Comparison

ScrollWager vs CHESS/BLOCK

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

Head to head
About

ScrollWager

This app locks your applications, requiring you to earn screen time by completing challenges or physical activities to unlock them. It aims to make app usage a conscious decision rather than an automatic habit. Earned minutes carry over, and a hard daily limit prevents excessive challenges.

Highlights
  • Apps locked around the clock
  • Unlock one app at a time
  • Earn minutes by moving
  • Hard daily challenge limit
  • Strict Mode for deletion prevention
  • Streak and milestone tracking
  • Usage history
Features
Read full description

Your apps are locked. All day, every day. To get in, you spend screentime you earned. Tap a locked app and ScrollWager asks one question: how much of your screentime is this worth? Set the amount, take the challenge, live with the result. Win and the app opens for exactly the minutes you set. Lose and it stays locked. That is the whole idea. Scrolling stops being automatic and becomes a decision. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps you want locked. They stay locked around the clock — no schedules, no time windows, nothing that opens on its own. 2. Tap one. ScrollWager asks how many minutes it is worth to you, starting at 5. 3. Take on the challenge. Flip a coin, spin a wheel, play a hand, clear a grid or drop a ball. 4. Win and the app opens for the minutes you chose. Lose and those minutes are gone. 5. Out of minutes? Earn more. Walk, do pushups in front of the camera, or solve a quick puzzle. WHAT YOU GET - Locked around the clock. No schedule to set, no window that opens by itself. - One app at a time. An unlock opens the app you tapped, not your whole phone. - A daily allowance. Each morning your balance is topped up to the daily limit you chose. Minutes you earn on top stay until you spend them. - Earn by moving. Steps and camera-counted pushups both pay into your balance. - Earn by thinking. A daily Word Guess, Word Groups, Logic Grid and Sudoku, plus Quick Math and Trivia anytime. - Strict Mode. While it is on, no app can be deleted, ScrollWager included, and locked apps cannot be taken off your list. Adding more is always allowed. - Streaks and milestones. Every day the lock holds counts. - History. What you earned, what you spent, and what it cost you. BUILT FOR - Anyone who opens the same app without deciding to - People who have tried blockers and tapped straight through them - Students and anyone protecting a block of work - Anyone who wants scrolling to cost something instead of being forbidden PRIVACY ScrollWager uses Apple's Screen Time API. Which apps you pick and how you use them stays on your device — Apple's system does not let that data out. SUBSCRIPTION ScrollWager needs an active subscription to lock and unlock apps. Without one the locks come off, and your app list, balance and streak stay where they are. Privacy Policy: https://scrollwager.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://scrollwager.app/terms Support: https://scrollwager.app/support

About

CHESS/BLOCK

Block distracting apps and earn back screen time by playing chess puzzles. Personalized lessons and puzzles adapt to your skill level, helping you focus on what matters. Manage your app usage and improve your chess game simultaneously.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Earn screen time with chess puzzles
  • Personalized chess lessons
  • Adaptive puzzle difficulty
  • Integrates with Apple Screen Time
  • No account required
Features
Read full description

Block distracting apps. Earn screen time through chess. CHESS/BLOCK turns a scrolling break into puzzles and guided lessons matched to your level. Choose distracting apps to pause, complete chess puzzles or guided lessons, and earn time back for the apps you selected. HOW IT WORKS • Choose the apps you want to pause. • Start from your current chess level. • Solve a puzzle or complete a beginner lesson. • Earn a personalized amount of screen time for each solved puzzle. • Keep practicing to build your streak. CHESS PRACTICE FOR YOUR LEVEL Never played before? Learn how every piece moves through guided lessons before you see a rated puzzle. Already play? Set your approximate rating and training focus for puzzles matched to you. Add your Chess.com username to turn eligible mistakes from recent public games into private practice puzzles. Optional Lichess connection can use your rating to personalize difficulty and sync eligible puzzle results. Manual rating and focus controls are always available. SCREEN TIME ON YOUR TERMS CHESS/BLOCK uses Apple’s Screen Time controls to pause only the apps you select. Your earned time, app choices, and chess progress stay under your control. You can change your schedule, restore purchases, or stop blocking from the app. No ads. No CHESS/BLOCK account required. CHESS/BLOCK requires an active subscription to start new puzzle-powered focus sessions. App selection, purchase restoration, stopping, and emergency recovery remain available without an active subscription. Subscription terms and current eligibility are shown before purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ScrollWager4 screens
CHESS/BLOCK4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: ScrollWager at free with in-app purchases against CHESS/BLOCK's subscription. ScrollWager also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). CHESS/BLOCK's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ScrollWager sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and CHESS/BLOCK sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ScrollWager against 5.0 for CHESS/BLOCK. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScrollWager ships an update every 2 days, CHESS/BLOCK every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ScrollWager versus CHESS/BLOCK: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrollWagerCHESS/BLOCK
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaurice WolfAnkur Gupta LLC

In-app purchases

9 purchases

ScrollWager

Subscriptions9
  • ScrollWager Pro7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • ScrollWager Pro$7.997 Days
  • ScrollWager Pro$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • ScrollWager Pro$14.991 Year
  • ScrollWager Pro$24.991 Year
  • ScrollWager Pro$29.991 Year
  • ScrollWager Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • ScrollWager Pro$39.991 Year
  • ScrollWager Pro$49.991 Year
3 purchases

CHESS/BLOCK

Subscriptions3
  • CHESS/BLOCK Weekly7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • CHESS/BLOCK Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annual Launch Offer1 Year trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is ScrollWager free?
ScrollWager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CHESS/BLOCK free?
CHESS/BLOCK is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScrollWager or CHESS/BLOCK?
ScrollWager and CHESS/BLOCK are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do ScrollWager or CHESS/BLOCK have ads?
ScrollWager shows ads; CHESS/BLOCK does not.
Which is updated more often, ScrollWager or CHESS/BLOCK?
ScrollWager ships an update every 2 days, and CHESS/BLOCK every 5 weeks. Most recently, ScrollWager was updated on November 13, 2026 and CHESS/BLOCK on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons