# Atone vs CogniShield

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Atone at none against CogniShield's 1. Atone also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CogniShield sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. Atone asks for nothing beyond the download.

Atone ships an update weekly, CogniShield every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Atone | CogniShield |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Size | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jan Kalle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1849920460) | [Nourredine Mkasri](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786292858) |

## What reviewers say

### Atone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atone-screen-time-limit/id6794283625)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### CogniShield

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cognishield-app-blocker/id6809868739)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CogniShield Premium | $8.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Atone free?

Atone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CogniShield free?

CogniShield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Atone or CogniShield have ads?

Neither Atone nor CogniShield shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Atone or CogniShield?

Atone ships an update weekly, and CogniShield every 2 weeks. Most recently, Atone was updated on September 21, 2026 and CogniShield on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*