Comparison

Brain Games vs Sphinx

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

Head to head
About

Brain Games

This app helps break mindless scrolling habits by requiring users to solve a quick puzzle before opening distracting apps. It turns passive screen time into active mental exercise, empowering users to regain control over their device usage and build discipline.

Highlights
  • Logic, math, memory, and pattern puzzles
  • App blocking by category or individual app
  • Tracks abandoned app unlocks
  • Difficulty scales with user speed
  • Privacy-focused, no data leaves device
  • Integrates with Apple's Screen Time framework
Features
Read full description

Let's be honest: you've opened Instagram, closed it, and reopened it within the same minute. No new notifications. No reason. Just thumbs moving on their own while your brain idles in the back seat. That's not a willpower problem. That's autopilot. And you can't out-discipline a habit your hands do without asking you. BrainScreen fixes the loop with one beautifully annoying idea: before you can open the apps that eat your day, you have to solve a quick puzzle. Logic, math, memory, patterns — 15 seconds of actually thinking. Two things happen. Sometimes you solve it, get in, and carry on (a little sharper than before). And sometimes, halfway through the puzzle, your brain catches up and goes "wait, why am I even opening this?" — and you close the app and get on with your life. That second moment is the whole point. Most of your unlocks aren't decisions. They're reflexes. A tiny puzzle is just enough friction to turn the reflex back into a choice. GET SMARTER, NOT NUMBER Every app you'd normally scroll into becomes a 15-second mental rep. Over a week that's hundreds of little workouts for your brain instead of hundreds of dead-eyed scrolls. Same phone. Opposite result. - Logic puzzles designed to catch you mid-autopilot - Quick math with just enough time pressure to wake you up - Memory and pattern challenges - Word and attention tests that are weirdly satisfying - Difficulty that scales up as you get faster YOU PICK THE GATEKEEPING You decide which apps get the puzzle treatment. Lock down the obvious offenders, leave your maps and music alone. You're in charge of where the friction goes. - Block any app or whole category - Set it once, forget it, let the puzzles do the work - Built on Apple's Screen Time framework, so the blocks actually hold — no flimsy workarounds WATCH THE WINS ADD UP BrainScreen counts the unlocks you started but abandoned — the scrolls you talked yourself out of. Turns out "didn't open it" is a stat worth celebrating. - See how many pointless unlocks you skipped - Build streaks that reward discipline, not screen time - Track your puzzle speed climbing as your brain wakes back up ACTUALLY PRIVATE Your app activity never leaves your phone. We use Apple's own Screen Time technology, which means we literally cannot see what you do — and we built it that way on purpose. Your business stays your business. THE MATH THAT SHOULD ANNOY YOU The average person burns 4+ hours a day on their phone. A lot of that is autopilot you'd happily skip if something just made you pause. BrainScreen is that pause. Trade the mindless scroll for a few seconds of thinking, and get back hours you didn't know you were losing. Your thumbs have been running the show long enough. Time to make your brain do the unlocking. BrainScreen offers an auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account 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 your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use - https://brainscreen.io/terms.html Privacy Policy - https://brainscreen.io/privacy.html EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sphinx

Read full description

Most app blockers ask you to have willpower. Sphinx asks you to have two minutes and a working brain. Lock the apps that eat your evening. When you want back in, you don't tap "ignore" — you solve a chess puzzle. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps you want locked, and choose how long the lock lasts. 2. Open one of them and you hit the Sphinx shield instead. 3. Solve a puzzle to buy back five minutes. Solve more for longer. EACH UNLOCK COSTS MORE THAN THE LAST The first unlock in a lock window costs one puzzle. The second costs two. The third costs three. After that, you wait until the window ends. The price is on screen before you commit, so a long session never feels free. PUZZLES, NOT TIMERS • 2,499 mate-in-one chess puzzles, every one verified solvable • Number pattern puzzles if chess isn't your thing • Everything is solved on device, so no connection is needed NO ESCAPE HATCH There is no "just this once" button, no snooze, no early exit. A lock window runs until it ends. Apps inside one can't even be removed from your list until it does. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Sphinx never learns which apps you locked. Your selection is handled entirely by Apple's Screen Time framework and stays on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking. LIGHT AND DARK Pick either, or follow your phone. — Sphinx uses Apple's Screen Time permission to lock and unlock the apps you choose. It cannot see your activity in those apps, and it cannot see which apps you selected. Sphinx Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the yearly subscription begins automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in Settings on your device. Privacy Policy: https://kevinnguyen2321.github.io/sphinx-privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Brain Games4 screens
Sphinx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sphinx at weekly against Brain Games's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Brain Games sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Sphinx sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brain Games ships an update fortnightly, Sphinx weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Brain Games versus Sphinx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrain GamesSphinx
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (21 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScreentime Labs LLCKevin Nguyen

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Brain Games

Subscriptions5
  • Brain Screen Pro$7.997 Days
  • Brain Screen Pro$39.991 Year
  • Brain Screen Pro$49.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Brain Screen Pro$59.991 Year
  • Brain Screen Pro$69.991 Year
2 purchases

Sphinx

Subscriptions2
  • Sphinx Pro$4.991 Month
  • Sphinx Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Brain Games free?
Brain Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sphinx free?
Sphinx is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Brain Games or Sphinx have ads?
Neither Brain Games nor Sphinx shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brain Games or Sphinx?
Brain Games ships an update fortnightly, and Sphinx weekly. Most recently, Brain Games was updated on October 7, 2026 and Sphinx on October 6, 2026.

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