Screen Limiter / Compare / vs Precursor

Screen Limiter vs Precursor

Last updated November 2026

This is the closest comparison on this site, so it gets the least flattering framing: Precursor shipped the hourly allowance first, it has more of them working for it, and it can protect itself from being uninstalled. Screen Limiter differs in four specific ways, and you should know what they are before choosing.

What is genuinely the same

Both apps ration time in small windows instead of daily totals. Both block through Apple's Screen Time frameworks, so the block is a real system shield rather than an overlay. Both use the same three-level strictness ladder — Easy lets you wave the block away, Normal allows five stops a day, Hard allows one — and both offer a passcode, Parent Mode, day-of-week scheduling and no account.

If that list is all you wanted, the honest advice is to compare the two on polish and maturity and probably choose the one that has been around longer.

Where they actually differ

Precursor's details from its App Store listing and site, November 2026. If any of this has changed, its own page is the authority.

Where Precursor is the better choice

• You want the block to survive a weak moment. Precursor can hide Delete App while Parent Mode is on. Screen Limiter cannot — deleting Screen Limiter removes every limit, and that is a real limitation, not a design preference.
• You want the settled product. Precursor has been shipping longer, has the larger review base and a public roadmap that includes Android. Screen Limiter is in preview.
• You want to pay for it. Precursor+ funds the work. Screen Limiter is free because payments are switched off, which is a nice price and an uncertain future.
• You only ever wanted the hourly shape. Precursor is built around exactly that, and does nothing else.

Where Screen Limiter is the better choice

• You want a two-hour window. No app in this category offers one. If a five-minute allowance every 120 minutes is closer to how you want the day to run, Precursor cannot express it.
• You want the 30-minute window without paying for it. On Precursor that is a Plus feature; on Screen Limiter it is one of three choices per group.
• You want no analytics of any kind. Precursor ships optional, off-by-default analytics plus a purchase-validation service. Respectable, and still a network path. Screen Limiter has no networking code at all.
• You want it to look like yours. Six accent themes, light and dark, and English, Spanish, French or German — including the block screen.

If you are deciding right now

• Hourly is exactly right, and you want uninstall protection → Precursor.
• You want 30-minute or two-hour windows, or no analytics, or a language other than English → Screen Limiter.
• You are not sure the window shape matters → try one app for a week, then the other. Both are free to try.

FAQ

Is Screen Limiter a copy of Precursor?

The mechanic is the same, and Precursor came first — that is stated plainly above rather than buried. The apps differ in window options, analytics, appearance, languages and price.

Which is cheaper?

Screen Limiter, today: it is free because payments are switched off. Precursor's core features are also free, with Precursor+ for 30-minute windows, more groups, 30-minute allowances, active hours and Deep Focus.

Can I use both?

You can, but there is little point: both drive the same system shields, and two overlapping groups on the same apps will block at whichever limit is reached first.

Does Screen Limiter support Android?

No. Screen Limiter is iPhone and iPad, iOS 17 or later. Precursor is iOS with an Android version announced as in progress.