Choose the pull
Pick the app or website that most often turns into autopilot scrolling.
An intentional pause for iPhone
Read before you scroll.
Open a time sink. Read one useful idea. Then the app unlocks — no guilt, no all-or-nothing lockout.
Free to start · Optional Pro · iOS 15.1+ · No account
Built with Apple Screen Time
No VPN
Protected app names stay private
How it works
A speed bump for your thumb.
Readgate catches the reflex without turning your phone into a punishment.
Read one idea
Readgate opens a short, curated article — usually around a minute.
Unlock on purpose
Insight Cards end with one quick recall beat. Reveal the core idea, then continue into the app for a focused break.
See Readgate in action
Less empty scrolling. More useful moments.
Readgate pauses the apps that pull you in. Read one short article, then the app opens. No hard bans. No guilt.
Why it feels different
Smarter, not stricter.
Most blockers say no. Readgate gives the impulse somewhere better to go.
Interrupt the reflex
A calm pause creates just enough space to notice what your thumb was doing.
Replace it with something useful
Short reads across science, history, ideas, culture, technology, and more.
Keep the choice yours
Finish the read, unlock the app, and decide with a little more intention.
Free & Pro
Bring the habit to your whole phone.
Free turns one scroll reflex into reading. Pro extends reading gates across your phone and adds your timing, your rules, and a deeper view of what you learn.
Readgate Free
Everything you need to turn one recurring scroll habit into a reading habit.
- Protect 1 app or website
- Unlimited reading unlocks every day
- Nearly 800 curated reads across 12+ topics
- Reading streaks and weekly stats
- Works offline with articles saved ahead of time
Readgate Pro
Protect every distraction, shape each reading gate, and see what your attention is building.
- Protect unlimited apps, websites, and categories
- Choose each unlock window or set 1 to 60 minutes
- Schedule reading gates across your week
- Choose read first or a 2, 3, 5, or 10 minute delay, plus an optional daily cap
- Read every Readgate Original
Monthly and annual plans. Your local price appears before purchase. Cancel anytime in Apple Settings.
Privacy by design
Your Gate is personal. It stays that way.
Readgate uses the access it needs to run the Gate — without building an advertising profile around you.
No account or email
Start using Readgate without creating a profile or handing over your identity.
Protected choices stay private
Protected app names and website domains are not intentionally sent to Readgate servers or analytics.
No ad tracking
Readgate does not use advertising identifiers or analytics data for third-party ad targeting.
Readgate uses limited anonymous product analytics, subscription infrastructure, and privacy-scrubbed crash reporting. The exact services and fields are documented in the Privacy Policy.
Questions
Good to know.
How does Readgate actually block an app?
Readgate uses Apple’s Family Controls and Managed Settings frameworks. Choose a target, and iOS shows Readgate’s Gate when you try to open it. Readgate does not receive your general Screen Time history.
Do I have to pay to use the Gate?
No. Free includes one protected app or website, unlimited reading unlocks, a 10 minute window, reading history, and weekly stats. Pro brings reading gates to your whole phone, adds your timing and rules, and unlocks full Readgate Originals.
Where do the articles come from?
Readgate mixes bundled Insight Cards and Readgate Originals with curated open knowledge from sources such as Wikipedia and Wikivoyage. Source links are shown where applicable, and bundled content remains available offline.
Can Readgate see the apps I choose?
Your selection stays on your device and is shared locally with Readgate’s iOS extensions. Protected app names and website domains are not intentionally sent to Readgate servers, product analytics, or crash reporting.
Which devices are supported?
Readgate is designed for iPhone and supports iOS 15.1 or later.
One pause. One read.
Make the next scroll earn its place.
Download Readgate free and turn one autopilot habit into a moment that gives something back.
