Why MindfulPause is completely free
An honest word from the developer.
It all started with a post by funk, the public youth network of German broadcasters ARD and ZDF. Early 2026, the topic was New Year's resolutions. According to a survey, half of all people aged 14 to 29 in Germany wanted to spend less time on their phone that year. So funk showed a few apps that are supposed to help. Good idea, I thought. And then there was one sentence that stuck with me.
“some are free, some you have to pay for, and others you subscribe to.”
Seriously? An app that is supposed to help you spend less time on your phone, and the first thing it wants is your money or a subscription? That annoyed me enough to decide: fine, then I will build it myself. For free.
What MindfulPause does
Before you open an app like Instagram, a short breathing pause appears. You hold on for a moment and either tap “not now” or go in anyway. No hard blocking, no lecture. Just that one deliberate moment.
What you will not find here
- ✕No subscription. Ever.
- ✕No paywall. There is no “premium”. You always have the whole app.
- ✕No ads. I earn nothing from you being on your phone. That would be absurd.
- ✕No tracking, no account, no servers. Everything stays on your iPhone. I cannot see your data, because I never collect it in the first place.
So what keeps it alive?
An optional donation. Around $2.99, if you feel like it. It unlocks nothing. With or without it you get exactly the same app. The money only helps me pay Apple's developer fee so MindfulPause can stay in the store. That's it.
Why I am writing this
I am one person, not a startup with investors. I built this thing because the pricing of everything else annoyed me. If an app helps you with too much phone, it should not cost you anything first.
So: try MindfulPause and tell me honestly what is missing. That is what makes it better.
Steffen 🌬️