Comparison

Flash Checklist vs Precursor

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

Head to head
About

Flash Checklist

Easily create and print your checklists directly from your mobile device. This app focuses on the simple task of transforming your digital lists into printable formats.

Highlights
  • Create checklists
  • Print checklists
  • Mobile list creation
  • Printable formats
Features
Read full description

Flash is a lightweight checklist app designed for creating, organizing, previewing, and printing lists. Use it for travel packing, shopping, work tasks, or everyday reminders. Key features: • Create and manage multiple checklists • Add several items at once • Edit, delete, and reorder items • Preview lists before printing • Print with AirPrint • Optional iCloud sync • Local-first editing that works offline Flash 2.0 has been rebuilt with SwiftUI and adds clearer privacy controls. Optional product analytics is off by default. It starts only after your explicit consent, and you can turn it off or delete previously shared data at any time in Settings.

About

Precursor

This app offers a unique approach to screen time management by setting hourly limits for app usage. It aims to break the cycle of daily limit exhaustion and impulsive overrides by providing a sustainable, guilt-free solution that resets limits every hour.

Highlights
  • Set hourly app limits
  • Automatic hourly limit resets
  • Customizable limits by day
  • Friction to prevent impulsive overrides
  • Private by design, on-device processing
  • Optional Precursor+ upgrade
Features
Read full description

Most screen time solutions give you one daily limit. Often we spend the whole limit by late morning, leaving us locked out of our apps for the rest of the day and feeling stranded; all it takes is one vulnerable moment and we hit that tempting "Ignore Limit For Today" button. That one impulsive moment costs you not only your time, but also the motivation to keep working on whatever it is you meant to do. PRECURSOR BREAKS THE CYCLE With Precursor you can finally set an hourly app limit. For example, you allot yourself five minutes of social media scrolling per hour, and you can trust that Precursor will reset that limit at the top of the next hour. Every hour, all day, automatically. You get the brainrot break you needed, but the scroll ends right before it turns into a mindless habit. Your brain doesn't panic because you know you'll get more time to scroll in just a short hour. So you never have to feel guilty for ignoring a limit ever again. No streaks. No guilt. No shame. Just a sustainable screen time solution your day can lean on. HOW IT WORKS - Pick the apps (or group of apps) that you'd like to limit and give them an hourly allowance: 5, 10, or 15 minutes (Precursor+ extends limits up to 30). - Pick the specific days you want your limits to run (for example, on weekdays you can set stricter limits and on weekends you can set more lenient limits). - When the allowance is spent, those apps get blocked. - At the top of the next hour, your limit resets. - You set your limits once and that screen time rhythm repeats every hour, all day, automatically; so you never have to think about them again. - Precursor also allows you to stop your limits, for whatever reason, but we add some friction to help you in those impulsive moments: 1) Before stopping your limits Precursor will prompt you to write a short reflection on why you need to in this moment. 2) You can add a passcode to lock in your limit (consider allowing a trusted person in your life to set it for you if you know you'll likely bypass it). 3) Unlike other screen time solutions that give you an "ignore limit" prompt right there in the blocked app screen, Precursor requires that you intentionally open the Precursor app to stop your limits. Restrictions and punishments don't work. They never have. Precursor is built on one principle: Real change comes from one's own ability to be honest and accountable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Precursor is built on Apple's Screen Time technology. Your app choices are opaque tokens: we never see which apps you pick, and neither can anyone else. Your usage history stays on your phone, and Insights are computed on-device. There are no accounts and no ads. Optional, anonymous usage analytics are off unless you turn them on, and they still never include which apps you choose. HONEST BY DEFAULT Precursor is free to use, with an optional Precursor+ upgrade for more groups, other reset windows, longer limits, scheduled active hours, and Deep Focus sessions. Available as a one-time Lifetime purchase if you prefer to own your productivity tools rather than subscribe. Monthly and Yearly both start with one month free. No subscription is required to keep the core, and the terms are spelled out plainly before anything renews. Please note: Deleting Precursor removes every limit. Precursor is an independently developed app by a one-person studio, Precursor Labs. Precursor+ Monthly and Yearly are auto-renewable subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://precursorlabs.studio/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Apple's Terms and Policies: http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services

Screenshots

Flash Checklist3 screens
Precursor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Precursor at 100% against Flash Checklist's 50%. Precursor also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 24 months). Flash Checklist's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Precursor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Flash Checklist asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Precursor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Flash Checklist's written reviews are positive against 100% of Precursor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flash Checklist ships an update every 24 months, Precursor every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Flash Checklist versus Precursor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash ChecklistPrecursor
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (9 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 24 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer传毅 苏Precursor Labs

Customer experience

Flash Checklist

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Precursor

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Flash Checklist

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Precursor

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Month trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Flash Checklist free?
Flash Checklist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Precursor free?
Precursor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flash Checklist or Precursor?
Precursor is rated higher. Flash Checklist averages 3.7 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Precursor averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Flash Checklist or Precursor have ads?
Neither Flash Checklist nor Precursor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flash Checklist or Precursor?
Flash Checklist ships an update every 24 months, and Precursor every 6 days. Most recently, Flash Checklist was updated on September 19, 2026 and Precursor on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons