Comparison

Pause vs 9to9

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

Head to head
About

Pause

Features
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Pause: Break the Doomscrolling Loop Break free from the doomscrolling loop and reclaim your time with Pause. Pause isn't another screen time blocker. Instead of locking you out of your phone or making you feel guilty, Pause interrupts your autopilot habits at the exact moment they happen. Whenever you instinctively open a distracting app, Pause steps in first with a mandatory 60-second mindful breathing exercise. It takes just one minute to break the cycle of mindless scrolling. Take a breath, identify what you're actually looking for, and decide intentionally whether you still want to open the app. HOW IT WORKS Create Intervention Plans: Select the apps that trigger your distracting or compulsive usage, such as Instagram, TikTok, or X. The 60-Second Intercept: When you open a targeted app, Pause appears first. Complete a 60-second mindful breathing exercise before continuing. Identify Your Triggers: Log how you're feeling in the moment β€” Bored, Anxious, Procrastinating, or another trigger β€” to better understand what drives your scrolling habits. Make a Choice: After 60 seconds, you're in control. Choose to continue to the app or step away and reclaim your time. BUILD HEALTHIER HABITS Evening Reflections: gentle reminder at the end of the day to check in with your mood and reflect on your screen time. Weekly Insights: Track your progress over time. Discover your most common trigger apps, peak urge times, and your Pause Success Rate the percentage of times you chose to step away. Privacy First: Your intervention plans and check-ins are private and securely tied to your account. TAKE BACK YOUR ATTENTION Stop letting algorithms control your attention. Add a little friction to distracting habits, build awareness around your screen time, and get your focus back. Take a breath. Take a Pause.

About

9to9

Features
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Your phone has a bedtime now. 9to9 is a nightly app blocker with one simple rule: the apps and websites you choose go quiet from 9 PM to 9 AM. Every night. No schedules to build. No daily limits to negotiate. Set it once, and let 9to9 handle the rest. ONE RULE, EVERY NIGHT At 9 PM, selected social media, video, news, games, and websites are automatically blocked. At 9 AM, access returns automatically. Calls, texts, alarms, and anything you did not select keep working as usual. WHEN SOMETHING REALLY MATTERS Need to get in? Use five minutes of Temporary Access when you really need it. When time is up, 9to9 quietly blocks your distractions again. SEE THE QUIET ADD UP Track your quiet-night streak, protected nights, and time reclaimed from late-night scrolling. PRIVATE BY DESIGN 9to9 uses Apple’s Screen Time technology. Your selections are represented by opaque tokens and stay on your device. 9to9 never sees which apps or websites you choose. No account is required. WHAT MAKES 9TO9 DIFFERENT Most screen-time apps ask you to build a productivity system. 9to9 gives your phone a curfew. The schedule is always 9 PM to 9 AM. That is the whole idea. No feeds after 9. No feeds before 9. The internet will still be here tomorrow. SUBSCRIPTION 9to9 requires an auto-renewing annual subscription. New subscribers can start with a 7-day free trial. After the trial, payment is charged to your Apple Account unless you cancel before it ends. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.9to9app.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.9to9app.com/terms

Screenshots

Pause4 screens
9to94 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pause at none against 9to9's 1. Pause also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). 9to9's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and update cadence 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. 9to9 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Pause asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pause ships an update every 4 days, 9to9 every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
Pause versus 9to9: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPause9to9
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size35 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUPSTART INNOVATION, LLCSergey Kaplichnyi

In-app purchases

None

Pause

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

9to9

Subscriptions1
  • 9to9 Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Pause free?
Pause is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is 9to9 free?
9to9 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pause or 9to9 have ads?
Pause shows ads; 9to9 does not.
Which is updated more often, Pause or 9to9?
Pause ships an update every 4 days, and 9to9 every 2 days. Most recently, Pause was updated on October 25, 2026 and 9to9 on October 25, 2026.

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