Precursor vs ScreenPace

Most screen time solutions give you one daily limit. Often we spend the whole limit by late morning, leaving us locked out of our apps for the rest of the day and feeling stranded; all it takes is one vulnerable moment and we hit that tempting "Ignore Limit For Today" button. That one impulsive moment costs you not only your time, but also the motivation to keep working on whatever it is you meant to do. PRECURSOR BREAKS THE CYCLE With Precursor you can finally set an hourly app limit. For example, you allot yourself five minutes of social media scrolling per hour, and you can trust that Precursor will reset that limit at the top of the next hour. Every hour, all day, automatically. You get the brainrot break you needed, but the scroll ends right before it turns into a mindless habit. Your brain doesn't panic because you know you'll get more time to scroll in just a short hour. So you never have to feel guilty for ignoring a limit ever again. No streaks. No guilt. No shame. Just a sustainable screen time solution your day can lean on. HOW IT WORKS - Pick the apps (or group of apps) that you'd like to limit and give them an hourly allowance: 5, 10, or 15 minutes (Precursor+ extends limits up to 30). - Pick the specific days you want your limits to run (for example, on weekdays you can set stricter limits and on weekends you can set more lenient limits). - When the allowance is spent, those apps get blocked. - At the top of the next hour, your limit resets. - You set your limits once and that screen time rhythm repeats every hour, all day, automatically; so you never have to think about them again. - Precursor also allows you to stop your limits, for whatever reason, but we add some friction to help you in those impulsive moments: 1) Before stopping your limits Precursor will prompt you to write a short reflection on why you need to in this moment. 2) You can add a passcode to lock in your limit (consider allowing a trusted person in your life to set it for you if you know you'll likely bypass it). 3) Unlike other screen time solutions that give you an "ignore limit" prompt right there in the blocked app screen, Precursor requires that you intentionally open the Precursor app to stop your limits. Restrictions and punishments don't work. They never have. Precursor is built on one principle: Real change comes from one's own ability to be honest and accountable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Precursor is built on Apple's Screen Time technology. Your app choices are opaque tokens: we never see which apps you pick, and neither can anyone else. Your usage history stays on your phone, and Insights are computed on-device. There are no accounts and no ads. Optional, anonymous usage analytics are off unless you turn them on, and they still never include which apps you choose. HONEST BY DEFAULT Precursor is free to use, with an optional Precursor+ upgrade for more groups, other reset windows, longer limits, scheduled active hours, and Deep Focus sessions. Available as a one-time Lifetime purchase if you prefer to own your productivity tools rather than subscribe. Monthly and Yearly both start with one month free. No subscription is required to keep the core, and the terms are spelled out plainly before anything renews. Please note: Deleting Precursor removes every limit. Precursor is an independently developed app by a one-person studio, Precursor Labs. Precursor+ Monthly and Yearly are auto-renewable subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://precursorlabs.studio/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Apple's Terms and Policies: http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services

ScreenPace helps you create a healthier rhythm with your iPhone—one hour at a time. Set small, intentional allowances for distracting apps and let ScreenPace protect the rest of your hour. When an app reaches its limit, it is shielded until the next hourly reset. You get a clear boundary without turning one slip into a lost afternoon. Most screen time blockers enforce strict, 24-hour daily bans. But when you burn your 30-minute daily limit during morning coffee, you're either locked out for the rest of the day or forced to disable your limits entirely. ScreenPace solves this by breaking your screen time into manageable hourly buffers. Enjoy short, intentional breaks throughout the day without letting a quick check turn into an lost afternoon. WHY SCREENPACE WORKS BETTER • HOURLY ALLOWANCES THAT RESET Set realistic time limits (e.g., 5 minutes per hour) for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or news apps. Your allowance automatically resets at the top of every hour, keeping you paced and present. • CUSTOM FOCUS HOURS & SCHEDULES Need uninterrupted productivity? Schedule Focus Hours for work, studying, or bedtime. ScreenPace automatically tightens allowances or completely shields apps during your core productive windows. • INTENTIONAL FRICTION OVERRIDES Emergency check needed before the top of the hour? Instead of a instant bypass button that breaks your habit, ScreenPace introduces an intentional reflection flow to prevent impulse taps. • 100% PRIVATE & ON-DEVICE Your data, screen habits, and app lists never leave your iPhone. Built natively using Apple Screen Time frameworks (FamilyControls)—zero accounts, no tracking, and 100% offline privacy. • NO SUBSCRIPTIONS — BUY ONCE, OWN FOREVER Tired of paying $10/month just to lock your own apps? ScreenPace offers a free 7-day trial and a single lifetime unlock. One payment, no recurring fees ever. Ideal for students, remote workers, creators, and anyone ready to beat doomscrolling with sustainable pacing.