Stay Focused vs StayFree

Stay Focused

• People who want blocks they cannot switch off on impulse
• Android users who want to block short videos but keep the app
• Students running timed study sessions with distracting apps locked

StayFree

• People who want screen time stats across phone, desktop and browser
• Anyone looking for an app and website blocker with no paid tier
• Trimming social media feeds without blocking the whole site

Stay Focused

• Prices and the list of Premium features are not on the vendor's site; the dollar figures come from the US App Store, and Google Play shows $0.49 to $99.99 per item.
• Purchases are tied to one platform and one device: an Android purchase cannot be used on iOS.
• On iPhone and iPad, iOS caps blocking at 50 apps or websites at a time, and blocking Reels and Shorts is offered on Android only.
• There is no Mac or Windows app; on a computer it is limited to a Chrome extension that blocks websites and keywords.

StayFree

• StayFree is owned by Sensor Tower; its privacy policy says app and website usage data is collected and sold in anonymized, aggregated form.
• Hiding Shorts, reels and other feed sections is described for the browser extension; the iOS listing mentions only usage history, block mode and schedules.
• On Android, website blocking relies on the Accessibility Service permission.
• The Safari extension on the Mac App Store requires macOS 26.5 or later.

Stay Focused

App and website blocking with profiles

Pick the apps, sites and keywords to block and group them into profiles for sleep, work or study. Each profile can work as a blocklist or as a whitelist of what stays allowed.

Schedules, daily limits and goals

Block during set days and hours, after a daily usage limit is used up, or until you have spent a set amount of time in apps you class as productive.

Location-based blocking

Block apps automatically while you are at a place you choose, such as a school, office or library, or while you are away from it.

Strict Mode

Locks your blocks until a timer runs out. Turning it off can require a PIN, an expiry date, a QR code scan or typing a randomly generated text.

Pomodoro sessions and Focus Sounds

Timed focus sessions with planned breaks keep all but a few chosen apps blocked. Rain, ocean waves, brown noise and other sounds can be mixed into a background track.

Reels and Shorts blocking

On Android, hide YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Stories or Snapchat Spotlight while keeping the rest of each app usable.

StayFree

Four ways to block

Block an app or site immediately, restrict it at set times, cap its daily use, or set a time limit for each session. Daily limits can cover whole categories as well as single apps and sites.

Cross-device usage stats

Charts of app and website use combined across your devices. The Google Play listing says devices can be connected without creating an account, and usage can be exported as CSV.

In-app blocking for social media

The browser extension hides parts of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat, such as Shorts, reels, comments and recommendations, without blocking the whole site.

Keyword blocking and over-use reminders

The extension can block any website that displays chosen keywords, and StayFree notifies you when you have spent too long on a site or in an app.

PIN and challenge protection

Require a PIN code, password or text challenge before limits and settings can be changed, to stop impulsive edits.

Focus mode and sleep mode

On Android, focus mode blocks distracting apps at scheduled times and sleep mode disables all apps at the end of the day.

Stay Focused

• Free$0

  The app is a free download. What the free version leaves out is not published.

• Monthly$3.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Premium features paid month to month. The listing does not itemize what the subscription unlocks.

• Quarterly$9.99

  per 3 months, US App Store in-app purchase

  The same subscription billed every three months.

• Yearly$24.99

  per year, US App Store in-app purchase

  The same subscription billed once a year. A purchase named Yearly Discounted is listed at the same $24.99.

StayFree

• StayFree$0

  The complete app on every platform: usage stats, app and website blocking, schedules, daily and session limits, and cross-device sync.

Stay Focused

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing costs about 48% less than monthly

  The US App Store lists the Monthly purchase at $3.99 and the Yearly purchase at $24.99, so a year paid at once costs about 48% less than twelve monthly payments.

StayFree

No public discounts listed.