PAYWALL.

Paywall™ — screen time, priced

Willpower is free. That's why it doesn't work.

Paywall blocks the apps that eat your life — and charges you real money to open them. You pick the apps. You set the price. We keep the money.

You will hate it. It will work.

Join the waitlist — people in line to lose money

iOS first · US launch · no subscription required to suffer

Live demo
Blocked
Instagram
your weakness № 1

This door opens for $0.50.

Damage this month: $6.50 of your $20.00 cap.

Prices set by you. Past you.
Complaints go to them.

PAYWALL INC.
"we told you so"
RECEIPT #00489:41 AM
1× INSTAGRAM UNLOCK$0.50
DOPAMINE, ~10 MINFREE*
SELF-RESPECT−1
DAMAGE THIS MONTH$7.00
*while it lasts
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR WEAKNESS

Go on. Tap something. The demo money isn't real.
The shame is a preview.

How it works

01

Sign the contract

Pick your poison — Instagram, TikTok, whatever owns you. Set your price per unlock: $0.25 (slap on the wrist) to $5.00 (actual regret). Cap your monthly damage so you can't ruin yourself. We insist.

02

Hit the wall

Next time you reach for the app, you hit a paywall instead. Breathe. Reconsider. Walking away is free, feels great, and gets its own little celebration.

03

Pay or don't

Still want in? That'll be real dollars, gone forever. Every unlock prints a receipt of your weakness. Every resist builds savings and the smug superiority you've always wanted.

The boring part: it's science. Deposit contracts are the most effective behavior-change tool ever tested (NEJM). A forced pause alone cuts app opens by 57% (PNAS). Add real loss, and it finally sticks. We just made it annoying enough to work.

Where does the money go?

To us.

That's the point. If you got it back, it wouldn't hurt — and if it didn't hurt, you'd keep scrolling. Refunds don't build character.

Charity mode exists, for the morally superior. We respect it. Reluctantly.

Frequently filed complaints

Answered in writing, as required by no one.

01Is this a screen time app or an app blocker?

Both, with a cash register attached. Paywall blocks the apps you pick — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, whatever owns you — using Apple's own Screen Time controls. The difference from every other app blocker: opening a blocked app costs real money. You set the price. We keep it.

02Why does paying to unlock apps work when willpower doesn't?

Because loss aversion is the one lever a phone addiction actually respects. Deposit contracts — your own cash on the line — roughly double quit rates in clinical trials (NEJM). Even a forced pause alone cuts app opens by 57% (PNAS). Free screen-time reminders ask nicely; "Remind me in 15 minutes" is a snooze button. A $2 charge is not.

03How much does it cost?

You decide: $0.25 per unlock (a slap on the wrist) up to $5.00 (actual regret), with a monthly cap so one bad week can't ruin you. Resisting is free, forever. It's the only app on your phone that gets cheaper the less you use it.

04Do you seriously keep the money?

Yes. If unlocks were refundable they wouldn't hurt, and if they didn't hurt you'd keep doomscrolling. Refunds don't build character. Charity mode exists for the morally superior — we respect it, reluctantly.

05What stops me from just deleting the app?

Honestly? Nothing. It's your phone. But you installed a paid wall between yourself and Instagram on purpose, and deleting it means admitting that to yourself. Hard mode goes further: the pay button disappears and the door doesn't open at any price.

06When does it launch?

iPhone first, US first, TestFlight beta before that — waitlist order decides who gets in. Joining is free, which is the last free thing we'll ever give you. Android: when iOS pays for it.

Get in line

— people waiting to lose money on purpose

TestFlight seats go to the front of the line first. Joining costs $0.00 — the last free thing we'll ever give you.