Comparison

Time Debt vs Pausewall

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

Head to head
About

Time Debt

Features
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Borrow ten extra minutes today, and tomorrow's screen-time allowance starts ten minutes shorter. Time Debt is an app blocker built on Apple's Screen Time system. Instead of ignoring your limit when you want more time, you borrow a controlled amount from tomorrow β€” and see exactly what it costs before you confirm. SET YOUR LIMIT Choose distracting apps, categories and websites with Apple's private picker, then set a realistic daily allowance. Different weekday and weekend limits are supported. BORROW DELIBERATELY Out of time? Pick 5, 10 or 15 minutes, or a custom amount within your cap. Time Debt shows today, tomorrow's normal allowance and tomorrow's adjusted allowance side by side. Nothing happens until you confirm. REPAY TOMORROW Borrowed minutes are repaid automatically β€” once, never twice. No interest and nothing compounds. Tomorrow never drops below the minimum you choose, and ending a borrowed session early returns the unused minutes. REAL APP BLOCKING When your allowance runs out, a calm shield covers the selected apps. Stop for today, or open Time Debt to borrow with the full picture. PROTECT YOUR FOCUS Start a focus session in one tap for study, work or reading. Selected apps stay shielded while the timer runs. Borrowed time shows a Live Activity countdown. BUILD A BETTER BEDTIME ROUTINE Set protected hours that can cross midnight and decide in advance whether borrowing is allowed during them. Reminders are optional. SEE YOUR PROGRESS HONESTLY History shows allowances, borrowed and repaid minutes, focus sessions, Flex Minutes earned by stopping early, and days you stayed within your plan β€” clearly labelled, never framed as failure. FAMILY TOOLS Use a family plan on a shared or handed-over iPhone. Requests and parent approvals happen on the same device, and parent-only settings are protected by Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. There is no remote monitoring. EMERGENCY ACCESS, ALWAYS Remove every Time Debt shield until tomorrow at any time, at no cost. It does not change Screen Time limits set in iOS Settings or by a Family Sharing organizer. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account and no ads. Your rules, app selections and history stay on your iPhone and work offline. Time Debt never sees app names or content β€” Apple provides anonymous tokens. RevenueCat processes an anonymous identifier only to manage subscriptions. CORE AND PRO The core plan includes one full plan with real blocking, borrowing, automatic repayment, 7-day history and emergency access. Time Debt Pro adds multiple plans, custom schedules, multi-day repayment, longer history and reports, guided programs and expanded family tools. Time Debt is a voluntary commitment tool for digital wellbeing, not medical or psychological treatment. On your own iPhone, Screen Time permission can be withdrawn in Settings. Auto-renewing subscriptions are managed through Apple. Price, trial eligibility and renewal terms are shown before purchase. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy policy: https://time-debt-app-blocker.rork.app/privacy.html Terms of use: https://time-debt-app-blocker.rork.app/terms.html

About

Pausewall

Features
Read full description

The apps you pick stay closed while you focus β€” Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, whichever pull you in. Pausewall is an app blocker and focus timer that locks them through Apple's Screen Time API. No "Ignore Limit" to tap through: the apps open again when your session ends, and you choose how hard it is to quit early. HOW IT WORKS β€’ Pick the apps that distract you β€” three to five you open without thinking are enough β€’ Start a 15, 25, 45 or 60-minute focus timer β€” 25 works like a Pomodoro, 45 like a study block. iOS keeps those apps shut for the whole time β€’ Study time, deep work, before bed β€” block automatically at the same time every day β€’ Set a daily allowance; once it's used up, the apps stay closed until tomorrow β€’ Watch completed focus time and your streak add up β€” and a plant grow with them β€’ 7-Day Reset: one task a day, a routine in a week WHEN PEOPLE USE IT β€’ Exam season β€” start a study timer and the apps you picked stay closed β€’ At work β€” deep work blocks keep social apps shut β€’ Before bed β€” Reels and Shorts stop on their own at 11 pm WHY PAUSEWALL β€’ 90-second setup. One profile, one button, done β€’ Gentle, Focus or Strict β€” you decide how hard quitting should be β€’ No sign-in, no account, no server. Blocking works with no internet at all β€’ Only finished sessions count. We don't show numbers we didn't measure PREMIUM Free includes 15 and 25-minute sessions, one profile and the last three days of history. Premium unlocks: β€’ Every session length (45, 60 and custom) β€’ Ten profiles β€” study, social, before sleep β€’ Schedules that block automatically at the same time each day β€’ Strict mode and daily usage limits β€’ Full history and the whole 7-Day Reset programme PRIVACY Which apps you chose and how long you used them never leave your iPhone. Pausewall cannot see app names β€” iOS hands it anonymous tokens only β€” and no Screen Time data is sent anywhere. There is no server to send it to. HONESTLY Pausewall is a pause, not a padlock. You own the device, and you can always revoke the Screen Time permission in Settings. What we do is put time between "I want to look" and "I opened it". SUBSCRIPTION Pausewall Premium is a weekly, monthly or yearly subscription. Price and trial terms are always shown on screen before you pay, and you can cancel any time in iOS Settings. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Terms of Use: https://detox.ydev.top/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://detox.ydev.top/privacy.html

Screenshots

Time Debt4 screens
Pausewall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Time Debt at none against Pausewall's 3. Pausewall's advantage is update cadence (daily vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Pausewall sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Time Debt asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Time Debt ships an update monthly, Pausewall daily. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Time Debt versus Pausewall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTime DebtPausewall
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyDaily β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size17 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames GrayyDev.su

In-app purchases

None

Time Debt

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Pausewall

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Time Debt free?
Time Debt is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pausewall free?
Pausewall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Time Debt or Pausewall have ads?
Neither Time Debt nor Pausewall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Time Debt or Pausewall?
Time Debt ships an update monthly, and Pausewall daily. Most recently, Time Debt was updated on October 29, 2026 and Pausewall on October 29, 2026.

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