Quick answer
Respite Plus is the optional upgrade for Respite. It adds sync across all your devices, unlimited schedules, focus sessions longer than 25 minutes, richer insights, and on iPhone a Live Activity and Control Center control. At the time of writing it costs $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year with a one-week free trial, or $59.99 once for lifetime. Respite itself stays free.
- Free keeps the pause, website and app limits, usage tracking, 1 schedule, 25-minute focus and the game.
- Plus adds multi-device sync, unlimited schedules, longer focus sessions and richer insights.
- On iPhone, Plus also adds a Live Activity and a Control Center control for focus sessions.
- At the time of writing: $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year (one-week free trial) or $59.99 lifetime.
- You buy Plus in the iPhone or Android app; no account is needed to buy.
Respite is free: the pause, your limits, your usage and the whole game layer cost nothing and always will. But some features cost us something to run, or are for people who want Respite to work harder across their day, and those are in Respite Plus. This is the full list of what you get, what stays free, and what it costs.
What is in Respite Plus?
- Sync across all your devices. One set of limits, one streak and one history across your phone, tablet and browser, with one sign-in. A free account syncs one device; Plus lifts that limit.
- Unlimited schedules. Block apps on a timetable, such as bedtime, work hours or mornings. Free has one. See how to schedule app blocking.
- Focus sessions longer than 25 minutes. Free sessions stop at 25 minutes. Plus goes up to 90 minutes.
- Richer insights. Free shows today with your apps and limits. Plus adds the weekly and monthly views, trends, and per-app and per-site detail.
- On iPhone: a Live Activity and a Control Center control for focus sessions, so you can see the time left on your Lock Screen and start or end a session without opening Respite. See the best way to run a focus session on iPhone.
- On Android: a focus countdown and a Quick Settings tile to start and end a session without opening the app.
- Bring your own AI. Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor to your Respite account over MCP and ask about your real usage, limits and progress. Reading by default, with an opt-in to let it make limits stricter; Respite runs no AI of its own. See AI and screen time.
What stays free?
Respite is useful before you pay a cent. Free keeps:
- The pause before the apps and sites you pick
- Website and category limits, daily limits and usage tracking for today
- One schedule
- Focus sessions up to 25 minutes
- The game layer: acorns, quests, streak freezes, the shop, friends and leagues. See introducing acorns, quests and leagues.
- No ads, and an account is optional (sign in only for sync or the game)
Free vs Plus at a glance
| Free | Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| The pause before apps | Yes | Yes |
| App, website and category limits | Yes | Yes |
| Game layer (acorns, quests, leagues) | Yes | Yes |
| Schedules | 1 | Unlimited |
| Focus session length | Up to 25 minutes | Longer than 25 minutes |
| Insights | Today | Week, month, trends, per-app detail |
| Sync across devices | One device | All your devices |
| iPhone Live Activity and Control Center control | No | Yes |
| Android focus countdown and Quick Settings tile | No | Yes |
| Connect your own AI (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor); it can make limits stricter if you opt in | No | Yes |
How much does Respite Plus cost?
At the time of writing:
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $4.99 a month |
| Yearly | $29.99 a year, with a one-week free trial |
| Lifetime | $59.99 once |
Prices come from the App Store and Google Play and can differ by country and change over time, so go by the price you see in the app. The yearly plan works out at under $2.50 a month, and lifetime costs about the same as two years of the yearly plan. For context on how that compares to other apps, our Opal comparison and Freedom comparison have the numbers.
Where do I buy it, and do I need an account?
You buy Plus inside the iPhone or Android app, from You, then Respite Plus (or from any locked feature). You do not need to sign in to buy, and the local features, such as schedules and longer focus sessions, unlock straight away. To use Plus on your other devices, sign in with Google or Apple; your purchase then follows you. Respite does not sell anything in the browser. The extension uses your account’s Plus once you are signed in, and that sign-in is coming in an upcoming extension update.
Who is Plus for?
- People with more than one device. Phone plus laptop is where sync earns its keep.
- People who need structure, such as a work-hours schedule and a bedtime one. Free gives you one, which is plenty for many.
- People who do focus blocks of an hour or more.
- People who like to look at trends, week over week.
If you mostly want to scroll less on one phone, free Respite is enough. We would rather you try it for a week before deciding. The best screen time apps of 2026 and the guide to how to reduce screen time are worth a read first.
Next step
Download Respite, use it free, and look at You, then Respite Plus, when a feature you want is locked. The trial is a week.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Respite Plus?
Respite Plus is the optional paid upgrade for Respite. It adds sync across all your devices, unlimited schedules, focus sessions longer than 25 minutes and richer insights, plus a Live Activity and Control Center control on iPhone. Everything else in Respite, including the pause, limits and the game, is free.
How much does Respite Plus cost?
At the time of writing, Respite Plus is $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year with a one-week free trial, or $59.99 once for lifetime. Prices are set by the app stores and can vary by country, so the price shown in the app when you buy is the one that counts.
Is Respite free without Plus?
Yes. Free Respite includes the pause before apps, website and category limits, usage tracking, one schedule, focus sessions up to 25 minutes and the whole game layer (acorns, quests, freezes, shop, friends and leagues), with no ads. Plus only adds the extras listed here.
Do I need an account to buy Respite Plus?
No. You can buy Plus in the iPhone or Android app without signing in, and the local features unlock straight away. To sync Plus across your other devices, sign in with Google or Apple; your purchase then follows you. Sign-in is also needed for the game, which is free.
Can I use Respite Plus on the browser extension?
The extension does not sell anything. It uses your account's Plus once you are signed in. Sign-in for the store versions of the extension is coming in an upcoming update, so for now you buy Plus on iPhone or Android and the browser follows when that update is out.
What happens to my schedules if Plus ends?
Nothing is deleted. Your first schedule keeps running and the rest are paused, and they come back the moment Plus does. Sync stops on all but one device. Focus sessions return to the 25-minute limit and insights return to the basic view.
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