Unrot has a simple rule: do something first, then scroll. Real-life habits like a walk, reading, lifting or the dishes earn coins, and coins unlock TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or whatever apps you chose to lock. No coins, and the apps stay locked. It has a 4.7 rating from about 57,000 US ratings and is on the iPhone.
It belongs to a small category of apps that make you earn your screen time. They work well for a lot of people, but they’re subscriptions, which is why “apps like Unrot but free” is such a common search. Here’s what the main ones do and cost, and then three ways to get the same deal for free. One of them is ours, Habit Rewards; we’ve tried to describe the others fairly.
The paid ones (US App Store, checked October 26, 2026)
| App | How you earn | Platforms | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrot | Habits you pick (walk, read, lift, clean) earn coins that unlock your locked apps | iPhone | $9.99 to $69.99 |
| Pushscroll | Push-ups, squats and other reps counted by the camera: one push-up is one minute of app time | iPhone, Android | $14.99 a month; $24.99 to $59.99 a year |
| PushUp Time | Push-ups, squats or sit-ups counted on the device unlock apps for 15 to 120 minutes | iPhone, iPad | $1.99 a week to $59.99 a year |
| One Thing | Apps stay locked until you finish one chosen activity for the day, confirmed with a photo | iPhone | subscription after a trial |
Pick Pushscroll or PushUp Time if moving is the point: the camera does the counting, so there’s no cheating. Pick Unrot if you want everything on your list to count, not just exercise. Pick One Thing if one daily task is all you need.
What they share: a real lock, through the phone’s own screen time controls. That’s their strength, and it’s what you pay for.
Free option 1: your phone’s own lock
Your phone already has the lock; it just needs someone else to hold the key. On iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → App Limits, then turn on “Use Screen Time Passcode” and let a partner, parent or friend choose the code. When you’ve earned more time, they type it in. On Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls → app timers.
Good for: people who live with someone willing to be the gatekeeper.
Less good if: you’d rather not ask anyone.
Free option 2: a chart on the fridge
Write down what earns time (30 minutes of reading = 30 minutes of scrolling, a workout = an hour of gaming) and tick it off. Our free earn your screen time chart keeps the balance for you in the browser and prints a weekly chart. Pair it with option 1 and the chart decides the minutes while the phone enforces them.
Good for: families, and anyone who likes paper.
Less good if: you won’t keep a pen near it.
Free option 3: Habit Rewards, the honour system
This one’s ours. Habit Rewards doesn’t lock anything. Instead, screen time goes on your reward list next to everything else you’d like to earn: “30 minutes of TikTok” for 20 coins, “an evening of gaming” for 60, a movie night, new running shoes. Your habits pay coins each time you check them off, by how hard they are (1, 4, 8 or 16): the walk, the reading, the dishes. One-off jobs go in as tasks that pay once. When your balance covers a reward, you claim it.
If you need a day off, a Skip costs 10 coins and keeps your streak alive. It’s on iPhone and Android, free for three habits and three rewards, with a Pro subscription for more.
Good for: people who mostly need the deal written down, and want it to cover more than screen time.
Less good if: you need something that physically stops you. Pair it with option 1, or with a free blocker from apps like Opal.
How to pick
If you know you’ll cheat, pay for a lock: Pushscroll or PushUp Time if exercise is the deal, Unrot if it’s everything else. If you have someone who can hold your Screen Time passcode, do it for free. And if what you’re missing is the deal itself, not the lock, write it down: on the chart, or in Habit Rewards, where screen time is one reward among many.
FAQ
Is there a free app like Unrot? The paid earn-your-screen-time apps are subscriptions. Free ways to get the same deal: your phone’s Screen Time passcode held by someone else, a printable chart, or Habit Rewards (free for three habits and three rewards), which prices screen time as a reward but doesn’t lock apps.
How much does Unrot cost? Unrot is free to download, and its plans in the US App Store run from $9.99 to $69.99 (checked October 26, 2026).
Is Unrot on Android? Unrot is listed for the iPhone. Pushscroll is on iPhone and Android, and Habit Rewards is on both.
What’s a free alternative to Pushscroll? Set an app limit with a Screen Time passcode someone else holds, and agree that a set of push-ups buys more time. Or put “1 hour of scrolling” on your Habit Rewards list and let a daily workout habit pay for it.
Habit Rewards is free on iPhone and Android. Unrot is made by Unrot OÜ; we’re not affiliated with it or with the other apps mentioned.
✅ Try Habit Rewards: the habit tracker that pays you
Every habit pays coins by how hard it is (1, 4, 8 or 16). Write your own reward list, put a coin price on each treat, and claim it once you've earned it.
- Daily, weekly and monthly habits, plus one-off tasks that pay coins
- Reminders, streaks and home-screen widgets
- A 10-coin Skip for the days you can't
- Free for three habits, on iPhone and Android
On a computer? Scan the code with your phone (it opens the App Store or Google Play), or get it on the App Store.
Using Notion?
Start with our free Notion habit tracker and formulas, or get the aesthetic Notion Habit Tracker template with heatmaps and streaks.
More articles you may be interested in:
- Free Notion Habit Tracker Templates (and How to Build Your Own)
- Trigger, Behavior, Reward: The Habit Loop Explained With Examples
- Rewards for Achieving Goals: 80 Ideas, Sized to the Goal
- How to Reward Yourself Without Spending Money (and for Saving It)
- Non-Food Rewards for Adults: 75 Ideas (and How to Stop Rewarding Yourself with Food)
- How to Reward Yourself for Hard Work: 50 Ideas by Effort
Rather track it on your phone? In Habit Rewards every check-off earns coins, and you spend them on rewards you set yourself. Free on iPhone and Android for up to 3 habits.
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