Report updated Jun 1, 2026
Derot: Habits Over Scroll
For individuals seeking to reduce screen time and replace passive social media consumption with structured habit formation.
Derot: Habits Over Scroll is an established productivity app that is completely free.
What is Derot: Habits Over Scroll?
Derot is a productivity app for iOS that blocks distracting social media apps and requires physical habit completion to unlock screen time.
Users hire Derot to enforce digital discipline and replace passive scrolling with active, evidence-based habit formation.
Current Momentum
v1.2 · today
Intense- Shipped AI-powered pushup detection.
- Integrated social sharing for Happy Moments.
- Added Sleep Mode blocking.
Active Nemesis
Forest: Focus for Productivity
By SEEKRTECH CO.
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
ProductivityNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Gathering signals...
What makes this app unique?
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What Are The Key Features?
Restricts access to distracting apps like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
Uses AI to count physical exercise repetitions to earn screen time.
Requires photographic evidence to log completed habits.
How much does it cost?
- Free version only
No subscription or IAP gates identified in store metadata.
Who Built It?
TPC INVEST PTE
Empowering creators with trend-driven generative AI tools and helping users reclaim focus through habit-based productivity apps.
Portfolio
5
Apps
What other apps does TPC INVEST PTE make?
Explore the full TPC INVEST PTE report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by TPC INVEST PTE.
What do users think recently?
Analysis in progress, available soon
What is the competitive landscape for Derot: Habits Over Scroll?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Productivity Market?
How does it evolve in the Productivity market?
Derot holds positions across multiple international markets, including a #44 Free rank in Iceland and #70 Free in Luxembourg. The lack of grossing rank visibility in most markets signals a focus on user acquisition over monetization.
Rank progression
36 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
Forest is the dominant market leader in the 'gamified focus' niche, utilizing a proven tree-planting mechanic that directly competes with Derot's habit-building screen-time model.
Differentiators
- Uses a visual tree-growth metaphor to gamify focus sessions, creating a strong emotional attachment to progress.
- Maintains a high-frequency release cadence with 21 updates in six months, ensuring constant feature refinement.
- Offers deep cross-platform integration and browser extensions that extend the focus environment beyond the mobile device.
Head to head
Forest dominates through brand equity and a simple, addictive loop; Derot must emphasize its unique 'earn-to-scroll' mechanic to differentiate from passive timers.
Contenders(2)
A long-standing player in the habit-tracking space that serves as a primary alternative for users seeking structured routine management.
Differentiators
- Provides a comprehensive suite of scheduling and routine-building tools that cater to power users.
- Offers a more traditional, structured approach to habit formation compared to Derot's reactive blocking model.
A high-velocity competitor with 25 releases in six months, directly targeting the habit-tracking segment of Derot's value proposition.
Differentiators
- Aggressive update cycle indicates rapid iteration on user feedback and feature parity with market leaders.
- Focuses on pure habit-tracking metrics which provides a more granular data view than Derot's screen-time focus.
Same space(2)
Adjacent sub-genre focusing on focus-enhancement through soundscapes rather than habit-tracking or app-blocking.
Differentiators
- Utilizes AI-generated soundscapes to influence user state, a distinct approach from Derot's behavioral blocking.
- High release frequency suggests a strong focus on content-driven engagement and personalization.
Combines Pomodoro timers with task management, overlapping with the productivity aspect of Derot.
Differentiators
- Integrates task management directly into the focus timer, bridging the gap between planning and execution.
- Uses a classic Pomodoro methodology which appeals to users preferring standardized productivity techniques.
New entrants(1)
An emerging player with a focus on simplicity that aligns with the current trend of digital minimalism.
Differentiators
- Prioritizes extreme UI simplicity to reduce cognitive load, contrasting with feature-heavy habit trackers.
- Targets the 'digital detox' demographic by stripping away complex gamification in favor of essential task management.
Compare Derot: Habits Over Scroll against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Derot: Habits Over Scroll
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- AI-powered pushup detection creates a unique barrier to entry for passive trackers.
- Visual timeline of habit photos increases switching costs via personal data accumulation.
Critical Frictions
- Zero revenue model in store metadata limits long-term sustainability.
- Manual photo verification creates high friction for daily active usage.
Growth Levers
- B2B partnerships with fitness platforms could provide a new distribution channel.
- Wearable integration would remove the manual photo-upload friction.
Market Threats
- Forest's 21-update cadence over six months outpaces Derot's current refinement.
- Rapid iteration from Habit Tracker threatens to commoditize the habit-tracking feature set.
What are the next best moves?
Ship automated habit verification because manual photo uploads are a high-friction churn point → increase daily active habit retention.
Manual verification is a core friction point in the current habit-logging flow.
Trade-off: Pause the development of social sharing features to reallocate engineering hours to core flow automation.
Pivot the monetization strategy because the current free-only model lacks a long-term revenue path → secure operational runway.
Metadata shows no IAP or subscription tiers, leaving the app without a clear revenue mechanism.
Trade-off: Delay new content updates for the 21-day plan to focus on subscription tier design.
Audit the 21-day plan completion rate because it is the primary retention loop → identify drop-off points in the user journey.
The 21-day plan is the central guided path for user recovery.
Trade-off: Same-quarter capacity available — no major lever displaced.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's lack of monetization is not a weakness but a deliberate strategy to build a high-intent user base for the developer's broader portfolio.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Cross-platform integration (available in Forest but missing here)
- Browser extensions (available in Forest but missing here)
Key Takeaways
Derot differentiates through active habit-earning mechanics but lacks a sustainable monetization model, so the PM must prioritize reducing logging friction while introducing a clear revenue path to ensure long-term viability.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The digital detox category is consolidating around high-retention gamified focus tools, leaving Derot exposed if it cannot convert its current user base into a sustainable revenue stream. The current focus on feature expansion is promising, but the lack of a monetization path will force a pivot or sunset if growth does not translate to portfolio value.
Recent feature additions like AI-powered pushup detection show active investment in unique retention mechanics rather than maintenance mode.
The absence of a clear monetization strategy in the current build limits the app's ability to scale marketing and user acquisition.