What is Spool used for?

Spool is an iPhone app that blocks distracting apps and makes you state your reason to an AI before they open, with insights into your scrolling habits. It is a good fit for cutting down doomscrolling on social apps, protecting deep-work sessions from distractions, and understanding when and why you reach for your phone.

How much does Spool cost?

Spool is a paid product with no free plan. Free to download; Full Access is $4.99 per week or $44.99 per year, auto-renewing.

Is Spool open source?

No. Spool is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Karakeep and SparkyFitness.

What are some alternatives to Spool?

Spool competes with Freedom and Forest.

Spool: features, pricing and alternatives

About Spool

Spool is a screen time app that treats compulsive scrolling as a habit loop rather than a willpower problem. Before a blocked app opens, the user has to explain to an AI why they want to use it, and repeating the same excuse too often causes Spool to lock them out automatically. The approach draws on cognitive behavioral techniques and research on attention and habit formation.

Additional tools include instant app and website blocking, scheduled blocking windows for weak hours, custom focus sessions for deep work, daily AI insights about hidden triggers, tracking of addiction patterns over time and a record of past excuses to spot loops. It targets people who spend hours on short-video and social feeds such as TikTok, Instagram and X and have found Screen Time or plain app blockers insufficient. The app is free to download with in-app purchases, including weekly and yearly auto-renewing Full Access plans.

Key features

AI asks why you want to open a blocked app
Automatic lockout for repeated excuses
App and website blocking with schedules
Custom focus sessions for deep work
Daily AI insights on triggers and patterns
History of excuses to spot habit loops

Good fit for

Cutting down doomscrolling on social apps
Protecting deep-work sessions from distractions
Understanding when and why you reach for your phone

Tags: screen-time; app-blocker; focus; habit-tracking; ios; digital-wellbeing; ai; mobile-app

Spool: questions and answers

What is Spool used for?: Spool is an iPhone app that blocks distracting apps and makes you state your reason to an AI before they open, with insights into your scrolling habits. It is a good fit for cutting down doomscrolling on social apps, protecting deep-work sessions from distractions, and understanding when and why you reach for your phone.
How much does Spool cost?: Spool is a paid product with no free plan. Free to download; Full Access is $4.99 per week or $44.99 per year, auto-renewing.
Is Spool open source?: No. Spool is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Karakeep and SparkyFitness.
What are some alternatives to Spool?: Spool competes with Freedom and Forest.