People who search for a ClearSpace alternative often like its idea, a moment to decide before the feed, but find that a breath is easy to get through on autopilot. The honest short answer: ClearSpace is a well-made mindful pause with social support. ReadFirst asks for more than a pause: a page of a real book, and every time you pass the lock you have read something. We make ReadFirst, so we are not neutral. We checked every fact about ClearSpace on its App Store page and website on 20 October 2026.
What is ClearSpace?
ClearSpace ("ClearSpace: Reduce Screen Time", by Clearspace Technologies, Inc.) is an iPhone app that adds a moment of choice before the apps you select. In its own words: "When you click on a selected app, decide - proceed after a deep breath or opt out?" It also offers session limits, focus schedules, Screen Time Challenges to "train your attention" and accountability partners who help you stick to your goals.
ClearSpace has also offered a way to earn screen time with exercise. Its launch post on Y Combinator describes a mode where "every pushup you do earns a minute of scrolling, which you can use now or save for later," and a review on the App Store mentions the push-up feature. The current App Store description does not name it, so check the app for what is offered today.
ClearSpace is free to download with in-app purchases. As listed on the US App Store on 20 October 2026, Premium costs $6.99 a month or from $44.99 a year, and a Family plan is $79.99. It runs on iPhone with iOS 16 or later and on Apple Vision. Its website also offers an Android download and a Chrome extension.
ClearSpace vs ReadFirst at a glance
| ClearSpace | ReadFirst | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A mindful pause and app limits, with challenges | An app blocker plus a reading tracker |
| How you get back into your apps | A deep breath and a choice; limits and schedules | Read a page of a printed book and take a live photo of it |
| Reading built in | No | Yes: pages, books, streak, goal, medals |
| Printed books | No | The key to your apps |
| Streaks and goals | Challenges and accountability partners | Daily page goal, reading streak, 60 medals |
| Price (US App Store, 20 Oct 2026) | Free with in-app purchases; Premium $6.99 a month or from $44.99 a year | $39.99 a year (3 days free for new subscribers), $7.99 a month or $99.99 one-time purchase |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 16+), Apple Vision; Android and Chrome per its website | iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 18+) |
| Best for | A gentle pause plus friends who keep you honest | Turning phone time into reading time |
Where ClearSpace is a great choice
ClearSpace is a good pick if you want a soft nudge rather than a wall. A breath before Instagram is often enough to notice what you are doing, and for many people noticing is half the work. It doesn't ask you to carry a book around.
The social side is a real strength. Accountability partners and challenges help people who stay on track better when someone else is watching. ClearSpace is also free to start, and its website offers Android and Chrome versions, which ReadFirst does not have.
Where ReadFirst is different
ReadFirst keeps the pause, then makes it worth something. The time you would spend breathing or deciding becomes time with a book.
- A page instead of a breath. Open a locked app and you see "This page can wait." To open your apps, read a page of a printed book and take a live photo of the last page you read. Learn how read to unlock works.
- A check you can't breeze through. The page is checked on your iPhone or iPad. Photos of screens are rejected, a page you have already shown does not count twice and the photo is never saved. See the page photo check.
- Pages become minutes, on your terms. You set the rule, for example one page gives you 15 minutes in your apps. Minutes only run while you use the locked apps. See your reading rule.
- Extra reading is saved for later. Read more than the rule asks and the extra minutes go into a bank for later that day, up to 5 hours. The read-ahead bank empties at midnight, so it never turns into a weekend of scrolling.
- Your reading is tracked. A shelf for your books, a daily page goal, a streak with one grace day a month, widgets and 60 reading medals. The outcome is not only less scrolling, but finished books.
Can you use both?
You can, but most people pick one lock for the same apps, since two layers before Instagram quickly feel like too much. A simple split: let ReadFirst guard the apps that eat your evenings, and use ClearSpace's challenges or accountability partners if you like the social push. If push-ups are what you enjoy, our list of apps that make you earn screen time compares the options side by side.
Which one should you choose?
Choose ClearSpace if:
- a deep breath and a moment of choice are enough to stop you
- you like challenges and accountability partners
- you want an Android or Chrome version too
Choose ReadFirst if:
- the pause has become a reflex you tap through
- you want every return to your apps to start with a page of a real book
- you want to finish more books, with a shelf, a goal, a streak and medals
Frequently asked questions
Is ReadFirst free like ClearSpace?
No. ReadFirst has no free tier. It costs $39.99 a year with 3 days free for new subscribers, $7.99 a month or $99.99 as a one-time purchase on the US App Store.
Does ReadFirst use push-ups like ClearSpace?
No. In ReadFirst, the way back into your apps is reading a page of a printed book and taking a live photo of it. Each page gives the minutes your rule sets.
Does ReadFirst work with Kindle or e-books?
No. ReadFirst works with printed books only. Photos of phone and e-reader screens are recognized and do not count.
Does ReadFirst lock my whole phone?
No. Only the apps and websites you choose are locked through Apple Screen Time. Every other app keeps working as usual.