Best Earn Screen Time Apps for Kids, Compared (2026)

The best earn screen time app for most families is Piggy, if your kid's iPhone runs iOS 18.5 or later. Earn Screen Time is the pick if you can't use Family Sharing, Screeni if you want schedules and a free tier, and ScreenCoach if you need Android or an allowance.

An earn screen time app turns chores into minutes. Your kid does a job, you approve it, and they get time on the apps you choose. When the time's gone, the apps lock. We make taskr, which isn't one of these apps, so it isn't ranked here. Everything below comes from each app's own App Store listing, read on November 1, 2026. We haven't tested these apps over months with a family, so treat the picks as a comparison of what each one offers.

The six, at a glance

1. Piggy: best screen-time bank

Kids complete a chore, send a photo, and you approve or deny it. Approved chores add credits to a bank, and each credit unlocks one minute on the apps you choose. Nothing is automatic, and photos are deleted as soon as you've reviewed them. It has 4.57 stars from 47 ratings, the most of the newer apps. The catch is that it needs iOS 18.5, and at $14.99 a month it's the most expensive monthly plan here, so go yearly. Full comparison: taskr vs. Piggy.

2. Earn Screen Time: best without Family Sharing

The app calls itself Earn Time. You set a minute value per task, your kid sends optional photo proof, and you approve. Its best feature is setup: no Family Sharing, no child account, and it works with any Apple ID, syncing through iCloud. It adds Study Mode, website blocking, family chat and an Apple Watch app, and there's a $69.99 lifetime option. The trial is only 3 days. Full comparison: taskr vs. Earn Screen Time.

3. Screeni: best with schedules

Screeni sets separate rules for school days, weekends, holidays and vacations, and detects national holidays in the US, Mexico and Brazil. Chores add minutes, streaks add bonuses, and you can schedule rest breaks through the day. Its free tier covers 1 child, 3 tasks and 2 breaks, which makes it the easiest to try. Full comparison: taskr vs. Screeni.

4. ScreenTreat: best for a daily routine

Must-do tasks like chores, hygiene and homework unlock the day's screen time, and bonus tasks add more. Stars can go toward real-world rewards, and parents set limits, bedtime and schedules. The family plan covers up to 5 devices. Its listing doesn't mention photo proof. Full comparison: taskr vs. ScreenTreat.

5. ScreenCoach: best for allowance and Android

ScreenCoach goes furthest, with screen time tokens, gems, savings goals and a full allowance manager, plus School, Fun and Sleep modes. It works across multiple platforms and is on Google Play. All of that means there's more to set up. Full comparison: taskr vs. ScreenCoach.

6. ScreenChore: simplest allowance

Each child gets a screen time allowance, selected apps block when it runs out, and chores earn extra time. You assign chores by day of the week. It's the most straightforward setup here, with fewer features than the others. Full comparison: taskr vs. ScreenChore.

When an earn app is the wrong tool

Earn apps are at their best when your goal is less screen time overall. They have one weak spot: a kid with minutes in the bank, or one who just doesn't want more time, can skip the chore. If the real problem is that the dishwasher still isn't done at 8pm, a reward won't fix it.

That's the problem taskr is built for. There are no minutes to set. Each chore has a due time, and if it passes, the apps you picked lock until you approve a photo of the finished job. If you're weighing the two approaches, read lock until done vs. earn screen time, or see the full list of apps that lock a phone until chores are done.

FAQ