Screen time blocking is open and newcomers are taking it. 117 apps, 61 of them launched in the last 18 months, and those 61 hold 69% of the niche's review pace. Six apps sit over $20k a month and the researched floor is $170k a month across nine apps. The 2020 incumbents, Opal, ScreenZen and one sec, still own the ratings mass. The 2025 launches, prayer lock, Unrot and Brainrot, own the growth. The one star reviews of all twelve leaders say one thing: the block turns itself off.
Appaloma readings · Screen time blocking · 2026-08-30
- OpeningOpenOpen when a quarter or more of the niche launched in the last 18 months
- Demand87Revealed by rating velocity across the niche, 0–100
- Crowding27How much of the niche the top apps already hold, 0–100
- Apps11730 researched over $20k a month
- New61launched in the last 18 months, holding 69% of the niche's review pace
- Floor$1.8M+a month, adding the band floors of 117 researched apps
What the niche is
Pick the apps that eat your day. The blocker locks them, and you pay a toll to get back in: a wait, a breath, a prayer, twenty push-ups, a chore. Apple's Screen Time permission does the locking. The toll is the product.
The niche sits under Focus and screen time and splits by toll. Earn screen time with real-life habits (12 apps). Pray or read the Bible to unlock (12). Screen time apps built for Muslims (7). Say how long before the app opens (7). A challenge before the app opens (7). Talk an AI coach into unlocking (6). Dumb-phone home screens (5). Reels and Shorts stripped out, apps left alone (5). Push-ups to unlock (4). Answer a study question to unlock (2).
Who leads
| App | Since | Ratings | Stars | Prices | Band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Unrot: Earn your Screen TimeUnrot OÜ | Jun 2025 | 56,657 | 4.7 | $4.99–$69.99 | $250k+ |
| 2 |  BePresent: Screen Time ControlScreen Detox Inc | Sep 2022 | 60,834 | 4.8 | $3.99–$99.99 | $50–250k |
| 3 |  prayer lock: christian focusCovenant Studios, LLC | Apr 2025 | 36,370 | 4.9 | $9.99–$79.99 | $50–250k |
| 4 |  Cape: App to Pause ExcessAir Matters Network Pty Ltd | Dec 2022 | 15,489 | 4.6 | $6.99–$19.99 | $50–250k |
| 5 |  Bible Mode: Reduce Screen TimeFriday Labs LLC | May 2025 | 11,683 | 4.9 | $4.99–$59.99 | $50–250k |
| 6 |  Pray Screen Time - Bible FocusManifest Automation, Inc | Nov 2024 | 9,538 | 4.9 | $7.99–$59.99 | $50–250k |
| 7 |  ClearSpace: Reduce Screen Timeclearspace | Jul 2021 | 8,771 | 4.7 | $6.99–$79.99 | $50–250k |
| 8 |  Unglue: Screen Time FriendComputer go beep AB | Jan 2026 | 2,672 | 4.7 | $4.99–$99.99 | $50–250k |
| 9 |  Journey: Screen Time ControlBrain Nourishment LLC | Sep 2025 | 1,968 | 4.8 | $7.99–$99.99 | $50–250k |
| 10 |  Alma: Prayer Lock & Bible chatCommitted Tech Ventures | Apr 2026 | 286 | 4.9 | $3.99–$49.99 | $50–250k |
Band: our researched estimate of peak monthly revenue, published only for apps we have researched one by one. Every app in the catalog sits above the $5k a month floor.
Three generations share the top.
The 2020 class. Opal launched in December 2020 and holds 86,042 ratings, adding 1,266 a month. ScreenZen, July 2021, 47,481. one sec, September 2020, 23,367. All three sit in the $20–50k band. Opal charges $99.99 a year. ScreenZen charges nothing and takes tips from $5 to $40. one sec sells a $19.99 year and a $99.99 lifetime.
The 2025 class. prayer lock launched in April 2025, reached 36,370 ratings in 16 months, adds 2,327 a month, and sits in the $50–250k band. Unrot launched in June 2025, adds 3,996 ratings a month, the fastest pace in the niche, at 56,657 total, and sits in the $250k+ band. Brainrot, May 2025, 19,328 ratings, $20–50k band, review pace at 1.4x its earlier rate.
BePresent, September 2022, 60,834 ratings, sells a $59.99 year behind a one, two or 30 day trial and sits on the top grossing chart.
How they make money
Three price shapes.
Yearly from $6.99 to $99.99. Cape at $6.99, one sec at $19.99, Jomo at $29.99, BePresent at $59.99, Opal at $99.99.
Weekly at $4.99 to $9.99, aimed at someone who wants a detox before exams. Opal, Unrot and prayer lock all sell one.
Lifetime at $19.99 to $149. Cape sells its Pro for $19.99 once. one sec charges $99.99, or $149 for a family. Jomo $84.99 to $99.99.
ScreenZen is the outlier: 47,481 ratings on a tip jar. Proof that the niche will pay for a blocker that works, whether or not it asks.
The angles that get installs
- pray to unlock your apps14 apps
- do the workout to unlock the feed9 apps
- a blocker you cannot cheat8 apps
- iPhone as a dumb phone5 apps
- block Reels and Shorts, leave the apps5 apps
- do one real task, then the apps unlock5 apps
The 2020 class sold friction: a pause, a breath, a delay that grows. The 2025 class sells a toll with an identity. Pray to unlock runs in 11 apps, earn your scroll in 8, and the two apps that lead those angles, prayer lock and Unrot, passed every incumbent but Opal and BePresent on ratings within a year.
What the one star reviews keep saying
“When I downloaded the app I was really excited and I entered everything and I chose which apps I wanted them to lock but then I went to finish and start using it and then it said I had to pay to use the app and so I went”Unrot: Earn your Screen Time, 2026-08-10
“don't know” recurs in 5 of the top 12 apps“So I saw this on YouTube and when it said join player app, it didn’t allow me and I could not use it so I deleted it, so can you fix this or something and I don’t wanna pay for that if you would have to pay for it becaus”prayer lock: christian focus, 2026-08-02
“closer god” recurs in 4 of the top 12 apps“Why do I have to pay for this I won’t let me use the app to lower my screen time like I want to be getting told to pay to do it it’s stupid I looked through and didn’t see a single go for free”Unrot: Earn your Screen Time, 2026-08-11
“screen time” recurs in 4 of the top 12 apps“Why do I have to pay for this I won’t let me use the app to lower my screen time like I want to be getting told to pay to do it it’s stupid I looked through and didn’t see a single go for free”Unrot: Earn your Screen Time, 2026-08-11
“won't let” recurs in 4 of the top 12 apps“This app is so much money!!! If you get the normal plan for 10$ a week it is over 500$ the deal that they have if 35$ a year but it’s still to much. If they really wanted to help people it would be free then.”Unrot: Earn your Screen Time, 2026-07-28
“help people” recurs in 4 of the top 12 apps“advertised as free multiple times just to tell you that you have to pay $10 a week/$70 a year if you want to use the app. love the concept of it, just wish it didn’t lie abt being free.”Unrot: Earn your Screen Time, 2026-07-14
“multiple times” recurs in 4 of the top 12 apps“I downloaded the app for a free trial with a promise “don’t worry we will send an alert before it ends.” I did not receive one and was charged $65. It didn’t allow me to give consent. Consent is vital in creating trust w”BePresent: Screen Time Control, 2026-08-18
“free trial” recurs in 3 of the top 12 apps
Phrases that recur in one and two star reviews across 7 of the niche's top 12 apps.
Across all twelve leaders, three complaints.
The block turns itself off. Blocks activate and deactivate on their own, stop working after an update, or only run when the app is open. Ten of twelve leaders carry "doesn't work," and Opal's reviewers date theirs to its 2026 update.
Stuck at the paywall. A payment screen that will not dismiss, an app that will not open without paying, and, on prayer lock, a Screen Time passcode prompt that stops the app from being deleted. Eight of twelve leaders carry "won't let."
The trial charged me. Charged before the stated date, charged for a year, or a once generous free version removed in an update. Seven of twelve carry the trial complaint and seven carry the free version one.
What works, from the five star side
Screen time and social media appear in the five star reviews of all twelve leaders. Changed my life in ten. The buyer is not measuring minutes saved. They describe a before and an after, and the identity apps, prayer lock above all, get the strongest version of it: closer to God, every day, holding me accountable.
New in the last 18 months
- Unrot: Earn your Screen TimeJun 2025 · 56,657 ratings · $250k+
- prayer lock: christian focusApr 2025 · 36,370 ratings · $50–250k
- Brainrot: Screen Time ControlMay 2025 · 19,328 ratings · $20–50k
- Bible Mode: Reduce Screen TimeMay 2025 · 11,683 ratings · $50–250k
- PushUp Time: App BlockerSep 2025 · 11,538 ratings · $10–20k
- SocialLite-Block Reels&ShortsJan 2026 · 5,114 ratings · $20–50k
- Unglue: Screen Time FriendJan 2026 · 2,672 ratings · $50–250k
- BibleScroll: Christian FocusFeb 2026 · 2,464 ratings · $20–50k
Twelve entrants with over 1,300 ratings. Two of them, Unrot and prayer lock, passed every incumbent but Opal and BePresent within a year. Three more, Bible Mode, PushUp Time and SocialLite, passed 5,000. Rising sits at 0.9x across nine scored apps: the 2025 launch spikes have settled into a steady pace, and the niche as a whole is not slowing.
What to copy and what to avoid
From the price sheets and the pooled reviews above.
Copy: a toll with an identity. Pray to unlock runs in 11 apps and earn your scroll in 8, and the leaders of each, prayer lock and Unrot, reached 36,370 and 56,657 ratings inside 16 months.
Copy: a year between $19.99 and $59.99. one sec, Jomo, and BePresent sell there. Opal sells a $99.99 year on five years of ratings.
Avoid: a payment screen that blocks the app before it has run once. Eight of twelve leaders draw the complaint that the app will not open without paying.
Avoid: a trial that converts early, or an update that removes the free version. Seven of twelve leaders carry each.
Our read: the block that turns itself off is the complaint in ten of twelve leaders, and staying locked is the whole product. A blocker whose reviews do not say that has an advantage no angle buys.
FAQ
Is the screen time blocker market saturated?
No. 117 apps, 61 launched in the last 18 months holding 69% of the niche's review pace, and two 2025 launches passed every 2020 incumbent but Opal within a year. Appaloma reads the niche as Open.
Which screen time apps make the most money?
Unrot sits in the $250k+ band as of August 2026. prayer lock and BePresent sit at $50–250k. Opal, ScreenZen, one sec, Brainrot and Jomo sit in $20–50k.
What do people complain about in screen time apps?
The block turning itself off, in ten of twelve leaders. Being unable to delete the app or get past the paywall, in all twelve. A free trial that charged early or for a year, in seven.
How do screen time blocker apps make money?
Yearly plans from $29.99 to $99.99, weekly plans at $4.99 to $9.99, and lifetime purchases from $19.99 to $149. ScreenZen runs on tips alone with 47,481 ratings.
What should a new screen time blocker do differently?
Sell a toll with an identity: pray to unlock (11 apps) and earn your scroll (8) produced the two fastest-growing leaders. Price the year between $19.99 and $59.99, where one sec, Jomo, and BePresent sell it. Let the app open before the payment screen; eight of twelve leaders draw the complaint that it will not. The block that turns itself off is the complaint in ten of twelve.