Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to I built an app that blocks social media until you read Quran daily
Hey HN, I'm a solo developer from Nigeria. I built Quran Unlock - an app that blocks distracting apps (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) until you complete your daily Quran reading. The idea came from my own struggle with phone addiction. I wanted to read Quran daily but kept getting distracted. So I built this for myself, then shared it. Some stats after 2 months: - 123K+ users - 64.9% returning user rate - 31M events tracked Tech stack: - React Native - Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Analytics, Cloud Messaging) - RevenueCat for subscriptions - iOS Screen Time API + Android UsageStats App Store:…
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1
I wanted to find a way to use Instagram without ending up scrolling for two hours every time I open the app to see a friend's story. Most screen time apps I found focus on blocking the app itself instead of the addictive feed, so I created this app to allow me to keep using the "healthy" and "social" features and block the infinite scrolling (Reels) After implementing the block on Instagram Reels, I got addicted to YouTube Shorts and Reddit feed. So, I extended the app to cover these as well. To avoid replacing the scrolling for regular feeds, I also added a feature that shows a pop-up when…
2025 · scrollguard.app · its alternatives →
- 2
Hi HN! Super proud to showcase Foqos! I wanted to create a way to physically block apps on my phone, always had a bunch of NFC tags, combined the 2 together over the holiday break and Foqos was born. You can create profiles, write them to NFC tags and track your weekly focus. Its completely open source and will always be free! There is an affiliate link in the app for nfc tags and donations are completely optional Link here: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/foqos/id6736793117
2025 · foqos.app · its alternatives →
- 3
touch grass▲525I wanted old school social media back. Actual connections with friends. Not pity likes and performances and highlight reels. All my friends have stopped posting. Everyone's a lurker now. I'm a lurker. The only time I see what anyone's doing is when it's a humblebrag. I have no idea what's actually going on in my friends' lives besides the ones I see every week or so. So I built touch grass. You post once a week: 3 easy questions, max 3 photos. Sunday 6pm mountain time (yeah its my time zone) everyone's posts unlock at the same time. You catch up on what your people have been doing, then…
2025 · touchgrass.now · its alternatives →
- 4
ScreenBreak▲125Hi HN, I built ScreenBreak after realizing that most app blockers failed in practice. “Hard blocks” were too rigid — I either locked myself out entirely or tapped Ignore Limit and kept scrolling. There was no useful middle state. In reality, people still need to open apps like TikTok or Instagram for specific tasks: looking something up, replying to someone, checking updates, etc. The problem isn’t intentional use; it’s the unplanned, unconscious scrolling that follows. I wanted a system that interrupts the impulse without fully preventing access. ScreenBreak uses soft blocking plus…
Dec 2025 · screenbreak.app · its alternatives →
- 5
I initially released this as just an IOS app. Since then it has been growing steadily but a lot of people have emailed asking for a web / android version. It took me nearly 2 months to build a version for the web. The nice thing about using Convex as my backend is that all the data is always synced between the app and web. I do not have to setup any syncing logic. The moment you change something in the app, it will reflect on the web version in realtime. I know there are loads of these kind of tools online but it's starting to feel like mine is actually starting to differentiate itself…
2025 · three-cells.com · its alternatives →
- 6
my phone secretly robbed all my dreams and i didn’t even knew it got so bad. when i saw my screen time being about 11hrs with ~95 phone pickups per day, i realized how bad it got. my problem is that i could not avoid social media entirely as i post actively because i’m involved in marketing and branding. I tried the usual, app blockers & time limits, but i always find myself hitting “one more minute” like a junkie. i’m not looking for a complete social media absence or deleting everything as these radical solutions don’t fit my lifestyle and needs and i tend to come back needing even more.…
2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 7
I'm a solo dev. A few years ago, I got addicted to Reddit. Spent months in that loop. Being a programmer, I thought I'd be clever. Redirected Reddit's domain to nowhere in my DNS file. Worked great until I'd just... open the file and undo it 20 minutes later. So I made it irreversible. Locked the DNS file so it can't be edited unless I boot my Mac in safe mode. And if I do that, there's a script that instantly locks it again. Haven't used Reddit since last year. Problem solved, right? Wrong. I just replaced Reddit with Twitch and YouTube. Started keeping streams running in the background…
Nov 2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
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- 9
I built Recode because I realized I was spending 8-10 hours a day on my phone pretty consistently. I tried other screen time apps but I found them too easy to bypass and end my blocks whenever I wanted to use an app. My solution was to build an app blocker app that makes users have to scan a physical QR/barcode to take a break from their app blocks. This helped me be able to get my screen time down to just a few hours everyday since I didn't want to physically get up and go across the house to get my barcode. Anyways, since it worked for me I felt like sharing it. App store link:…
2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 10
Hey HN! This is my first iOS app. I built it because I was curious about SwiftUI and wanted to learn by doing. Since Lent is around the corner, I thought I'd share it with you. It has also been hunted on PH today: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/ascent I relied heavily on ChatGPT to build it, and honestly it was quite frustrating at times. The best part of building the app was to do it in public, as I shared regular updates on X and ended up having amazing conversations.
2024 · ggnotes.com · its alternatives →
- 11
I hope you are doing better today than yesterday. (TLDR in the comments; or enjoy my story :) ) Why: About 11 months ago, I launched my app for the first time on Reddit's r/lonely because I had previously experienced loneliness myself during grad school. I wanted to reach out to people going through similar experiences by providing them with what would’ve helped me in the past. I felt this was an important mission for me and a much more rewarding one than my day job that I quit my job to work on the app full-time. It was necessary because I did not come from a programming background. I…
2024 · main.d1lmgoealm7rq0.amplifyapp.com · its alternatives →
- 12IA
Hi there! I would like to share my side project. I work on iOS app that helps to use our devices more mindfully. There is a huge update coming and it is available now! TestFlight -> https://testflight.apple.com/join/feQ9YDI0. App use Apple's Shortcuts automation to "lock" selected apps on which you want to spend less time. You can unlock selected apps for a limited period by adding usage intention to the app. Additionally, the app has an iOS 14 Widget that reminds add intention right on the home screen, keywords daily limits, additional intention check like "captcha"(to…
2021 · its alternatives →
- 13
I built an app to block my own Instagram addiction.
Jun 2026 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
- 14
EvoCat▲17I’ve always struggled with mindless scrolling, even when I had important work to do. Timers and app blockers never stuck — they felt boring and were easy to bypass. I built EvoCat as a small side project to solve my own problem. It’s a simple iOS app that blocks distracting apps and websites, but adds a fun layer of gamification: • You earn XP for staying focused • You evolve a digital cat as your self-control grows • Each evolution makes the blocking stronger (harder to quit sessions) It’s still in early beta, but this approach has helped me stay more mindful with my phone use. Would love…
2025 · evocat.app · its alternatives →
- 15
Wanted to share a project I've been working on the last year! It's a simple, thoughtfully designed Bible app designed to help you focus on the text above all else. I felt really dissatisfied with the low quality of Bible apps available. The popular Bible app by YouVersion is so full of popups, feeds, notifications, and social media integrations that the Bible itself seemed like a side feature to me. I set out to make something simple, beautiful, focused, and delightful to use. I also wanted to add a couple features that I saw missing from other Bible apps. The 2 most notable are a reading…
2025 · tovbible.com · its alternatives →
- 16IS
i built a heart rate zone training app for runners. ios + apple watch. custom zones, real-time haptics, post-run graphs. all the “smart” stuff you’d expect. but i never talked to a single runner before building it. not even myself lol. started as a thesis → kept building → added features → added a paywall (€4/month!) → launched it → and yeah… no one cared. zero feedback. zero users. just code in the void. i recently made the whole thing free. not trying to “sell” anything now — just seeing if it’s actually useful, and listening this time. curious how others handle this. ever build…
2025 · basamasa.github.io · its alternatives →
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שעון מעורר לפי מיקום כדי להתעורר בזמן בתחנה
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 18GO
I built an app where you LITERALLY have to do push-ups to use Reddit (or whatever app). My guy, this is the summer you get SWOLE! Build a massive chest instead of doomscrolling on Hackernews. Also, it's FREE. You can set it on a schedule. You can set it on a time limit. You can set it after X opens. Or even after you come home from work. The apps will remain blocked until you do your push-ups! The app is built natively on SwiftUI. I use Apple's native Vision API to detect body parts and joints. I use Apple's Screen Time API for app blocking. I don't know what else to say so go on now and get…
2025 · timm.so · its alternatives →
- 19A7
Hey HN, A long time ago, due to the lack of viable solutions with E2EE and offline-first syncing, I decided to dedicate my time to making one (which has its own story: https://yaad.one/blog/yaad-story). In the course of ~3 years, I developed a knowledge management app with these primary features: - Primitives: Notes, Tasks, Contacts - Grouping with "Boxes" - Offline-first - Multiplatform; currently available for Android, Windows (x64), macOS, and Linux (ARM). - Fully end-to-end encrypted (AES-256-GCM) - 13 Languages, 8 calendar systems - Light & dark mode Last night, I…
2024 · yaad.one · its alternatives →
- 20
Hey HN, A few months ago I noticed I was spending way too much time on YouTube + Reddit (like 4–5 hours per day). I tried a bunch of blockers, but most of them just hard-block everything… and when I actually need a YT for debugging, I end up disabling the blocker and never turning it back on. So I built ZenBlock to solve my problem: it blocks distracting sites, but when you try to open one, it shows a short breathing exercise, After that you can choose to get temporary access (5–30 min). The goal is to make you aware of distraction. this is more inclined towards Tech-wise: it’s built using…
Feb 2026 · zenblock.app · its alternatives →
- 21
Block distracting apps until after Bible time
Jun 2026 · prayerfirst.sg · its alternatives →
- 22
Athanify▲3The prayer app Muslims actually want to open 5x a day
Apr 2026 · athanify.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Break Social Media Addiction with NFC-Powered Blocking
2025 · abhijeets-code.itch.io · its alternatives →
- 24
Rhemn ▲4The new tab for Muslims — faith and focus, every tab
Jun 2026 · rhemn.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →