A ScreenZen alternative
that works inside the feed.
ScreenZen makes you wait before an app opens. Eclipsis lets you in and makes the feed itself run out.
What ScreenZen does well
ScreenZen is completely free, funded by optional tips, which is rare in this category. Before a chosen app opens it shows a wait that can grow with each open, with a prompt like "Is this important?" It can also interrupt long scrolling, block apps outright and lock its own settings. It runs on iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android, with 4.9 stars from about 51,000 App Store ratings.
Why the wait is in a different place
A wait at the door asks whether you should open the app. Once the answer is yes, the feed inside is unchanged, and it is built to keep you. Eclipsis Pro moves the wait inside: each new post takes a little longer to arrive than the one before, so the feed slows down and stops on its own, while search, messages and the people you follow keep working.
The next post holds back for a moment.Waiting
Then it arrives. The next wait is a little longer.Arrived
On the free tier, Eclipsis also removes YouTube Shorts, recommendation shelves, autoplay and open-in-app nags.
Side by side
| Eclipsis | ScreenZen | |
|---|---|---|
| Works | Inside the feed: removes Shorts and shelves, paces new posts (Pro) | At the door: a wait before the app opens, plus scroll interruptions and blocks |
| Price | Free tier; Pro $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Free, with optional tips |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Safari, Chrome and Firefox extensions | iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android |
| For parents | Parent Mode: a passphrase, a pace dial for every feed, outright blocks (Pro) | Settings locks |
| App Store rating | New, no ratings yet | 4.9 from about 51,000 ratings |
ScreenZen details from its App Store listing and screenzen.co on 8 October 2026.
For a child's phone
Parent Mode is where Eclipsis differs most. A passphrase only you know guards every setting, the pace dial sets how firm the waits are across every feed at once, and any platform can be switched off entirely. Set Up Eclipsis for Your Child walks through it.
Parent Mode's pace dial: one setting for every feed.
When ScreenZen is the better pick
If you want something free on every device, Windows and Android included, and a pause before opening is the help you need, ScreenZen is hard to beat. The two also work together: ScreenZen at the door, Eclipsis inside the feed.
Try Eclipsis
Home lists your feeds. Tap one to open it inside Eclipsis.
Reddit loads as usual. Posts, comments and search all work.
Customize sets the mode: cleanup only, or the slowdown.
Questions
- Is ScreenZen really free?
- Yes. Its site and App Store listing say it is completely free, with optional tips.
- Can I use ScreenZen and Eclipsis together?
- Yes. ScreenZen adds a wait before an app opens; Eclipsis changes the feed in Safari and in its own browser.
- What does Eclipsis Pro add?
- The slowdown that makes feeds run out, the AI feed filter and Parent Mode, for $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year.