Earn it with a puzzle, or earn it with a habit.
SmartBlock vs Unrot
Unrot is a screen time app that makes you earn coins with real-life habits, a walk, a workout, a study session, and spend the coins to unlock TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. With 10,963 UK ratings at 4.6 it is the biggest app in the "earn your screen time" niche. SmartBlock makes you earn the app back too, but with a puzzle that takes a moment, not a task that takes an hour. Here is how they compare.
Where SmartBlock wins
- Price. SmartBlock is £29.99 / $29.99 a year after a free week. Unrot's full access is £49.99 / $49.99 a year, and its listing says a subscription is required for the features it describes.
- The gate is a puzzle, not a chore. When you genuinely need an app, you solve something and you are in. You do not have to go for a walk first.
- Brain training built in: seven puzzle types, so the pause sharpens you instead of just delaying you.
- Usage stats per app group, schedules by day and time, and no account to create.
- A free tier you can keep, and a weekly plan at £4.99 / $4.99 for a short stretch.
Where Unrot wins
- Proof. 10,963 UK ratings at 4.6 (56,982 at 4.7 in the US) against SmartBlock's 5.
- Scrolling becomes a reward for real life: a walk earns TikTok, a clean room earns Instagram. If you want your phone tied to habits, that is Unrot's whole idea.
- Photo and timer habits, focus sessions, streaks and a buddy character that grows when you do things and fades when you scroll.
- Localised in English, German and Spanish. SmartBlock is English only.
Side by side
| SmartBlock | Unrot | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanic | Block apps, solve a puzzle to continue | Earn coins with habits, spend coins to unlock apps |
| Yearly price | £29.99 / $29.99 | £49.99 / $49.99 |
| Free trial | 7 days, then a free tier you can keep | Subscription required for the listed features |
| App Store rating | 5.0 from 5 ratings (UK App Store) | 4.6 from 10,963 ratings (UK) |
| Brain training | 7 puzzle types | None: habits instead |
| Time to get back in | One puzzle | One habit (walk, read, workout, chores) |
| Languages | English | English, German, Spanish |
| On the App Store since | August 2025 | June 2025 |
Prices and ratings are from the UK and US App Store listings on 27 October 2026 and may have changed since.
Pick SmartBlock if
Pick SmartBlock if you want a cheaper, simpler block that asks for a minute of thinking rather than an hour of doing, and a free tier you can stay on.
Pick Unrot if
Pick Unrot if you want your screen time tied to real-world habits and you like streaks, coins and a character to keep alive.