EvoCat
I’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…
EvoCat launched on May 13, 2025 with 17 votes, #913 of 7,905 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.
What it does
EvoCat helps you stop mindless scrolling by turning focus into a game. Block apps & sites, earn XP, evolve your digital cat, and unlock stronger blocking. Built by someone who struggled with phone addiction too.
EvoCat enforces your focus schedule. No "Ignore Limit" button. No bypass. Recurring blocks that actually hold.
All enforcement runs on-device through Apple Screen Time APIs. No account. No server. No data collected. Apps, app categories (social media, games, entertainment), and specific websites. You choose what to block when you create each session. IronCat is the hardest enforcement style — no friction screen, no bypass option, no challenge to complete. It's the default because EvoCat is designed around commitment first. The other cats add a gate between intent and access. IronCat removes it entirely. Once per day. The switch is immediate, but you cannot change cats while a session is running. Your enforcement style is a daily commitment — not a per-moment decision. Blocking continues. EvoCat uses…from evocat.app
In the maker’s words, at launch
Built EvoCat, a strict iOS app blocker using Screen Time APIs. Most apps still let you bypass mid-session. This one doesn’t. “Cats” are enforcement modes: – IronCat: hard block – BuffCat: effort to unlock – SageCat: challenge – ZenCat: delay Pick one per day. No switching mid-session. Would love feedback.
Does a similar job
all alternatives →
ScreenBreakDec 2025 · screenbreak.app · ▲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…
Self Control Block Distracting Websites2017 · selfcontrol.apki.io · ▲83Block distractions to eliminate wasteful browsing habits
I Made the Hardest Focus App2025 · apps.apple.com · ▲43my 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.…
18yo first iOS app: blocks distracting apps and unlocks with QR/barcode2025 · apps.apple.com · ▲30I 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:…
Helpful PhoneFeb 2026 · helpfulphone.app · ▲3Block distracting apps. Focus on your tasks. Built for ADHD
More work this month
the category →
Endless lofi beats composed live in your browser, over pixel-art nights in Paris, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, San Francisco and more. Free, no sign-up.
Work · 25d ago · loficities.com
Smooth Recorder▲257Mac screen recordings that look edited when you hit stop
Work · 19d ago · smoothrecorder.com


Work · 13d ago · readrare.com
Source: Product Hunt launch ↗ · launch text quoted in part
Launched alongside, May 2025
the whole month →
Tapflow 2.0▲1,125We built Tapflow for devs, designers, PMs, and tech folks who’ve been sitting on internal docs, templates, and systems — but never productized them. Upload a PDF, notes, or workshop deck, and Tapflow drafts a structured product (with chapters, teaser and pricing plans). It’s good for AI kits, onboarding guides, design systems, and frameworks. You can sell through Stripe, LemonSqueezy, or PayPal. Real-time collaboration is in early beta. No site builder, no LMS — clean design and just focused tools to ship. Fully bootstrapped and just launched on PH today →…
Work · 2025 · tapflow.ai
- C9
Life & fun · 2025 · felixrieseberg.github.io
Appwrite Sites▲990Appwrite 2.0 brings a new engine, a rebuilt Console, five database types, an S3 API, an OAuth 2.1 server, and organization-level Domains and Firewall.
Dev tools · 2025 · appwrite.io


