Pausa
Pausa is a free Android app that helps users follow daily time budgets for apps.
What Pausa is
Pausa is a free Android app that helps users follow daily time budgets for apps. Budgets can cover feeds, games, browsers, videos, and other apps. When five minutes remain, it sends a quiet notification. After a budget ends, Pausa shows a calm screen; continued use moves through additional pause stages and a cooldown. Strict Mode makes loosening a budget or easing the blocking wall wait 60 seconds, while tightening takes effect immediately. Users can schedule selected apps to go quiet overnight and set different weekend hours. Usage views include a daily score, weekly and monthly summaries, and a rolling seven-day trend. The maker says budgets, scores, and history stay in private on-device storage; Pausa has no server, account, sign-up, analytics, ads, or data collection. It works fully offline with local notifications. The whole app is free, with no subscription, trial, premium tier, or unlockable features. Pausa is on Google Play, while the iPhone version is listed as coming soon.
Good
- Budgets cover many app categories
- Quiet five-minute warnings
- Strict Mode adds a waiting period
- Overnight schedules with weekend hours
- Free, offline, and no account
Watch out
- Android only currently
- iPhone version is coming soon
- No locked sessions feature
Who it suits
It suits people who know roughly how much app time they want and need reminders and blocking stages to follow that choice. It is designed for Android users seeking offline, on-device time budgeting.
Verdict
Pausa combines app budgets, scheduled quiet hours, usage summaries, and graduated blocking. Its free, offline design avoids accounts and tracking, while availability is currently limited to Android.
Plans and prices
From Pausa's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Whole app included · no subscription · no ads · no account |
The facts
Each one read from Pausa's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- App coverage
- Budgets can be set for feeds, games, browsers, videos, and other apps.checked 9 Oct 2026
- On-device privacy
- The maker says budgets, scores, and history stay in the app’s private storage on the device and that Pausa has no server.checked 9 Oct 2026
What it does
- Availability
- Pausa is available on Google Play; the maker’s site lists the iPhone version as coming soon.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Blocking screen
- When a budget runs out, Pausa shows a calm screen, and continued use leads to additional pause stages and a cooldown.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Budget alerts
- Pausa quietly notifies users when five minutes remain in an app’s budget.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Evening window
- Users can schedule chosen apps to go quiet overnight, with different hours available for weekends.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker describes Pausa as for people who know roughly how much app time they want and want help sticking to that choice.checked 9 Oct 2026
- No account or tracking
- The maker says Pausa has no account, sign-up, analytics, ads, or data collection.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Offline use
- The Google Play listing says Pausa works fully offline and uses local notifications.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Pricing limits
- The maker says the whole app is free, with no trial, fees, subscription, premium tier, or features to unlock.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Pausa lets users set daily time budgets for apps and helps enforce them throughout the day.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Strict Mode
- Strict Mode makes loosening a budget or easing the blocking wall wait 60 seconds, while tightening takes effect immediately.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The Google Play listing provides support at [email protected].checked 9 Oct 2026
- Usage history
- Pausa provides a daily score, weekly and monthly views, and a rolling seven-day trend.checked 9 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Pausa
- 1
Freedom
Free planAndroidiOSWebExtension8.2From $40 a year - 2
Opal
Free planAndroidiOSExtensionmacOS8.0From $8.29 a month - 3
ScreenZen
Free planAndroidiOSmacOSWindows7.3$49 one-time - 4
Focus Bear
Free planAndroidiOSmacOSWindows7.2From $9.99 a month - 5
one sec
AndroidiOSExtensionLinux7.2From $19.99 a year - 6
FocusMe
AndroidiOSExtensionLinux7.1$249 one-time