Disclosure first
Broc is our app. ScreenZen is a genuinely good product with a 4.8 rating and a generous free tier, and if it fits you better, use it. Everything below is verifiable on both Play Store listings in two minutes.
Two different theories of the problem
ScreenZen's theory: you open apps on autopilot. If a pause interrupts the reflex ("Is this important?", a breathing moment, a wait that grows with each open), the conscious you gets a vote before the feed loads. It also does usage goals, per-app schedules, and blocking short-form feeds like Reels and Shorts specifically.
Broc's theory: the reflex isn't the whole problem. Even deliberate scrolling eats the day, and a pause you see forty times a week becomes furniture. So Broc changes the deal instead of the speed: blocked apps show your habit list, and the feed opens when a habit is done. Proof required, if you want it: an AI photo check or an in-app timer.
Side by side
| ScreenZen | Broc | |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanic | Pauses and prompts before apps open | Apps locked until habits are done |
| Bypass difficulty | Low: prompts can be clicked through | High: no snooze, habit required |
| Verification | None (it's a pause, not a deal) | AI photo check or in-app timer |
| Habit building | No | Core of the product: habits, streaks, grids |
| Short-form only blocking (Reels/Shorts) | Yes | No, blocks whole apps |
| Price | Free (core features) | Subscription, 7-day free trial |
| Platforms | Android and iOS | Android |
Pick ScreenZen if
- Your problem is autopilot opens, not deliberate hour-long sessions.
- You want to block only Reels or Shorts while keeping the rest of the app.
- You want free, today, with no commitment.
Pick Broc if
- You've clicked through your own prompts enough times to know a pause won't hold you.
- There are habits you keep postponing, and you want the scroll to pay for them. That's the earned screen time deal.
- You want proof, not promises: a habit only counts when the photo or the timer says so.
Common questions
Can I use both?
Technically yes: ScreenZen trimming the short-form feeds, Broc holding the wall on the worst offenders. Most people simplify to one once they know which theory fits them.
What does Broc cost?
Broc is a subscription with a 7-day free trial. One plan, everything in: unlimited habits, custom unlock durations, AI photo verification and full history. No ads.
Why isn't Broc free like ScreenZen?
The AI verification and the habit engine cost real money to run, and a subscription keeps the incentives clean: no ads, no data selling, the product only wins if it keeps working for you.
How this comparison was checked
Reviewed 14 July 2026. Broc is our app. ScreenZen's pauses, limits, schedules and current rating were checked against its official Google Play listing. Broc's behaviour was checked against the production Android app. “Stricter” is an editorial description of the documented unlock condition, not an independent effectiveness study.
Done pausing. Start earning.
Get Broc on Google Play