moss vs Roots
An iPhone blocker with detailed analytics. $59.99 a year.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Get Roots, Inc's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Roots is
Roots is an iPhone app (iOS 18 or later) that blocks apps and scores the quality of your screen time. It has app groups, a strict "Monk Mode", protection against editing or uninstalling, and reports on what kind of time you spent. Roots Plus is $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month. Roots' own pages disagree on whether a free plan still exists, so check before you install. An Android version is described as coming soon.
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 | Roots |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Roots Plus $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone only (iOS 18+) |
| 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 | Schedules and limits in the app |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | In the app, depending on how strict you set it |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Depends on the mode |
| 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 Roots is better
- Detailed analytics on how your screen time was spent.
- Nothing to buy or carry.
Where moss is better
- One purchase against $59.99 every year.
- A physical key in another room.
- Households lock together.
Who should pick which
Pick Roots if
You want to understand your phone use in detail as well as limit it.
Pick moss if
You do not need charts. You need the apps gone for the evening.
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Spotted something out of date?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.
