Squirrel
Blocks the apps you choose and asks you to set a few dollars aside every time you open one anyway.
Turns every impulse to scroll into money saved, so cutting screen time quietly builds a buffer in the background.
Squirrel takes a different angle on screen time. You pick the apps you open too often, and Squirrel blocks them. When you decide to open one anyway, it asks you to set a small amount of money aside first, and keeps a running tally of what you've put away.
That small cost is the clever part. A plain block is easy to switch off when you're bored. A block that asks you to pay yourself a few dollars makes you stop and ask whether this scroll is worth it. Either way you win, you either skip the app or you save a little.
It never touches your bank. Squirrel doesn't move money or connect to your accounts, it just keeps a log on your phone of the amounts you've committed to set aside, and you move the money yourself. According to its privacy page, your data stays on your device.
It's a small, new app from a solo developer and it needs iOS 26 or later, so it's iPhone only for now. Blocking is free, with optional paid extras for tracking your savings over time.
Best for
- People who scroll out of boredom
- Savers who like seeing a running total
- iPhone users on iOS 26
Skip it if
- You're on Android or an older iOS version
- You want the app to move money for you
How to set up Squirrel
- Install Squirrel on your iPhone and allow Screen Time access.
- Pick the two or three apps you open most without thinking.
- Set the amount you will put aside each time you unlock one.
- Once a week, move the total into a savings account.
Squirrel pricing
- Free
- FreeApp blocking
- Portfolio yearly
- $8.99 / yearPrice shown on the Australian App Store
- Portfolio lifetime
- $19.99 one-offPrice shown on the Australian App Store
Prices in Australian dollars unless noted, checked November 2026. Prices change, so check Squirrel's own site before you pay.
Squirrel is one of several picks in Best Focus and Screen-Time Apps for Australians in 2026, if you want the full comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Squirrel actually take money from my bank account?
No. Squirrel never connects to your bank or moves money. It keeps a record of the amount you agreed to set aside each time you opened a blocked app, and moving that money into savings is up to you.
Is Squirrel free?
Blocking apps is free. Optional paid extras for tracking your savings over time are sold in the App Store, as a yearly or one-off purchase.
What phones does Squirrel work on?
iPhone only, and it needs iOS 26 or later. There's no Android version.
How is Squirrel different from one sec?
one sec adds a breathing pause before a distracting app opens. Squirrel blocks the app and puts a small savings 'cost' on getting past the block. If a pause isn't enough to stop you, the money angle might be.
Alternatives in the stack
Latch
NewLocks distracting apps until you physically walk to an NFC sticker or printed QR code and scan it.
Puts the unlock across the room, so getting distracted takes effort and staying focused takes none.
Haserupt
NewAsks why you are opening an app, gives you a set time to do that one thing, then locks the app for a cool-off.
Makes every app open a deliberate choice with an end time, so a quick check stays quick.
One Sec
Adds a brief mindful pause before you open a distracting app, backed by a peer-reviewed study showing it cuts how often you open the paused app.
A tiny bit of friction at the moment of temptation, the same principle as automating price-checks so you're not the one doing the tempting re-check.
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