Comparison

Fried vs hey!

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

Head to head
About

Fried

This app helps you reduce phone usage by blocking distracting applications and setting daily limits. It offers focus sessions, smart scheduling, and insights into your screen time habits, all while keeping a playful companion happy.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Set daily limits
  • Focus sessions
  • Smart schedules
  • Screen time insights
  • Focus companion
Features
Read full description

Stop losing hours to your phone. Fried is a playful screen time control app that helps you spend less time scrolling and more time living. Block distracting apps, set limits that actually stick, and keep Pebble happy while you stay focused. Less scrolling. More life. What you get: • Block distracting apps before they steal your attention • Daily limits that help you spend less time on your phone • Focus sessions for work, school, studying, and deep work • Smart schedules for bedtime, mornings, and daily routines • Gentle reminders before you go over your limits • Screen time insights to track your progress • Pebble, your tiny focus companion, who reacts to your habits PRIVATE & SECURE Fried uses Apple's Screen Time API to block apps and manage screen time directly on your device. Your data stays on your device and is never sold or shared. Some features require a subscription. Terms of Service: https://app.notion.com/p/Terms-of-Service-382e65a7343180e9a443da1aeb2abf9b?source=copy_link Privacy Policy: https://app.notion.com/p/Fried-Privacy-Policy-382e65a7343180a48fd7d604ca50fe82?source=copy_link

About

hey!

This app helps you manage phone usage with a virtual companion who encourages breaks and rewards them with in-app currency. Earn coins by taking breaks to buy items for your companion or decorate their room. Track your progress and mood without pressure to maintain streaks.

Highlights
  • Virtual companion for focus
  • Earn coins for breaks
  • Decorate companion's room
  • Track mood and sessions
  • Focus Filter integration
  • No streaks or pressure
Read full description

You opened your phone to check one thing. Somehow, you're still here. hey! is a little taro pal called Taro. He lives in a room on your phone and watches only the apps you choose. When time in them runs long, he asks: "Hey, you still with me?" Take a break and he adds 5 coins. Keep using and he steps out of the way. Nothing is ever locked. MEET TARO Taro's mood goes okay, good, glowing. Breaks lift it, snacks lift it, and it drifts back to okay on its own — it never drops lower. There's nothing you can do to make it worse, and nothing to lose by coming back after a week away. Check in with your own mood any time; Rhythm remembers it. COINS FOR EVERY BREAK Every break you take earns 5 coins, and the check-in says so before you choose. Coins do one thing: they buy things for Taro. WORK TOGETHER Sit down with Taro for a light session: 25 minutes on, 5 off, for one, two or four rounds. Pick what you're working on. Finish and earn 30 coins, plus 10 more for finishing every round you planned. End early and you keep what you finished. Pause whenever you need to. During a round Taro checks in the moment you open one of your apps, instead of waiting out the usual delay. Keep using still works. SNACKS AND KEEPSAKES Spend coins in the Shop. Treats — a strawberry, a rice ball, a cookie — lift Taro's mood a little, and water is free once a day. Keepsakes like a mug, a plant, a lamp or a cushion go into his room and stay there for good. GIFTS YOU CAN'T BUY Sometimes Taro finds you something: a pebble by the door, a pressed leaf, a seedling he grew while you worked. Gifts are never for sale. They sit on the From Taro shelf with the day they arrived. YOUR WEEK, NOT YOUR SCORE Rhythm shows the breaks you took, how you've been feeling, the sessions you ran and every gift on the shelf. No streak to break. No day that counts against you. Nothing resets. ON FOR FOCUS Add hey! as a Focus Filter in iPhone Settings. Taro wakes when that Focus turns on and rests when it turns off. The app walks you through setup. Manual sessions are there when you'd rather start one yourself. YOUR APP CONTENT STAYS PRIVATE Apple's Screen Time tools count use in the apps and websites you select. hey! doesn't read your messages, your photos or the videos you watch. No account. No advertising. Optional usage sharing helps us improve setup and check-ins; it never includes what you do in other apps. TRY IT FREE FOR 14 DAYS Eligible new subscribers get 14 days free when they choose a monthly or yearly plan and confirm with Apple. Every plan includes all features. After the trial, your selected subscription renews automatically at the price shown before you confirm unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Manage or cancel in App Store settings. Lifetime access is a separate one-time purchase with no subscription trial or renewal. Local prices appear in the app. Restore purchases with the Apple Account used to buy. HELP SHAPE HEY Suggest a feature and vote on ideas at tryhey.app/feedback. Need a hand? Reach us at hello@tryhey.app. Requires iPhone with iOS 18 or later and Screen Time permission. Check-ins depend on Apple's usage signals and can arrive a little late. Time adds up across the apps and websites you select while a Focus or session is active. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Fried4 screens
hey!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Fried at every 3 days against hey!'s every 9 days. Fried also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). hey!'s advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Fried sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and hey! sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Fried against 5.0 for hey!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fried ships an update every 3 days, hey! every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Fried versus hey!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFriedhey!
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarter ClarkX1 Consulting LLC

Customer experience

Fried

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

hey!

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fried

Subscriptions2
  • Fried Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Fried Premium Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
3 purchases

hey!

Subscriptions2
  • hey Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • hey Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • hey Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Fried free?
Fried is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is hey! free?
hey! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fried or hey!?
Fried and hey! are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Fried or hey! have ads?
Neither Fried nor hey! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fried or hey!?
Fried ships an update every 3 days, and hey! every 9 days. Most recently, Fried was updated on October 21, 2026 and hey! on October 22, 2026.

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