote unlock are not included. BASIC, PRO AND PRO FAMILY Basic is free and covers one selected app with the core Lock, Quiet hours and Daily limit controls. Individual Pro covers up to 50 individually selected apps on your Apple Account, with their use counted together. It also adds extended event history and widgets. Pro Family includes the same Pro features, shared with up to five other members of your Apple Family Sharing group. Only the subscription is shared: apps, rules, passcodes, Screen Time permission and usage remain separate on each device. To share Pro Family, enable Share with Family for ACCESS in iPhone Settings → Family → Subscriptions → Manage Subscriptions. Each member installs ACCESS with their own Apple Account and sets up Screen Time locally. If Pro has not appeared, use Restore Purchases in ACCESS. Purchase Sharing is not required for subscription sharing. Individual Pro is not shareable. Subscriptions are available monthly or yearly and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Apple shows the local price and renewal terms before confirmation. Manage or cancel in Apple's subscription settings. A three-day trial is shown only when Apple confirms eligibility; introductory eligibility is shared across the ACCESS Pro subscription group. PRIVATE, LOCAL AND STRAIGHTFORWARD Stats shows iOS Screen Time information and events ACCESS recorded, not invented "time saved." Settings → Advanced → Activity log lists protection events. Protection Health helps check permission and counting status. No ACCESS account, advertising, analytics or ACCESS server. ACCESS does not upload selected-app tokens, passcodes or usage history. Local passcode credentials use the device-only Keychain. Terms of Use: https://shaikhjamir.github.io/access-legal/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://shaikhjamir.github.io/access-legal/privacy.html

Screenshots

Screen Time Log4 screens
ACCESS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Screen Time Log at none against ACCESS's 2. ACCESS's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ACCESS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Screen Time Log asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Screen Time Log ships an update every 4 months, ACCESS every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Screen Time Log versus ACCESS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreen Time LogACCESS
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLEAN ASIA CO., LTDJamir Shaikh

In-app purchases

None

Screen Time Log

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ACCESS

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Screen Time Log free?
Screen Time Log is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ACCESS free?
ACCESS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Screen Time Log or ACCESS have ads?
Neither Screen Time Log nor ACCESS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Screen Time Log or ACCESS?
Screen Time Log ships an update every 4 months, and ACCESS every 9 days. Most recently, Screen Time Log was updated on October 11, 2026 and ACCESS on September 28, 2026.

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