The Best Apps to Earn Screen Time (2026), Honestly Compared
There are two very different kinds of "screen time" apps, and it's worth knowing which one you're actually shopping for. Control apps (Bark, Qustodio, Google Family Link) work by watching and blocking (here's how to add earning on top of them). Earn apps flip it around: kids do something worthwhile — read, chores, a morning routine — and that unlocks screen time. This roundup is about the second kind.
I've tried to keep this genuinely fair. Every app here does something well, and each has a real trade-off. Prices are from each app's own site or App Store listing as of October 2026 and change often — double-check before you commit.
The quick comparison
| App | Platform | Pricing (Oct 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnimals | iPhone, iPad & web | 14 days free, then $29.99/yr or $3.99/mo per family | A shared family iPad; values-first, no monitoring |
| ScreenCoach | iOS & Android | $5.99–7.99/mo or $49.99–59/yr, 30-day trial | Chores + screen tokens + pocket money, with device blocking |
| OurPact | iOS & Android | $6.99–9.99/mo or $69.99–99.99/yr, 14-day trial | Parents who want real device blocking and monitoring |
| Timily | iPhone & iPad | $19.99/mo or $79.99/yr | One kid with their own iPhone; focus timers that earn app time |
| Earn Screen Time: Kids Chores | iPhone & iPad | $8.99/mo, $34.99/yr or $69.99 lifetime | Proof-of-chore approvals that unlock apps on the kid's device |
The rundown
ScreenCoach
The closest thing to a full "family coach": kids earn screen-time tokens plus pocket-money gems for chores, homework, and exercise, and parents get a virtual bank for allowance. It runs on each child's devices and blocks apps when time runs out or a task is overdue. Trade-offs: reviewers say setup takes real effort, earned tokens still only work inside the hours you allow, and it's a subscription (the website and App Store list slightly different prices). More in ScreenCoach vs Earnimals.
OurPact
Really a blocking-and-monitoring tool: one-tap blocking of apps and internet, schedules, a daily time budget, location and geofencing, and (on Premium+) periodic screen captures of the child's device. If you need limits physically enforced, it's the strongest option here. Trade-offs: there's no built-in way for kids to earn time — a parent grants extra time by hand — setup and pairing take a while, and OurPact itself notes that on iOS 26+ Apple no longer lets its management profile be locked. It's a control app first. More in Earnimals vs OurPact.
Timily
A newer, reward-first iPhone and iPad app: kids run 25-minute focus timers and parent-approved quests (chores, reading) to earn coins, then spend them unlocking apps or real-life rewards. Polished, and a good fit for a single kid with their own device. Trade-offs: iOS-only, one of the pricier options at $19.99/mo or $79.99/yr, and still very new.
Earn Screen Time: Kids Chores
Kids send proof of a finished chore, a parent approves it, and apps unlock on the kid's device through Apple's Screen Time. Unusually, it offers a lifetime purchase. Trade-offs: very new with few reviews, iOS-only, and it needs each kid on their own device.
A note on "Achieve! Earn Your Screen Time"
It shows up in a lot of these searches, but it's built for adults managing their own phone — you earn your own app time by hitting personal goals. There's no parent/child setup, so it isn't really a kids' option.
How to actually choose
Skip the feature checklist and answer three questions:
- One device or many? If each kid has their own phone, a per-device app (Timily, OurPact) fits. If your kids share one iPad or the family TV, you want something built around a shared device — most of these aren't.
- Block or honor system? If you need the app to physically cut off access, you're looking at a control-first tool like OurPact. If you're okay being the one who flips the actual limit while the app tracks what's earned, a lighter reward-first app is simpler and less invasive.
- Per kid or per family? Almost everything here is a subscription, so compare the yearly price for your whole family — several charge per device or cap the number of kids.
Where Earnimals fits (and where it doesn't)
Full disclosure: we make Earnimals, so here's the honest version. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and the web, and it's built for one specific situation the others mostly ignore: a shared family iPad that several kids tap into. Kids earn screen minutes by reading (reading pays double), doing chores, and finishing a morning routine, then spend it on the shared TV or console. There's no monitoring and no tracking — the pitch is "brain food first, screens after."
On price: it's free for 14 days (no card up front), then $29.99 a year or $3.99 a month for the whole family — unlimited kids, every device the family signs into. Not per kid, not per device.
Where it's not the right fit: it's honor-system by design, so if you need an app that forcibly locks a device, a control-first tool will serve you better. And if every kid has their own phone you want monitored, this isn't that. It's for families who share screens and want to reward the good stuff rather than police the bad.
Let the reading unlock the screens — automatically
Earnimals turns all of this into a system your kids run themselves. They earn screen minutes by reading (reading pays double), doing chores, and finishing their morning routine — then the family TV or console unlocks. No monitoring, no nagging, one plan for the whole family. Brain food first, screens after.
Want to start on paper? Grab the free printable earn-screen-time chart.
Frequently asked
- What's the difference between an 'earn screen time' app and a parental control app?
- Parental control apps (Bark, Qustodio, Google Family Link) work by monitoring and blocking — they watch what kids do and cut off access. 'Earn screen time' apps flip the incentive: kids do something positive (read, chores, a routine) to unlock screen time. Many families use a light-touch earn app instead of, or alongside, the free OS-level limits.
- Do these apps actually lock the device, or is it the honor system?
- It varies. Blocking-first apps like OurPact can enforce limits at the OS level. Most reward-first apps (including Timily and Earnimals) are closer to the honor system — they're the source of truth for what's been earned, and a parent still sets the actual device or console limit. Honor-system apps are simpler and less invasive but rely on family buy-in.
- Is there an app to earn screen time without a subscription?
- Fewer than you'd hope. As of October 2026 nearly every kids' earn-screen-time app is a subscription; 'Earn Screen Time: Kids Chores' is the main one offering a lifetime purchase ($69.99). The free option is the OS-level controls (Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link), but they only set limits — kids can't earn time with them. Earnimals is a subscription too, but one $29.99/year plan covers the whole family after a 14-day free trial.
- Is Achieve! (Earn Your Screen Time) a kids' app?
- Not really. 'Achieve! Earn Your Screen Time' is built for adults managing their own phone — you block distracting apps and earn your own time by hitting personal goals like workouts or reading. It has no parent/child setup, and reviewers note it doesn't work well with Family Sharing.
- What's the best option for a shared family iPad instead of each kid's own phone?
- Most earn/control apps assume one device per kid. If your kids share one iPad or a family TV, look for something built around a shared device — Earnimals is designed as a shared kiosk multiple kids tap into, rather than a per-phone monitor.