Honest comparison · Reviewed June 23, 2026
ScreenFine vs Jomo
Jomo is a well-built app blocker at about $30 per year (or $100 once) that blocks apps and sites by schedule or limit. ScreenFine charges $1 per week and, the moment you cross your daily total, hard-blocks your target apps until you complete 25 verified pushups, 1,000 steps, or 10 mindful minutes. Jomo is built around blocking rules. ScreenFine is built around a consequence you have to work off.
Is ScreenFine a good Jomo alternative?
Shopping for a Jomo alternative? Here is the honest, no-spin head-to-head. Jomo: A polished iOS screen-time blocker built on Apple's Screen Time API. Block apps, websites, and whole categories by schedule or daily limit, with Strict Mode, Apple Health integration, and accountability squads. ScreenFine takes a different approach to the same problem. The comparison table below, and the where-each-wins breakdown after it, show exactly where each tool pulls ahead and who should switch.
Side by side
ScreenFine vs Jomo
| Feature | ScreenFine | Jomo |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | ~$52 / yr ($1/week) | ~$30 / yr or $100 once |
| Lifetime purchase option | | $99.99 one-time |
| Hard-block overage consequence | 25 pushups / 15-min over | Blocks, no redemption |
| App + website + category blocking | Per-app limits, apps only | Apps, sites, categories |
| Total-device daily cap | The whole point | Per-app limits + schedules |
| Scheduled blocks / Strict Mode | | A core feature |
| AI personality / roast notification | Six villains | |
| Public accountability | Wall of Shame + partner mode | Squads |
| Apple Health integration | Steps + workouts redeem fines | Habit tracking |
| Best for | People who want a consequence with skin in the game | People who want flexible, granular blocking rules |
Last fact-checked June 23, 2026. See Jomo for yourself .
Where ScreenFine wins
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A consequence, not just a wall
Jomo blocks the app. When the schedule or limit lifts, you scroll again with nothing owed. ScreenFine turns the overage into a debt: 25 pushups per 15-minute block, verified by camera or HealthKit, before the apps unlock. The cost is the redemption itself. Loss aversion (Kahneman, Tversky) is roughly twice as motivating as a soft block you can wait out.
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One daily number, not a rule tree
Jomo is powerful but configuration-heavy: per-app limits, schedules, categories, Strict Mode windows. ScreenFine puts a single number on your whole day. Say, 90 minutes. Cross it in any app and your targets lock. There is one decision to make, not a settings tree to maintain.
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Personality you actually read
Every ScreenFine lock fires a personalised roast from one of six AI villains. The Banker, the Reaper, the Coach, the Ex, the Algorithm, or New Year You. Jomo sends standard system notifications. Roast notifications get read; system banners get swiped away.
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Public accountability built in
ScreenFine posts slips to a Wall of Shame and links a partner who sees your streaks and fines. Jomo has squads, but the accountability is softer. Knowing a specific person will see the slip is a stronger deterrent than a leaderboard.
Where Jomo wins
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Cheaper, with a lifetime option
Jomo is about $30 per year, and a one-time $99.99 purchase buys it outright. If you want to pay once and never see a subscription again, ScreenFine has no lifetime tier. Its model is the recurring $1 weekly charge, which is the point, but Jomo is the better fit if a subscription itself is the dealbreaker.
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Granular blocking and websites
Jomo blocks specific apps, whole categories, and websites, with schedules and Strict Mode windows. ScreenFine is app-only on the device and has no Safari domain blocking. If you need fine-grained control over exactly what is blocked and when, Jomo is more capable today.
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Mature, deep app
Jomo has been refined over years and shows it. The onboarding, the rule editor, and the reports are more developed than ScreenFine's. If a deep settings UI matters to you, Jomo is ahead.
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A real free experience to try
Jomo lets you do meaningful blocking before paying. ScreenFine has a 7-day trial and then requires a payment method, because the fine mechanism does not work without one.
Pick ScreenFine if
- + You have already tried rule-based blockers and learned to wait out or disable the block.
- + You want a single daily phone-use number with a real consequence for crossing it.
- + You believe a verified-exercise lock will move you more than a scheduled block.
- + You want public accountability (Wall of Shame, partner mode), not just a private squad.
Pick Jomo if
- + You want granular control over which apps, sites, and categories are blocked and when.
- + You would rather pay once ($99.99) than carry a subscription.
- + You want website blocking in Safari, not just apps.
- + A scheduled-block model already works for you and you only want it cheaper.
Common questions
About ScreenFine vs Jomo
Is ScreenFine a good Jomo alternative?
If Jomo's blocking works for you, it is hard to beat on price. People switch to ScreenFine when the blocks stop working. They learn to wait out the schedule or toggle Strict Mode off. ScreenFine's verified-exercise lock has no override, so there is nothing to wait out or disable.
Can I use Jomo and ScreenFine together?
Yes. They run independently through Apple's Screen Time API and do not conflict. Some users keep Jomo's scheduled blocks for work hours and run ScreenFine's daily fine across the whole day.
Which is cheaper, Jomo or ScreenFine?
Jomo is cheaper annually (about $30 per year, or $99.99 once) versus ScreenFine at $1 per week (about $52 per year). ScreenFine's weekly billing is deliberate: a recurring charge you feel is part of the accountability, not an accident of pricing.
Does ScreenFine block websites like Jomo?
No. ScreenFine is app-only on the device and does not block Safari domains. Jomo can block specific websites. If web reading is your main problem rather than apps, Jomo handles that and ScreenFine does not.
Compare ScreenFine with other tools
Related reading
Ready to put real exercise on the line?
$1 per week via Apple IAP. 25 pushups per 15-minute overage block. No variable charges.