ScreenZen's official site describes the app as free and donation-supported, with no separate Pro tier splitting features behind a paywall. Here's what that actually means, and how it compares to a paid product like Fella.
ScreenZen's pricing question has an unusually simple answer: it's free. Current documentation doesn't describe a paid subscription, a premium tier, or an in-app purchase unlocking additional features. The product is funded through optional donations instead.
This page focuses specifically on cost and what free actually includes. For the full feature comparison against Fella, see Fella vs ScreenZen. What follows is a plain look at ScreenZen's pricing model and what it means in practice.
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Full app | $0, donation-supported | Delays, access windows, daily limits, opening goals, schedules, stricter blocks, Settings Lock, usage tracking for selected apps |
There's genuinely only one row in this table. ScreenZen's official site presents one product, free and donation-supported, without a documented split between a limited free version and a paid upgrade.
The escalating delay mechanism is free. ScreenZen's delay before opening a distracting app, which can grow with each attempt in a day, isn't gated behind a subscription.
Schedules, limits, and goals are free too. Configurable access windows, daily limits, opening goals, and stricter blocks are all part of the same product, based on current documentation, not a paid add-on.
The Settings Lock, meant to prevent changing rules mid-urge, is included as well. This protection against your own future self isn't held back as a premium feature in current materials.
ScreenZen's official site is explicit about the model: free and donation-supported. That's a specific business choice, different from an ad-supported free app or a freemium product with a hidden paywall waiting behind a feature you'll eventually want.
There's a real tradeoff worth naming honestly. A donation-supported model depends on ongoing voluntary funding to stay maintained. That's not a documented risk in current materials, just a structural reality of how the product is funded, worth being aware of when choosing a long-term tool.
No documented tier exists to donate into for extra features. Based on current information, a donation supports the app's development generally rather than unlocking anything specific for the person donating.
ScreenZen's free pricing isn't limited to iPhone. Its current listing covers iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Android, all under the same free, donation-supported model, based on current documentation.
That's unusual among cross-platform blockers. Most tools that reach this many platforms charge a subscription specifically for that broader coverage. ScreenZen's free-everywhere approach is a real differentiator on price alone.
Anyone who wants a configurable toolkit without paying anything. Delays, limits, schedules, and goals across five platforms, at no cost, is a genuinely strong starting point for most people comparing app blockers on price.
People who want to try before committing to any paid product. Since there's no free-to-paid upgrade path to navigate, you get the full feature set immediately without wondering what you're missing.
Anyone comfortable relying on a donation-funded product long-term. If ongoing corporate backing or a subscription-funded support team specifically matters to you, that's worth weighing against a free, community-supported model.
| At a glance | Fella | ScreenZen |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $9.99 monthly or $34.99 yearly | Free, donation-supported |
| Free tier | None | Full feature set at no cost |
| Feature gating | No; every plan includes the same fixed rule | No documented gating; one free product |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Android |
| Core mechanism | Selected apps blocked by default, one 5-minute unlock per session | Configurable delays, limits, schedules, and goals |
ScreenZen wins decisively on price: free versus $9.99 a month. There's no serious argument against ScreenZen if cost is the only factor in your decision.
Fella isn't competing on price at all, it's selling a different mechanism. ScreenZen's free toolkit still asks you to configure and maintain delays, limits, and schedules. Fella charges for having nothing left to configure: pick the apps, and the block runs with one 5-minute emergency unlock per session.
The decision comes down to whether configuration is the point or the problem. If you want control and don't mind paying nothing for it, ScreenZen is hard to beat. If the act of configuring and maintaining rules has become its own loophole, that's what Fella's price is actually for. See how Fella works or Fella's current pricing.
ScreenZen's official site describes the app as free and donation-supported. There's no documented paid subscription tier, Pro version, or in-app purchase separating a free experience from a paid one.
Based on current documentation, yes. Delays, access windows, daily limits, opening goals, schedules, stricter blocks, and the Settings Lock are all part of the same free product, not split into a limited free tier and a paid upgrade.
Through optional donations, according to its official site. There's no documented advertising model or paid tier funding the app instead.
Not according to current documentation. ScreenZen's free and donation-supported model applies across its full platform list: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Android.
Fella isn't selling more features for the price, it's selling a different mechanism: one fixed rule with no configuration, versus ScreenZen's free but configurable toolkit. Whether that's worth $9.99 a month depends on whether configuration itself has become part of the problem for you.
