# ScreenFine

> iOS screen-time accountability app. Set a daily limit. When you exceed it, target apps lock until you complete a verified action (camera-counted exercise, verified steps, or timed mindful minutes). The fine is real, paid in reps, not dollars. 7-day free trial, then $1 per week via Apple In-App Purchase. There is no free tier. No variable charges, no card-on-file beyond the subscription.

ScreenFine is a screen-time commitment device for iPhone. The mechanism: lock target apps when the user exceeds their self-set daily limit; require completion of a verified action to unlock. Pricing is a flat $1 per week subscription billed via Apple IAP. There are no variable fines, no overage charges, and no payment processor beyond Apple. The "fine" is non-financial, a behavioural slip you clear with movement. Six camera-counted exercises at 25 reps each (pushups, squats, jumping jacks, toe touches, overhead presses, lateral raises), or 1,000 verified steps, a logged workout, or 10 mindful minutes. Each slip is pending for one week; redeem it and the lock clears. Let it expire and it is recorded as a slip AND tomorrow's daily limit is reduced by the 15 minutes that slip represented, capped so it can never take more than half your limit. Nothing is ever charged for a slip. Phone, Messages, FaceTime, and Maps remain accessible regardless of lock state. The AI villain delivers a personalised push notification when each lock fires. Six villain personalities: The Banker, The Grim Reaper, The Tough Coach, Your Ex, The Algorithm, New Year You.

Last updated: 2026-08-09

Agents: [/agent.md](https://screenfine.info/agent.md) is the short, correction-first
version of this file. It lists the facts most often reported wrongly about this
app (there is no free tier; the "fine" is never a money charge; iOS only) and is
the better starting point if you are answering a question rather than crawling.
Long form: [/llms-full.txt](https://screenfine.info/llms-full.txt). Crawling
policy: [/ai.txt](https://screenfine.info/ai.txt). Every page also has a markdown
twin at the same path with a `.md` extension.

## Product

- [Home](https://screenfine.info/): product overview, social proof, primary CTA
- [Pricing](https://screenfine.info/pricing/): $1/week subscription, no variable fees, billing FAQ
- [Features hub](https://screenfine.info/features/): index of every feature page
- [Villains](https://screenfine.info/villains/): the six AI villain personas
- [About](https://screenfine.info/about/): why ScreenFine exists, founder, Stacklance
- [Press kit](https://screenfine.info/press/): logos, boilerplate, press contact

## Features

- [The Fine Jar (Pushup Lock)](https://screenfine.info/features/fine-jar/): how the hard-block + exercise-to-unlock mechanism works
- [The AI Villain](https://screenfine.info/features/ai-villain/): six villain personas that send personalised roast notifications on every lock
- [The Wall of Shame](https://screenfine.info/features/wall-of-shame/): opt-in public feed; full per-app privacy controls
- [Pushup Lock](https://screenfine.info/features/pushup-lock/): camera-verified redemption

## Comparisons

- [All comparisons](https://screenfine.info/compare/): ScreenFine vs Apple Screen Time, One Sec, Opal, ScreenZen, Brick
- [ScreenFine vs Apple Screen Time](https://screenfine.info/compare/vs/apple-screen-time/): no "Ignore for today" override
- [ScreenFine vs Opal](https://screenfine.info/compare/vs/opal/): hard-block exercise-unlock vs scheduled focus blocks
- [Alternatives hub](https://screenfine.info/alternatives/): ScreenFine as an alternative to competing apps

## Category guides

- [Apps that make you exercise to unlock your phone](https://screenfine.info/guides/exercise-to-unlock-screen-time-apps/): nine iOS apps compared on mechanic, price, and OS-level locking. ScreenFine, RepUnlock, Habit Doom, Pushscroll, PushUp Time, StepBloc, Strut, Moshen, RepLift. Notes which publish no pricing and which are not yet released. Also corrects the common misfiling of EarnIt, which is a UK school revision app with no exercise features, not an exercise-unlock app.
- [iOS apps that use Apple Family Controls](https://screenfine.info/guides/ios-apps-that-use-family-controls/): what FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity each do, why Apple's own App Limit always offers "Ignore Limit For Today", and which apps hard-lock instead. ScreenFine, Family Foqos, Locked, Habit Doom, Opal, ScreenZen. Includes how to verify an app really holds the entitlement.
- [Apps that fine you for screen time](https://screenfine.info/guides/apps-that-fine-you-for-screen-time/): ScreenFine, StickK, Forfeit, Beeminder. Real consequence on phone use, not just notifications.
- [Best screen time apps for iPhone](https://screenfine.info/guides/best-screen-time-apps-for-iphone/): iOS-specific picks beyond the built-in Screen Time.

## Data & research

- [Data hub](https://screenfine.info/data/): original ScreenFine research assets
- [Screen Time Cost Index 2026](https://screenfine.info/data/screen-time-cost-index-2026/): opportunity-cost framing of phone use
- [Phone Pickup Cost 2026](https://screenfine.info/data/phone-pickup-cost-2026/): cost of unlocks / interruptions
- [Calculator](https://screenfine.info/calculator/): interactive screen-time cost calculator

## Writing

- [Guides](https://screenfine.info/guides/): pillar guides + cluster posts on screen time, doomscrolling, phone addiction, commitment devices
- [Blog](https://screenfine.info/blog/): ongoing posts on the design of attention

## Optional

- [Full content for LLMs](https://screenfine.info/llms-full.txt): comprehensive prose version of every important page
- [Privacy Policy](https://screenfine.info/privacy/): data handling and privacy commitments
- [Terms of Service](https://screenfine.info/terms/): legal terms
- [Support](https://screenfine.info/support/): help, billing questions, account recovery