Earned vs TaskGate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Earned
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Every unlock begins with a commitment. Earned helps you break the scroll-first habit. Before you open the apps you love, you do something that matters โ wash the dishes, read, work out, study โ and only then earn a limited window of screen time. HOW IT WORKS 1. DECLARE A TASK Choose from dozens of built-in tasks across chores, wellness, learning, creativity, and more โ or create your own with Earned Pro. 2. SET A TIMER Pick how long you'll focus. The timer cannot be paused or skipped. Your selected apps stay locked until time is up. 3. EARN YOUR APPS When the timer ends, you unlock a scroll window โ screen time you've actually earned. When it's over, apps lock again until your next task. WHY EARNED IS DIFFERENT โข Commitment-first โ scrolling is the reward, not the default โข No pause, no override โ the timer runs until it's done โข Real tasks, real streaks โ build momentum day after day โข Uses Apple's Screen Time APIs โ locking happens on your device โข Widgets & Live Activities โ see your timer and progress at a glance FREE INCLUDES โข Lock up to 3 apps โข 1 app folder โข Full task library โข Streak tracking โข Scroll window after each completed task EARNED PRO โข Unlimited app locking โข Unlimited app folders โข Custom tasks & durations โข Schedule tasks ahead of time โข Full insights & streak history โข Custom scroll window length PRIVACY Earned uses Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls frameworks to lock and unlock apps on your device. We do not sell your data. Screen Time usage data stays on your device. SUBSCRIPTIONS Earned Pro is available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://malachipatrick718.github.io/earned/privacy/
TaskGate
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TaskGate locks your most distracting apps behind a gate. The gate opens when today's tasks are done โ and not a moment earlier. No timer you can dismiss. No screen you can swipe past. TaskGate uses Apple's own Screen Time controls, so when an app is blocked, it is blocked. HOW IT WORKS 1. Write down what you want to get done today. 2. Choose the apps that steal your time. 3. They stay locked until every task is checked off. At midnight the gate closes again, whether you open TaskGate or not. Tomorrow is a fresh contract. REAL APP BLOCKING Powered by Apple Screen Time. A blocked app shows a TaskGate screen telling you how many tasks are still left today. STRICT MODE For the days you mean it. While the gate is locked, today's tasks can't be deleted or pushed to tomorrow, and blocking can't be switched off. One emergency pass a day opens your apps for 15 minutes after a 10-minute wait โ enough for something urgent, not enough to skip the day. FOCUS TIMERS Give a task a duration โ study for an hour, read for thirty minutes. Start the timer and the task checks itself off when the time is up. Closing the app doesn't stop the clock. ROUTINES Tasks that repeat every day, on weekdays, or on the days you pick. They appear on your list each morning, automatically. PLAN AHEAD Schedule tasks for future days. When that day arrives, the gate arms itself. Tap any task to change it, and drag to reorder. STREAKS Every day you finish your list adds to your streak. Days without tasks are rest days and don't break it. Tap the number for a calendar of the days you kept and the days you missed. WIDGETS Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show whether the gate is open, how many tasks remain, and how long your streak is. IPHONE, IPAD AND IPHONE DUO On a big screen, Today and Planned sit side by side. REMINDERS An optional evening nudge, plus a reminder time on any individual task. PRIVACY TaskGate collects nothing. There is no account, no sign-up, no analytics, and no ads. Your tasks stay on your device. The apps you choose to block are handled by iOS itself โ Apple's Screen Time API hands apps opaque tokens rather than names, so TaskGate never learns which apps you picked or what you do in them. LANGUAGES English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Dutch, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Arabic and Indonesian. TaskGate needs Screen Time permission to block apps. Unless Strict mode is on, you can turn blocking off at any time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TaskGate at none against Earned's 2. Earned's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Earned sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. TaskGate asks for nothing beyond the download.
Earned ships an update every 2 days, TaskGate monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Earned | TaskGate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days โ better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Malachi Patrick | Bilal Karadeniz |
In-app purchases
Earned
- Earned Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Earned Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
TaskGate
No in-app purchases









