Comparison

FocusFirst Screen Time Control vs Earned Time

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

Earned Time

Features
Read full description

Earned Time flips the deal on screen time. Instead of guilt-tripping you with a weekly usage report, it pauses your distracting apps until you've done something that actually matters to you. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps you want paused — social, games, whatever pulls you in. 2. Set up goals from the activities you want to do more of: reading, studying, language practice, anything. 3. Pick which apps count as productive for each activity. 4. Time you spend in those apps is tracked automatically and converts into unlock minutes. 5. Spend your earned minutes whenever you want. Your paused apps come back for exactly that long, then lock again on their own. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT No shaming. No arbitrary limits you'll disable in a weak moment. You set the exchange rate between effort and freedom, and the app just holds you to it. FEATURES • Automatic tracking — productive app time becomes unlock minutes with no timers to start and no sessions to remember • Focus sessions for offline work that no app can measure • Roll over unused minutes so a strong day can fund a slow one • See exactly how you earned: which activity, which apps, how many minutes • Anti-bypass controls — confirmation delays, a daily cap on manual unlocks, or hide the escape hatch entirely • Streaks and achievements • Daily or weekly goals PRIVATE BY DESIGN There is no account, no sign-up, and no server. Earned Time makes no network connections at all. Your Screen Time data and your goals never leave your iPhone.

Screenshots

FocusFirst Screen Time Control4 screens
Earned Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Earned Time at none against FocusFirst Screen Time Control's 3. Earned Time also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Earned Time asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusFirst Screen Time Control ships an update every 2 weeks, Earned Time every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FocusFirst Screen Time Control versus Earned Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusFirst Screen Time ControlEarned Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.118.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael RiehlPayam Khaninejad

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

Earned Time

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 Earned Time free?
Earned Time is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FocusFirst Screen Time Control or Earned Time have ads?
Neither FocusFirst Screen Time Control nor Earned Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusFirst Screen Time Control or Earned Time?
FocusFirst Screen Time Control ships an update every 2 weeks, and Earned Time every 10 days. Most recently, FocusFirst Screen Time Control was updated on October 6, 2026 and Earned Time on September 30, 2026.

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