Comparison

FocusFirst Screen Time Control vs OpenAd

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

Head to head
About

FocusFirst Screen Time Control

This app helps you reclaim your time by blocking distracting applications and encouraging focused activity. It's designed to foster a more deliberate relationship with your phone, reducing mindless scrolling and guilt while building momentum towards your goals.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Earn screen time through focused activity
  • Build healthy boundaries
  • Reduce mindless scrolling
  • Increase momentum towards goals
  • Promotes deliberate phone use
Features
Read full description

Take back control of your time. FocusFirst helps you spend less time scrolling and more time on the things that actually move your life forward. Whether you’re studying, building a business, learning a language, reading, exercising, or simply trying to be more intentional with your day, FocusFirst gives you a better way to protect your attention. Most apps compete for your focus. FocusFirst helps you reclaim it. Instead of relying on willpower alone, FocusFirst helps you build healthy boundaries around the apps that pull you off course. Block the distractions that interrupt your momentum, focus on something meaningful, and earn time back as you make progress. It’s a simple idea, but it changes the feeling of using your phone: - less mindless checking - less guilt - less friction when you want to stay on track - more momentum toward the work, habits, and routines you care about FocusFirst is built for people who want a calmer, more deliberate relationship with their phone. Not punishment. Not shame. Just a clearer way to stay aligned with your priorities. Focus first. Scroll later. FocusFirst is free to download, but a subscription is required to use the app. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

OpenAd

This app helps you limit screen time by making distractions inconvenient. Gate specific apps or categories, and watch a short ad to unlock them temporarily. It's designed to create friction, encouraging deliberate choices and helping you regain focus.

Highlights
  • Gate apps, categories, or websites
  • Watch ads to unlock apps
  • Temporary unlocks (5 or 15 minutes)
  • Automatic re-locking
  • Tracks user resistance
  • Private by design, no account needed
Features
Read full description

Before you scroll, pay the toll. OpenAd is a free app blocker and screen time tool. Pick the apps that eat your day, and every time you open one, you watch an ad first. It's annoying. That's the point. 100% FREE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. EVER. The ads pay for OpenAd, so you never do. No paywall, no premium tier. HOW IT WORKS • Block any app, category or website • Open a blocked app and you hit OpenAd's block screen • Watch 1 ad for 5 minutes. You also get 2 free passes a day • When time's up, the block comes back on its own • Change your mind? Tap "Not now", and it counts as a win STOP DOOMSCROLLING, AND SEE THE PROOF • Your screen time receipt: tolls paid, ads watched and urges resisted, for this week or all time. Share it in one tap • A Lock Screen countdown while your apps are unlocked • A Sunday recap of your week • A Home Screen widget with today's resisted urges MADE FOR • Cutting back on social media and doomscrolling • Staying focused while you study or work • A digital detox that doesn't depend on willpower GOOD TO KNOW • If an ad can't load, OpenAd offers a short timed wait instead. • You never have to tap an ad, install anything or buy anything. • Screen Time permission is required to block apps. Notifications and tracking are optional. • You can report an inappropriate ad in Settings. YOUR PRIVACY • The apps you block and your Screen Time activity stay on your iPhone. They're never sent to us or to advertisers. • Ads come from third-party ad partners. "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" is in Settings and on by default. • OpenAd collects basic usage analytics to improve the app. See the Privacy Policy for details. The world's most annoying app blocker. You're welcome.

Screenshots

FocusFirst Screen Time Control4 screens
OpenAd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenAd at none against FocusFirst Screen Time Control's 3. OpenAd also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). FocusFirst Screen Time Control's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. FocusFirst Screen Time Control sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. OpenAd asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for FocusFirst Screen Time Control against 5.0 for OpenAd. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusFirst Screen Time Control ships an update every 2 weeks, OpenAd weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
FocusFirst Screen Time Control versus OpenAd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusFirst Screen Time ControlOpenAd
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB19 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMichael RiehlSeven Agent Studios LLC

Customer experience

FocusFirst Screen Time Control

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

OpenAd

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

FocusFirst Screen Time Control

Subscriptions3
  • Focus First | Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Focus First | Yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Focus First | Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

OpenAd

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FocusFirst Screen Time Control free?
FocusFirst Screen Time Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenAd free?
OpenAd is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FocusFirst Screen Time Control or OpenAd?
FocusFirst Screen Time Control and OpenAd are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do FocusFirst Screen Time Control or OpenAd have ads?
OpenAd shows ads; FocusFirst Screen Time Control does not.
Which is updated more often, FocusFirst Screen Time Control or OpenAd?
FocusFirst Screen Time Control ships an update every 2 weeks, and OpenAd weekly. Most recently, FocusFirst Screen Time Control was updated on October 31, 2026 and OpenAd on November 5, 2026.

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