Comparison

Open Book vs Motive

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

Head to head
About

Open Book

Features
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Open Book blocks adult content and the apps that pull you off track, using Apple's built-in Screen Time controls. You set it up, you manage it, and your choices stay on your iPhone. 30-DAY CHALLENGE Start a 30-day challenge from Home. Every day that blocking stays on with no pause counts as a kept day. See all 30 days at a glance, get a short note after days 7, 14, 21 and 30, and start over whenever you want. Earn a named rank as your kept days add up, from First day to 30 days. Your challenge is kept on your iPhone. AN URGE BUTTON When an urge hits, tap "I have an urge" on Home. A one-minute breathing guide helps it pass, and your own reasons, up to three, are there to read. Your reasons stay on your iPhone. NATIVE BLOCKING. NO VPN. Open Book uses Apple's Screen Time framework, not a VPN or traffic inspection. When blocking is on, Safari's adult-content filter turns on automatically. Use Apple's own picker to choose apps, app categories and websites to block. KEEP THE APPS YOU NEED Blocking a whole category? Add app exceptions so a work chat app or another app you rely on keeps working. SHORT PAUSES ON YOUR TERMS Need a break? Pause blocking for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Blocking is scheduled to resume when the pause ends, and you can resume it sooner. iOS may delay the resume while your phone is idle. YOUR ACTIVITY, PRIVATELY The Activity tab lists when blocking started or stopped and when pauses began and ended. Filter it by type. It records event types and times only, never websites, app names or browsing history. WEEKLY RECAP Turn on the weekly recap from Activity to get a short notification each Sunday evening. It counts your pauses for the week and the days you had none. The recap is built on your iPhone from your Activity log. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your blocking choices, activity log, challenge and recaps stay on your device. Open Book never sees your browsing and doesn't share your activity with anyone. To improve the app, it sends a few anonymous usage events, such as starting or finishing a challenge. They never include websites, app names or Screen Time data, and they aren't linked to your account. A minimal account, created without an email or password, supports purchase restore and account deletion. You can delete it anytime in Settings. YOU'RE IN CONTROL Stop blocking whenever you want, after a 30-second wait that gives an urge time to pass, unless you have started a Strict mode lock. You can also turn off Screen Time access in iPhone Settings at any time. Open Book is for managing your own iPhone. It is not a parental-monitoring tool. STRICT MODE (OPEN BOOK PLUS) Want a firmer commitment? Strict mode locks blocking for 1, 3, 7 or 30 days. Until the lock ends, Open Book won't stop blocking, pause, remove apps or add exceptions. You can also make stopping take longer: wait 5, 15 or 60 minutes instead of 30 seconds. Strict mode only limits Open Book's own controls. Each lock has one emergency exit: after your stop wait, it ends the lock early and blocking stays on. Turning off Screen Time access in iPhone Settings still ends all blocking at any time, and a built-in guide shows how to put a Screen Time passcode on those settings. Strict mode requires Open Book Plus: a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Everything else in Open Book is free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. A subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. The lifetime purchase is a single payment and does not renew. Restore a purchase in Settings > Account & subscription. Privacy Policy: https://useopenbook.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://useopenbook.com/terms Support: https://useopenbook.com/support

About

Motive

Features
Read full description

Earn your screen time. Motive locks the apps that steal your day and gives them back only when you've done what matters. Finish a real task, earn minutes, and spend them on the apps you love β€” guilt-free. HOW IT WORKS β€’ Pick the apps to lock. Social, video, games β€” whatever pulls you in. Motive blocks them with Apple's Screen Time. β€’ Get things done. Every task you complete earns minutes. Harder tasks earn more. β€’ Spend them wisely. Unlock your apps for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. When time is up, they lock again automatically. β€’ Start fresh every day. Unused minutes burn at midnight, so tomorrow is earned again. TASKS THAT FEEL GOOD β€’ Your day as a stack of cards β€” swipe to complete, swipe to put it off. β€’ Easy, medium and hard tasks with their own rewards. β€’ Categories to keep work, study, home and health apart. β€’ Repeating tasks and reminders, so routines run themselves. SEE YOUR PROGRESS β€’ Weekly stats of earned minutes and finished tasks. β€’ Streaks that keep you coming back. β€’ A clear picture of how much of your day you've won back. KIDS MODE Turn Motive into a chore chart for your child. Homework and chores come first, games come later. A parent PIN protects settings and unlocks, and a playful theme makes it fun. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your tasks stay on your device. Motive has no accounts and no ads, and it never sees which apps you use β€” Screen Time keeps that private. MOTIVE PRO Free gives you the core loop: up to 5 tasks a day and 15-minute unlocks. Pro unlocks everything: β€’ Unlimited tasks every day β€’ Repeating tasks with reminders β€’ 30 and 60 minute unlocks β€’ Custom rewards and categories β€’ Kids mode with a parent PIN Motive Pro is an auto-renewing monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://dammaker.app/motive/terms Privacy Policy: https://dammaker.app/motive/privacy

Screenshots

Open Book4 screens
Motive4 screens

Verdict

The call

Open Book and Motive are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Open Book sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Motive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Open Book ships an update every 3 days, Motive every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Open Book versus Motive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpen BookMotive
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size11 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReno Labs, LLCAleksandr Demenkov

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Open Book

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Plus Annual14 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Plus Lifetime$99.99
3 purchases

Motive

Subscriptions3
  • Motive Pro Weekly$1.991 Month
  • Motive Pro Month$4.991 Month
  • Motive Pro Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Open Book free?
Open Book is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Motive free?
Motive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Open Book or Motive have ads?
Neither Open Book nor Motive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Open Book or Motive?
Open Book ships an update every 3 days, and Motive every 2 days. Most recently, Open Book was updated on November 8, 2026 and Motive on October 31, 2026.

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