A screen time app without a subscription.

In one paragraph

A screen time app without a subscription is one you buy once and use forever, with no recurring monthly or annual fee. Life Over Screen is in this category: €4.99 one-time on iPhone and Android. Other no-subscription options include ScreenZen (free tier), Forest ($3.99 one-time), Cold Turkey (one-time on desktop), and the built-in iOS Screen Time and Android Digital Wellbeing tools. Most category leaders — Opal, Freedom, one sec — operate on subscriptions.

Why we don't do a subscription

Subscription is the default business model for screen time apps because it produces predictable recurring revenue. The trade-off is straightforward and worth saying out loud: a subscription app makes more money the longer you keep using it. The financial incentive points away from helping you put your phone down so successfully that you no longer need the tool.

A one-time-purchase screen time app does not have that conflict. You buy it. It either helps you or it doesn't. If it works, you use it less over time, not more — and the developer is fine with that because the transaction is already complete.

This is not a moral statement. There are good subscription apps in this category. It is just a fact about incentives, and we think it matters enough to design around it.

What €4.99 includes

• The full app on iPhone and Android. No locked features.
• Every moment type (Family, Kids, Love, Friends, Me, Custom).
• Every duration (15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, custom).
• Distracting-app selection across pre-grouped categories and individual apps.
• Local stats: time protected today, this week, month, year, lifetime.
• Ongoing updates through App Store and Google Play.
• Restore purchase on a new device of the same store account.

How it compares to subscription screen time apps

Pricing accurate to June 2026. Currencies are the prices charged on each app's store page. Always confirm current pricing on the App Store and Google Play.

What you give up by skipping a subscription

Honest answer: usually less than the marketing suggests, but not nothing.

• Heavy analytics dashboards. Subscription apps often invest in deep stats — historical charts, AI-driven insights, weekly emails. Life Over Screen keeps stats minimal and local. If you want a dashboard, this is not the tool.
• Cross-device sync. Subscription apps like Freedom let one session block apps across your iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows simultaneously. Life Over Screen is mobile-only with no cloud sync, so each device is separate.
• Active development cycles. Subscription revenue funds faster feature shipping. One-time-purchase apps tend to ship slower. We think this is a fair trade for a tool whose job is to help you use your phone less, not more.

What you get by skipping a subscription

• No recurring charge. Ever.
• No reason for the app to nudge you to keep using it.
• No upsell screens, no paid tiers, no "unlock this feature" friction.
• Lower lifetime cost than nearly every category competitor.
• Cleaner relationship with the tool: you bought it, it's yours.

How Life Over Screen works

1. Pick who this moment is for — family, kids, your partner, friends, yourself, or a custom reason.
2. Pick how long — 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, or custom.
3. Pick which distracting apps go quiet — pre-grouped categories (social, video, news, games, work) or individual apps.
4. Start the session. Selected apps are blocked on iPhone (via Apple's Screen Time APIs) or interrupted on Android (via a clear "Go back" overlay).
5. End early any time. No penalty.
6. See your protected time.

Privacy

• No account. No email. No signup.
• No cloud sync. Session data lives on the device.
• No advertising or analytics SDKs that read user behaviour.
• App selection on iPhone uses Apple's privacy-preserving tokens.

Related guides

• App to Reduce Screen Time
• App to Block Distracting Apps
• App Blocker Without Monthly Subscription
• Opal Alternative
• Freedom App Alternative