Comparison

Pirates vs MELT

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

Head to head
About

Pirates

Take back control of your time by blocking distracting apps and websites. Utilize a focus timer with custom soundscapes to enhance productivity. Enjoy a fun, engaging experience with unique characters and ships while gaining clear insights into your progress.

Highlights
  • App and website blocking
  • Focus timer with Pomodoro
  • Customizable soundscapes
  • Engaging character and ship designs
  • On-device blocking via Screen Time API
  • Progress insights
Features
Read full description

A cozy Pomodoro timer with a crew of cat pirates. Start a focus round, sail with your cats, and earn gold when the timer ends. Your distracting apps stay locked until you're done. No accounts, no ads, no tracking. A TIMER THAT FEELS LIKE A GAME • Pick your focus and break lengths, or use the classic 25/5 • Earn gold every time a round ends, not at the end of the week • Recruit 7 cats, dress them in 170+ outfits, and decorate your ship and camp • Come home to a cozy camp with a hammock, a campfire, and cats wandering around while you work BUILT FOR DISTRACTED BRAINS • One big button to start. No setup, no to-do list first • Short rounds with a visible timer, so time stops feeling invisible • Streaks start at 1 day, so a bad week never wipes you out • Mix your own ambient sound: waves, rain, fireplace, lo-fi, and a purring cat KEEPS YOUR PHONE QUIET • Optional app and website blocking with iOS Screen Time. No VPN, no servers • You pick which apps lock during a round. Calls and texts always work • Quit a round early and you lose the reward. Hard mode locks the timer so you can't end it early MORE ON DECK • Live Activity keeps the timer on your lock screen and Dynamic Island • Three daily missions arrive in your mailbox and pay extra gold • Climb 11 pirate ranks from Deckhand to Legend of the Seven Seas • The Captain's log charts every focus minute PERFECT FOR • Students who want study sessions to feel less lonely and more finished • ADHD brains that do better with short rounds and instant rewards • Writers, developers, and anyone whose work needs long stretches of focus PRICING A monthly subscription, an annual subscription with 14 days free, or a one-time lifetime purchase. All unlock the full app. No ads, ever. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your progress stays on your phone. No account, no ads, no tracking. The lock runs on your device through Apple's Screen Time, and your app choices never leave it. The only things the app sends out are anonymous usage statistics and crash reports. Terms of Use: https://cachepapi.github.io/pirates-legal/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://cachepapi.github.io/pirates-legal/privacy/ Study with cat pirates. Your first voyage awaits, Captain!

About

MELT

This minimalist app visualizes focus time as a flow of color, not numbers. Select your focus duration and choose distracting apps to block. A candy-themed screen melts away to show your progress, with automatic re-blocking after temporary access.

Highlights
  • Focus timer with customizable durations
  • Block distracting apps, categories, and websites
  • Temporary access with auto-reblocking
  • Local session history and focus time tracking
  • Minimalist visual progress indicator
  • Multi-language support
Read full description

MELT is a minimalist focus app that turns time into a visual flow instead of another number to watch. Choose a focus duration and the apps you want to block. A candy-colored screen slowly melts as the session moves forward, while Apple's Screen Time technology shields the apps and categories you selected. Key features • 15, 25, 45, or 60-minute presets, plus custom durations up to 12 hours • Choose apps, categories, and websites to block • One temporary 3-minute unlock per focus session • Automatic re-blocking after 3 minutes, even in the background • On-device history for completed and ended sessions • Five candy colors • Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese • No ads, accounts, analytics, or tracking All history and settings stay on your device. Screen Time permission is required to use app blocking.

Screenshots

Pirates4 screens
MELT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pirates at Free against MELT's $2.99. MELT's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Pirates is free to download; MELT costs $2.99 up front. Pirates sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. MELT asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pirates ships an update every 4 days, MELT daily. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pirates versus MELT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiratesMELT
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating5.0 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn JangMINSUK SONG

Customer experience

Pirates

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

MELT

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pirates

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99
None

MELT

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pirates free?
Pirates is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MELT free?
MELT costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pirates or MELT have ads?
Neither Pirates nor MELT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pirates or MELT?
Pirates ships an update every 4 days, and MELT daily. Most recently, Pirates was updated on October 13, 2026 and MELT on October 4, 2026.

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