DeskTabby vs Impedo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DeskTabby
This app uses a charming virtual cat to help you stay focused using the Pomodoro technique. It offers a gentle, non-judgmental approach to productivity, rewarding your progress with in-game growth and customization options. Enjoy offline functionality and privacy-focused features.
- Pomodoro focus sessions
- Live Activity on Dynamic Island and Lock Screen
- Cat growth and customization
- Offline functionality
- Daily goals and streaks
- Optional cosmetic in-app purchases
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Make a little time for one thing, with a cat beside you. DeskTabby keeps you company while you read, study, write, or work on something of your own. · Meet your cat: Bring it home, then start when ready. You can also choose a one-minute trial. Naming your cat and choosing a personality can wait. · One thing at a time: Choose a task or start a simple focus session. Pause and return when you need to. · Pick up again: Leave a short progress note or a next step, then find it when you come back. · A shared history: Look back on focused time, completed sessions, and the things you did together. Your cat grows with your focus. · A look of your own: Choose coat colors, patterns, and eyes. Try hats, glasses, scarves, little companions, and desk or sleep scenes together. · Optional gift packs: Some cosmetic choices are available as in-app purchases. They do not buy focus time or growth. · Private by default: No DeskTabby account, ads, analytics, or tracking. Task names and notes are stored locally and excluded from the optional iCloud progress backup. Local file backup and optional private iCloud progress backup are separate choices. Bring one thing. Leave a line. Come back whenever you are ready.
Impedo
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Blocking an app is easy. The hard part is not unblocking it five minutes later. Impedo was built for that second part. Pick the apps, pick a duration, tap BLOCK. They stop opening. When the urge to quit early hits, the Insistent Shield steps in and rolls a task: wait it out, solve a sum in your head, shake your iPhone, walk a few steps, or clear a memory game. You can still quit — just not on impulse. All of it runs on Apple's own Screen Time. No VPN, no third-party profile, no data leaving your iPhone. THE BLOCK TURNS ITSELF ON • By place: pin your work, your school, the gym. Arrive and it's on. Leave and it's off. • By schedule: recurring windows for sleep, work, or study. Set once, forget. • By Focus: turn on an iPhone Focus and Impedo's block turns on with it. WITHOUT OPENING THE APP • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with the time left. • Home Screen widget and a Control Center control to start, stop, or check. • Apple Watch: pick a duration and block from your wrist, with a watch face complication. • Siri and Shortcuts: "Block my apps with Impedo". THE BLOCK SCREEN IS YOURS Color, icon, title, subtitle, and button of the screen that covers a blocked app. You decide whether the button just closes the app or opens the way out — through the Insistent Shield when it's on. YOUR TIME, IN NUMBERS A report with your screen time by hour and by day, the apps that pull you in most, the time you got back, and your day streak. LOCK IMPEDO ITSELF Face ID or a passcode to open the app, so no one turns off your block for you. WHAT STAYS ON YOUR IPHONE: EVERYTHING Impedo uses Apple's FamilyControls — neither the app nor anyone here can see which apps you use. The report's figures are drawn by an isolated Apple extension: the app shows them on screen but never receives the data. No account, no sign-up, no ads. FREE TO START One manual block a day and one place, no card needed. Premium unlocks unlimited blocks, recurring schedules, up to 20 places, the custom block screen, and blocked-attempt history — yearly or lifetime.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: DeskTabby at 17.0 against Impedo's 26.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. DeskTabby sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Impedo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
DeskTabby ships an update every 4 days, Impedo weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DeskTabby | Impedo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 军 郭 | iMonster Desenvolvimento de Software LTDA. |
In-app purchases
DeskTabby
- Eyewear Pack$3.99
- Headwear Pack$3.99
- Patterns Pack$3.99
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- Neckwear Pack$3.99
- Sleep Scene Pack$3.99
- Desk Scene Pack$3.99
- Pastel Coat Pack$5.99
- Sidekicks Pack$5.99
- Everything, Forever$24.99
Impedo
- Annual Subscription$12.991 Year
- Impedo Premium Lifetime$17.99






