minulo vs Slowth: which app to hide Shorts and Reels on iPhone (2026)
Pick minulo if you want Reels, Shorts and For You gone on 10 networks, including TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn and Snapchat: hiding is free, with no subscription and no time limit, and your DMs keep working. Slowth fits better if you mostly use YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X in Safari on an iPhone, iPad or Mac and want an open-source extension whose App Store label says it collects no data.
Slowth: Short Video Blocker is an app by Denis Malin, first released on the US App Store on 2026-04-28. It is mainly a Safari extension: it hides YouTube Shorts, Instagram and Facebook Reels, and Explore and trends on X while the rest of each site stays available, and it can block TikTok or any other site completely. On iPhone and iPad it can also watch the official YouTube and Instagram apps through screen recording that you start yourself, and block the whole app with Screen Time when Shorts, Reels or Stories appear. minulo instead shows each network's website inside its own app and hides the parts you choose.
This page is written by the developer of minulo, so keep that in mind. Slowth facts come from its US App Store page (version 2026.10.8, released 2026-11-03) and its website (malina.page/slowth), checked 2026-11-05. Features and prices can change.
| Slowth | minulo | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Denis Malin | Ayumu Kitabayashi (independent developer) |
| How it works | A Safari extension that hides parts of websites, plus optional detection inside the YouTube and Instagram apps using screen recording | Opens each network's official website inside the app and hides the parts you choose; can lock the official apps with Screen Time |
| Networks | YouTube and Instagram: hides Shorts and Reels. Facebook: hides Reels. X: hides Explore and trends. TikTok: blocks the whole site. Any site can be fully blocked | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat (10), with feeds hidden |
| Official YouTube and Instagram apps | Optional: with screen recording on, it spots Shorts, Reels and Stories on your device and blocks the entire app with Screen Time | Not changed; minulo can lock them with Screen Time |
| DMs | Not stated | Kept. Every tab but DMs for Instagram and TikTok (free) |
| Locking yourself in | Strict mode: for 24 hours restrictions can't be turned off, even after a restart | Hard Mode (Pro) |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad (iOS 16.0 or later), Mac (macOS 13.0 or later), Apple Vision | iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later), plus a Mac app for Safari and Chrome |
| App languages | English and 54 more | 13, including Japanese and Korean |
| US App Store ratings | 4, average 4.0 | 1, average 4.0 (launched September 2026) |
| Price (US) | Free. In-app purchases: Cup of Coffee $0.99, Coffee Beans $4.99, Climbing Pass $8.99 (what they unlock is not stated). Its website says Slowth is free and open source | Hiding is free, with no time limit; Pro is $9.99/month or $39.99/year, with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan for new subscribers |
Ratings were checked on the US App Store on 2026-11-05.
Pick Slowth if
- you mostly use YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X in Safari and want them cleaned up right there;
- you want the same extension on iPhone, iPad and Mac;
- you want a 24-hour lock you can't undo (Strict mode);
- you want TikTok's website blocked completely;
- you want open-source code (GPLv3) and an App Store privacy label of Data Not Collected;
- you want the app in a language minulo doesn't have.
Pick minulo if
- you use TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn or Snapchat and want their feeds hidden, not the whole site blocked;
- you want to keep your DMs, including a DMs-only setting for Instagram and TikTok;
- you'd rather not keep screen recording running to filter the official apps;
- you want Sleep mode, Work mode or a Daily limit (Pro).
When Slowth spots selected content in the YouTube or Instagram app, Screen Time blocks the whole app, not just that video. minulo shows each network's website, so screens look a little different from the official app.
Is Slowth free?
The US App Store lists Slowth as free with three in-app purchases (Cup of Coffee $0.99, Coffee Beans $4.99, Climbing Pass $8.99), and the listing does not say what they unlock. Its website says Slowth is free and open source (GPLv3). In minulo, hiding Reels, Shorts and suggested posts is free, with no subscription and no time limit; Sleep mode, Work mode, blocks longer than 2 hours, Hard Mode and a Daily limit are part of Pro, which is $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US, and the yearly plan comes with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers.
Does Slowth work inside the Instagram and YouTube apps?
Partly. Its hiding works on websites in Safari. For the official YouTube and Instagram apps, you start screen recording, Slowth recognizes Shorts, Reels and Stories on your device, and Screen Time then blocks the entire app, not just that video. minulo doesn't change the official apps either: it shows Instagram and YouTube's websites inside minulo with Reels and Shorts hidden, and can lock the official apps with Screen Time.
Which one should I pick if I use TikTok, Threads or Snapchat?
minulo. Slowth's App Store page and website cover YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, and for TikTok it blocks the whole site; Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn and Snapchat are not mentioned. minulo hides the feeds on all of them and keeps TikTok messages working.
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