Comparison

SoberUp vs Shield

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

Head to head
About

SoberUp

This app helps you track your progress on your journey to sobriety. Monitor sober days, track your streak, and build healthier habits. It provides a simple, private space to stay motivated and focused on your personal goals.

Highlights
  • Track sober days and milestones
  • Monitor alcohol-free streak
  • Record progress over time
  • Build daily accountability
  • Stay focused on personal goals
  • Clean and simple design
Features
Read full description

SoberUp is a simple sobriety tracker built to help you stay focused on your addiction-free journey, track sober days, monitor progress, and build healthier daily habits. Whether you are quitting drinking, taking a break from alcohol, starting Dry January, rebuilding consistency, or tracking long-term recovery, SoberUp gives you a clean place to record your progress and keep your motivation visible. Track Your Sobriety Log your sober date, follow your sober streak, and see your progress grow over time. SoberUp helps you replace scattered notes and mental math with a clear sobriety counter you can check anytime. Use SoberUp to: - Track sober days and milestones - Monitor your alcohol-free streak - Record progress over time - Build daily accountability - Stay focused on personal goals - Reflect on your sobriety journey Milestones and Motivation Every day counts. SoberUp makes it easy to see how far you have come, recognize meaningful milestones, and stay connected to the reasons you started. Helpful for: - Quitting alcohol - Reducing drinking - Sober curiosity - Dry months and reset challenges - Recovery tracking - Habit building - Personal accountability Simple Progress Tracking SoberUp is designed to be lightweight, private, and easy to use. Open the app, check your sober time, review your progress, and keep moving forward without clutter. Why SoberUp - Sobriety day counter - Alcohol-free streak tracker - Recovery progress tracking - Milestone support - Clean and simple design - Private personal tracking - Built for consistency SoberUp is a tracking and motivation tool. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, crisis support, or professional counseling. If you need medical, mental health, substance use, or emergency support, contact a qualified professional or local emergency services. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Shield

This app helps you regain control of your digital habits by blocking distracting applications until you complete real-world goals. Set daily objectives and earn access back to your chosen apps by achieving them.

Highlights
  • Goal-based app blocking
  • Set daily real-world objectives
  • Earn access to blocked apps
  • Temporary break option
  • Social accountability circle
  • Uses Screen Time technology
Features
Read full description

Shield blocks your most distracting apps until you finish your goals for the day. HOW IT WORKS Each morning, write down at least three goals for the day: go for a run, finish your reading, call your grandma. You choose which apps get blocked. They stay blocked until every goal is checked off, and then they open for the rest of the day. You can add daily habits too, and those count as well. FRIENDS Goals are easier to keep when your friends can see them. Your friends see your goals for the day and which ones you've finished, and you see theirs, along with how many days in a row you've each kept it up. Add people you know by their handle. Nothing is shared until you've both accepted, and there's no feed to scroll. BEDTIME AND QUIET HOURS Set a bedtime and a wind-down hour, and your apps close on schedule, whether or not your goals are done. FOCUS BLOCKS Start a timer for something you're working on, and your apps stay closed until it runs out. WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK You can lower the shield for fifteen minutes, up to three times a day. It's there for the times you really need an app. SHIELD FAMILY Pair your kid's iPhone and set their goals, habits, bedtime and a daily limit from your own phone. Their apps open once they've finished what you set. Shield Family is an optional subscription, and the first week is free. PRIVACY Shield is built on Apple's Screen Time. Apple doesn't tell us which apps you block, and your usage data stays on your phone. There are no ads, and we don't sell your data. Shield is free to use. You'll need a free account, which takes about twenty seconds and keeps your goals and friends when you switch phones. Terms of Use: https://shieldblocker.netlify.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://shieldblocker.netlify.app/privacy

Screenshots

SoberUp4 screens
Shield4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Shield at free against SoberUp's freemium. Shield also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1). SoberUp's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. SoberUp sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Shield sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 SoberUp against 5.0 for Shield. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shield has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SoberUp ships an update weekly, Shield fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SoberUp versus Shield: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoberUpShield
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB22 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBRIAN MATTHEW REYNOLDSZak Riesen

Customer experience

SoberUp

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shield

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SoberUp

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Subscription7 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Shield

Subscriptions2
  • Shield Family7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Shield Family7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is SoberUp free?
SoberUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shield free?
Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SoberUp or Shield?
SoberUp and Shield are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do SoberUp or Shield have ads?
Neither SoberUp nor Shield shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SoberUp or Shield?
SoberUp ships an update weekly, and Shield fortnightly. Most recently, SoberUp was updated on October 31, 2026 and Shield on November 5, 2026.

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