Deralba

Coming soon to Android & iPhone

Your attention, on an allowance.

Deralba gives you a daily budget for the apps that pull you in. Scrolling spends it. Focus earns it back. And every day, you need a little less.

See how it works Read our story
A maze with a single thread traced from the entrance to the exit
Lift your finger, and you're back at the door.

How it works

Time becomes something you spend on purpose.

  1. 01

    A morning allowance.

    Choose the apps you want to guard and how much time you want to give them. One credit is one second inside a guarded app. Your day starts at your morning, not at midnight.

  2. 02

    Scrolling spends it.

    Time inside a guarded app comes off your balance when you leave. Time spent at the gate never counts.

  3. 03

    Focus earns it back.

    Start a focus session and your guarded apps stay closed until it ends. Every ten minutes of focus earns one minute back.

  4. 04

    So does finishing what you planned.

    Write tomorrow's list tonight and give each task a weight. Finishing one earns you five to forty minutes, depending on how heavy it was.

The gate

A door, not a wall.

Open an app you've chosen to guard, and a gate appears first. All it asks for is a little of your time.

  1. First, you wait.

    A light rises from the bottom of the screen. There's no countdown to watch. When it reaches the top, the path opens.

  2. Then, you walk the maze.

    Trace your way out with a single fingertip. Lift it, or touch a wall, and you're back at the door. The less you have left, the longer the path.

  3. Choose what you need.

    Take five, ten or twenty minutes. Or turn back, which is often what you wanted all along.

One gate per session.

Hop to another guarded app and your session comes with you. You won't be asked how long all over again.

When the allowance is spent.

The gate stays shut until your morning. A focus session or a finished task can open it again.

Built to be outgrown

Every day, one percent less.

Your allowance shrinks by 1% each morning. It's small enough that you won't feel it, and it adds up. Start with an hour a day, and three months later it's about twenty-four minutes. A year later, a minute and a half.

The best screen time app is one you stop needing.

A daily allowance of 60 minutes shrinking by 1% a day: about 24 minutes by day 90 and about a minute and a half by day 365 60 min24 min1.5 min Day 1Day 90Day 365

Quiet by design

What happens on your phone stays there.

  • Stays on your phone.

    Your allowance, your tasks and your history live on your phone and nowhere else.

  • Can't read your screen.

    Deralba only notices which app is open, so it knows when to show the gate.

  • Plain numbers.

    You see your own numbers as they are, without streaks, badges or guilt trips.

  • Ad-free.

    There are no ad networks or trackers, in the app or on this site.

Our story

It started with a simple goal: help people spend less time on their phones.

So we did what everyone does. We built walls. And we learned what everyone learns: a locked door only makes you want what's behind it more. Being told no never feels like a choice.

So we asked a different question. What if your attention worked like money?

Every morning, you get an allowance. It shrinks by 1% each day, because growing up is partly learning to need a little less. Focus earns you more. Finishing what you planned earns you more. Scrolling spends it. Nothing carries over, and nothing refills at midnight, because nothing good was ever found at 1 AM.

Then we built the part we're proudest of.

When you open an app you've chosen to guard, a gate appears. First, you wait. Then you walk a maze with your fingertip. Lift it, or touch a wall, and you're back at the door. The less you have left, the longer the path. Reach the end, and you choose how much time you really need. Or turn back, which is often what you wanted all along.

The first labyrinth in the old myths wasn't built to trap people. It was built to keep a monster in. Ours exists for the same reason.

We don't want you to quit your phone. We want every minute on it to be one you meant.

Hold the thread.

Pricing

Try everything free for 14 days.

Both plans include all of Deralba. Choose how you'd like to pay once your trial ends.

Yearly

Save 34%

$79 / year

Works out to $6.58 a month, billed once a year.

14 days free, then $79 a year.

Available at launch

Monthly

$9.99 / month

Billed every month. Cancel anytime.

14 days free, then $9.99 a month.

Available at launch

Both plans include

  • The gate, with a new maze every time
  • A daily allowance that shrinks 1% a day
  • Focus sessions that earn time back
  • Tomorrow's list, with tasks weighted by effort
  • Your trends over the last 7 and 30 days
  • Everything stored on your own device

Prices are in US dollars. Local prices and taxes may vary by country. Payments and cancellations are handled by Google Play or the App Store. Cancel before your 14-day trial ends and you won't be charged.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

When can I get Deralba?

Soon. Deralba is coming to Android and iPhone, and this page is where launch news will appear first.

Does Deralba block my apps?

Not while you have allowance left. It puts a gate in front of the apps you choose, and the gate always lets you through once you've waited and walked the maze. When your allowance is spent, those apps stay closed until your morning, unless you earn more with a focus session or a finished task.

Which apps can I guard?

Any app you can open from your home screen. Most people start with the ones they open without thinking: social feeds, short videos, the endless scroll.

What happens if I touch a wall in the maze?

The gate closes and you're back where you started. Nothing is deducted and there's no penalty. Open the app again and you'll get a brand new maze.

Why does my allowance get smaller every day?

Because the goal is to need Deralba less over time. A 1% daily shrink is gentle enough to barely notice. If you'd rather hold steady for a while, you can pause it in Settings, though we don't recommend it.

Why does Deralba need Accessibility access?

To notice when you open an app you've chosen to guard, and to show the gate in front of it. Deralba only sees the name of the app that's open. It can't read your screen, and nothing it notices ever leaves your phone.

How much does it cost?

Deralba starts with a free 14-day trial. After that it's $9.99 a month, or $79 a year if you pay yearly. Both plans include everything.

Can I cancel during the trial?

Yes. Cancel in Google Play or the App Store before your 14 days are up, and you won't be charged.

Make every minute one you meant.

  • Android Coming soon
  • iPhone Coming soon

Questions? Write to support@deralba.com