Both make screen access depend on doing something first. Unrot hands the whole system to the person holding the phone. taskr puts a parent's chore, a deadline and a photo in the middle of it. The right one depends on who is asking for the change.
The short version
Unrot is the best-known app in the earn-your-screen-time category, rated 4.7 stars from roughly 57,000 App Store ratings as of September 2026. You pick the apps you want locked, then earn coins by completing habits — a walk, reading, homework, meditating, a chore — and spend the coins on time in TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or games. It is designed for the person doing the scrolling, and it is very good at that. taskr is built for a different situation: a parent needs a chore done by a certain time, and the child has not volunteered for the project.
Pick Unrot if your teen (or you) wants to cut their own scrolling and will keep the system honest without anyone checking.
Pick taskr if the problem is specific chores not getting done by a specific time, and you need the consequence to happen whether or not anyone feels like it.
Side by side
Unrot details are from its App Store listing and its own site, checked in September 2026. Where we could not confirm something, the row says so rather than guessing.
Feature
taskr
Unrot
Who sets the tasks
taskr
The parent, with a due time on each chore
Unrot
The person using the app, from 25+ presets or their own
What unlocks the apps
taskr
A parent approving a photo of the finished chore
Unrot
Spending coins the user earned by completing a habit
Proof a task was really done
taskr
Photo proof, reviewed and approved or rejected by the parent
Unrot
Timer and photo habits, but the user is the one who confirms them
Deadlines
taskr
Every chore has a due time; missing it is what triggers the lock
Unrot
No deadlines — habits are done whenever the user wants screen time
Parent dashboard
taskr
Yes — live status per child, approvals, and history
Unrot
None that we could find described on its listing or site as of September 2026
Scale and reviews
taskr
New and small: launched December 2025
Unrot
Popular: 4.7 stars from roughly 57,000 App Store ratings
Requirements
taskr
iOS 16 or later, on the parent's and the child's device
Unrot
iOS 18 or later
Price
taskr
Free to try; Pro $9.99/mo or $49.99/yr
Unrot
Free to download, with Full Access purchases listed from $9.99 to $69.99
Where Unrot is simply better
It is a more polished, more popular product than taskr, and its ratings say so. It also does something taskr deliberately does not: it makes the whole thing feel like the user's own idea. The habit library, the timed challenges, the companion character that grows as you go — those exist to make self-control feel like a game you chose, and for a teenager who has decided they want to be on their phone less, that framing matters more than any enforcement feature.
It is also broader. Unrot works for adults, for a teen with no parent involved, and for habits that have nothing to do with the household — a walk, a study session, meditation. taskr only understands chores a parent assigned, and only inside a family on iOS.
Self-managed vs. parent-managed
This is the whole decision, and it is not really about features. Unrot's tasks are chosen by the user and confirmed by the user. That is a strength when the user wants the outcome: nobody cheats a system they built for themselves. It is the weak point when the system is being applied to a child who did not ask for it, because the coins are one tap away from being awarded for nothing.
taskr assumes the opposite starting point. The chore and the due time come from the parent, the child submits a photo of the finished job, and the parent approves or rejects it before the apps unlock through Apple Family Controls. The child's apps come back when the chores are done, and they can see exactly which chore is outstanding and when it was due — so the argument moves from “did you do it” to a photo. See how taskr works for the mechanics, or our chore app for kids page for what a parent-run setup looks like day to day.
Coins vs. deadlines
The other real difference is what the currency is. Unrot runs a bank: do a habit, earn coins, spend them on minutes. That is excellent for capping total screen time, and it is indifferent to when anything happens. A kid with a healthy coin balance has no reason to empty the dishwasher today.
taskr has no bank and no balance. There is a chore, there is 6 pm, and at 6 pm the chosen apps either stay open or do not. Nothing accumulates and nothing can be spent ahead. That is the right shape when the complaint is “it never gets done on time” and the wrong shape when the complaint is “they are on it four hours a day.” For the latter, pair it with Apple's own App Limits. We lay out both models on the earn screen time apps page.
taskr vs. Unrot FAQ
Is Unrot a parental control app?
Not really, and it does not describe itself as one. Unrot is built for the person doing the scrolling: they pick the apps to lock, earn coins by completing habits like a walk, a study session or a chore, and spend the coins on screen time. Its "for parents" page says parents can choose which apps get locked, but as of September 2026 we could not find a parent dashboard, a parent-assigned task list, or a parent approval step described anywhere on its listing or its site.
What is the difference between taskr and Unrot?
Who holds the rules. In Unrot, the user sets their own tasks and verifies their own habits, so it works exactly as well as their motivation does. In taskr, the parent sets the chore and the due time, the child submits a photo, and the parent approves it before the apps come back. Unrot is a self-discipline tool; taskr is a household rule that runs itself.
Which is better for a teenager?
It depends on whether the teen is asking for help or you are. A teen who has said they are on their phone too much and wants to fix it will do better with Unrot, because nothing about it feels imposed. A teen who is not asking, and whose chores never get done, needs a consequence that does not depend on them choosing to open an app.
Can a kid just give themselves coins in Unrot?
The habits are self-verified, so honesty is part of the design. That is fine for someone motivated to change their own behaviour and it is the weak point if it is being used as a rule imposed on a child. taskr avoids the question by putting a photo in front of a parent before anything unlocks — the child cannot approve their own chore.
Do either of them work on Android?
Neither. Both are iOS only. taskr is built on Apple Family Controls, which does not exist on Android, and Unrot lists iOS 18 or later as its requirement with no Android version we could find. For a mixed-device household you will need something cross-platform for the Android phones.
Can we use both?
Yes, though there is not much reason to unless two different people want two different things — a teen self-managing with Unrot while a younger sibling is on a parent-run chore system. Running both on one device means two apps competing to lock the same apps, which usually just creates confusion.