moss vs Brainrot
A playful iPhone app blocker and focus timer. Everything needs a subscription.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Smolworks Inc.'s own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Brainrot is
Brainrot: Screen Time Control is a playful iPhone app blocker and focus timer. You pick apps and sites, set schedules or block instantly. Its listing states that all the features it describes require a subscription. The App Store lists many prices, including 1 Week at $4.99, 1 Month at $3.99, a monthly plan at $8.99 and 1 Year at $19.99 to $59.99, so check the price in the app. It needs iOS 17.6 or later. There are lookalike apps with similar names, so check the maker.
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | Brainrot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | App Store lists 1 Week $4.99, monthly $3.99 to $8.99, 1 Year $19.99 to $59.99 |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes, required |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone (iOS 17.6+) |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | Pick apps and sites. Schedules or instant blocking |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | Not stated |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Not stated |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | None |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | No key |
Where Brainrot is better
- There is no hardware to buy or carry.
- It blocks websites as well as apps.
Where moss is better
- Locking is free. Nothing about locking needs a subscription.
- A physical key. Unlocking always needs the stone.
- Households can lock together and see whose phone is down.
Who should pick which
Pick Brainrot if
You want a light-hearted software blocker and do not mind paying for a plan.
Pick moss if
You want to pay once and put the off switch in another room.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
