Compare
PeerPause vs ScreenZen
ScreenZen is the strongest free screen time app we know of, and it does a lot. Most of its friction is time, though. PeerPause is for people who will wait it out.
We make PeerPause, so weigh this accordingly. Prices and features checked ; see ScreenZen’s own page for the latest.
The short answer
Pick ScreenZen if…
- You don’t want to pay anything.
- You want delays that grow with each open, open limits, schedules and streaks.
- You want it on iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android.
Pick PeerPause if…
- You’re willing to wait out a delay to get back in.
- You want more time to depend on a person, not a timer.
- You want a friend to approve each extra 15 minutes, not just settings changes.
Side by side
| ScreenZen | PeerPause | |
|---|---|---|
| How it stops you | Delays before apps open, open limits, daily goals, schedules and a lock mode | A daily limit or schedule that locks the app, with no Ignore button |
| When you want more time | Wait out the delay, unless you’ve used up your opens | Ask your Time Buddy for 15 minutes to an hour, with a note |
| Who decides | You; an accountability partner can grant access to locked settings | Your Time Buddy, a friend you choose. Changing or removing a limit needs their OK too |
| Works on | iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android | iPhone |
| Price | Free, with optional tips. No subscription | Free to be a Time Buddy; Pro subscription to limit your own apps |
Prices are US App Store or official-site prices as of October 2026.
Where ScreenZen is ahead
It’s free, and it’s strict
ScreenZen says “No subscription” and runs on optional tips. For that you get a delay that can grow with every open, strict blocking after a set number of opens, schedules by weekday and time, and streaks.
It closes loopholes
Its lock mode stops you changing settings mid-urge, and its latest version adds an accountability partner who can grant access to those locked settings. It also runs on more platforms than PeerPause.
Where PeerPause is different
Time isn’t the price, a person is
Most of ScreenZen’s friction is waiting. If you’re willing to wait 30 seconds, you get in. At a PeerPause limit, waiting does nothing: you get more time only when your Time Buddy says yes.
Getting past the limit means asking a person
When you hit your limit there’s nothing to tap through. You send your Time Buddy a request for 15 minutes to an hour, with a note if you like, and they accept or deny it from wherever they are. Typing “just one more reel” to a real person is often enough to make you put the phone down.
You can’t quietly undo it at 1am
Changing or removing a limit needs your buddy’s OK as well, so the tired version of you can’t overrule the calm one. Your buddy sees only the app name, the time you asked for and your note: never your messages, photos or what you do inside an app.
The trade-off: it needs a friend who replies
PeerPause only works as well as your Time Buddy. If they never answer, you wait; if they say yes to everything, the limit means nothing. Pick someone who will reply and who will say no when you don’t have a good reason. Being a buddy costs nothing; limiting your own apps needs PeerPause Pro.
Questions people ask
Is PeerPause a good ScreenZen alternative?
If you keep waiting out ScreenZen’s delays, yes: PeerPause swaps the wait for a friend who decides. If cost matters most, ScreenZen is free and PeerPause needs Pro to limit your own apps.
Does ScreenZen have an accountability partner?
Its latest version adds an accountability partner who can grant access to locked settings. In PeerPause the buddy decides every request for more time, from 15 minutes to an hour, as well as any change to a limit.
Is ScreenZen really free?
Yes. ScreenZen is donation-supported, with optional tips and no subscription.
How much does PeerPause cost?
Being someone’s Time Buddy is always free. Setting limits on your own apps needs PeerPause Pro, a subscription through the App Store. The app shows the price for your country before you subscribe.
Friends keep you off your phone
PeerPause locks your apps. Only your Time Buddy can give you more time.