Comparison

Candle vs GladeFocus Screen Time Control

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

Head to head
About

Candle

Features
Read full description

Light a candle. Focus for as long as it burns. That's the whole promise. Candle is a cozy, candlelit focus companion for studying and deep work. Calm, gentle, and quietly motivating. No streaks to break, no shame if you stop early. Just you, a warm little flame, and the time you promised yourself. • One continuous burn is one focus session, your gentle vow for the next stretch of work. • Prefer Pomodoro? Turn it on and the candle “breathes,” burning while you work and resting on breaks. • Study together in calm rooms. Light a shared candle and others pull up a chair (body doubling that actually feels cozy). • Every candle you keep to the end earns a spot on your Shelf, a quiet record of time well spent. Made for students, focus seekers, and anyone who studies better by warm light. Pour a cup of something, light your candle, and begin.

About

GladeFocus Screen Time Control

This app helps you stay focused by blocking distracting apps and websites. Earn virtual currency by completing focus sessions to grow a personalized digital garden and compete on a global leaderboard. Achieve milestones and unlock special trees to enhance your virtual landscape.

Highlights
  • Fully locked app and website blocking
  • Gamified focus sessions with Acorn rewards
  • Grow and customize a digital garden
  • Global and friend leaderboards
  • Scheduled, recurring, and Pomodoro sessions
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

GladeFocus turns "I'll stop scrolling in a minute" into focus you can actually see grow. Start a session, and GladeFocus blocks your distracting apps and websites until your time is up. Every minute you stay focused earns Acorns and grows a garden that's entirely your own. Finish sessions, plant seeds, watch your trees mature, and climb the monthly leaderboard. Your focus is the only thing that grows it. FULLY LOCKED BLOCKING - Blocks distracting apps with no easy way to bypass - Blocks distracting websites in every browser, not just one - Blocking holds even if you try to wriggle out mid-session - Build blocklists once and reuse them for any session GROW YOUR GLADE - Every focused minute earns Acorns - Spend Acorns in the Seed Shop and plant your garden - Trees grow as you keep focusing, then harvest for more Acorns - Hit focus milestones to earn golden keepsake trees CLIMB THE LEADERBOARD - See how your focused time stacks up against the community - Monthly rankings that reset so there's always a fresh start - Compete with friends globally for rewards BUILT FOR REAL FOCUS - Schedule future sessions, recurring sessions, and pomodoro sessions - A session history so you can see your streaks and your slips - Your Glade: watch your focused time add up over the days - Clean, distraction-free design that gets out of your way SYNCS EVERYWHERE GladeFocus shares one account across iPhone, Mac, and Chrome. Your blocklists, sessions, garden, and history follow you across every device. GLADE PRO Upgrade to Glade Pro for unlimited blocklists and advanced session types (scheduled, recurring, and pomodoro). Pro is an auto-renewable subscription billed through your Apple ID. Everything else in the app, including all blocking and free session types, works without Pro. Sign in with Apple. No ads, no third-party tracking. Ready to actually get the thing done? Plant your focus. Start a session. Terms of Service: https://gladefocus.com/terms

Screenshots

Candle4 screens
GladeFocus Screen Time Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Candle at none against GladeFocus Screen Time Control's 3. GladeFocus Screen Time Control's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. GladeFocus Screen Time Control sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $10.00 per month. Candle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Candle ships an update every 4 months, GladeFocus Screen Time Control every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Candle versus GladeFocus Screen Time Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCandleGladeFocus Screen Time Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperADAM JAKUB MIERZWAWILLIAM LIU

In-app purchases

None

Candle

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

GladeFocus Screen Time Control

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Monthly$10.001 Month
  • Glade Pro Yearly (Special Offer)$40.001 Year
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$60.001 Year

Questions

Is Candle free?
Candle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GladeFocus Screen Time Control free?
GladeFocus Screen Time Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Candle or GladeFocus Screen Time Control have ads?
Neither Candle nor GladeFocus Screen Time Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Candle or GladeFocus Screen Time Control?
Candle ships an update every 4 months, and GladeFocus Screen Time Control every 3 weeks. Most recently, Candle was updated on October 31, 2026 and GladeFocus Screen Time Control on November 5, 2026.

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