minulo vs StopScroll: which one hides Reels and Shorts and keeps DMs (2026)
If you want Reels and Shorts gone but still want to reply to DMs, pick minulo: it hides Reels, Shorts and suggested posts on 10 networks, keeps DMs, and hiding is free. If you only use YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat and like a daily allowance for short videos, Moumen Hamada's StopScroll is a reasonable choice. If you want whole apps blocked, Ilya Nikolenko's StopScroll does that, but it can't hide just the Reels tab.
Search the App Store for “StopScroll” and you'll find several apps with almost the same name. Two of them come up most for blocking Reels and Shorts, and they work in completely different ways. “Block Reels Shorts: StopScroll” by Moumen Hamada opens social networks in its own browser and filters out short videos. “StopScroll Screen Time Control” by Ilya Nikolenko, listed as “Stop Scroll by Aegis” in the UK, is an app blocker built on Apple's Screen Time. This page compares both with minulo.
Two smaller apps share the name too: “StopScroll: Reclaim your time” by Denis Karpenko, an app blocker where you ask an AI for permission to unlock (a subscription is required), and “StopScroll: Parental Control” by Nikolaj Larsen. Neither says it hides Reels or Shorts inside an app, so they aren't in the table.
This page is written by the developer of minulo, so keep that in mind. StopScroll facts come from each app's US App Store listing, checked 2026-11-04. We haven't tested the StopScroll apps ourselves. Features and prices can change.
| StopScroll (Moumen Hamada) | StopScroll Screen Time Control (Ilya Nikolenko) | minulo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Opens social networks in a browser inside StopScroll and filters out short videos | Blocks the whole apps you pick, using Apple's Screen Time | Opens each network's official website inside the app and hides the parts you choose |
| Networks | YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat (5) | Any app on your iPhone, but only the whole app | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat (10) |
| What it can hide | Shorts tabs, Reels feeds and TikTok videos | Nothing inside an app; it blocks the app | Reels, Shorts, Explore and suggested posts |
| DMs | Not mentioned in its listing | Blocked along with the app | Kept. Every tab but DMs for Instagram and TikTok (free) |
| Modes and extras | Block All, Day Limit (a daily allowance for short videos), Break Mode, usage stats by platform | Focus sessions that can't be bypassed, schedules, automations, Screen Time reports | Can lock the official apps with Screen Time, with an Open in minulo button on the block screen; Sleep mode, blocks longer than 2 hours, Hard Mode and a Daily limit (Pro) |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 16.0 or later) | iPhone (iOS 16.0 or later) | iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later), plus a Mac app for Safari and Chrome. No Android version |
| App languages | English only | 33 | 13 |
| US App Store ratings | 3, average 3.7 (on the App Store since March 2026) | 15, average 4.3 (since May 2025) | 1, average 4.0 (launched September 2026) |
| Price (US) | Free download with ads. StopScroll Premium is listed at $7.99 and $29.99 (monthly and yearly plans, with a free trial) | Free download. Stop Scroll Pro: $4.99 or $9.99/week, $17.99 or $29.99/year, $59.99 lifetime | Hiding is free; Pro is $9.99/month or $39.99/year |
Ratings and prices were checked on the US App Store on 2026-11-04.
Pick Moumen Hamada's StopScroll if
- you only use YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Snapchat;
- you'd like a daily allowance for short videos instead of hiding them completely;
- you want stats on how long you spend on short videos on each platform.
Pick Ilya Nikolenko's StopScroll if
- you want whole apps blocked during work hours or at night, not just their feeds;
- you want strict focus sessions you can't skip;
- you want the app in your own language (it supports 33).
Pick minulo if
- you want Reels and Shorts gone while DMs keep working;
- you also need X, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit or LinkedIn without the feed;
- you want hiding to be free;
- you use a Mac.
minulo shows each network's website rather than the official app, so screens look a little different from the app. While minulo locks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive.
Which StopScroll is the one that blocks Reels and Shorts?
“Block Reels Shorts: StopScroll” by Moumen Hamada. It opens YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat in a browser inside the app and hides Shorts, Reels and TikTok videos. “StopScroll Screen Time Control” by Ilya Nikolenko (shown as “Stop Scroll by Aegis” in the UK) is a different app: it blocks whole apps with Apple's Screen Time, so it can't hide only the Reels tab.
Is StopScroll free?
Both downloads are free. Moumen Hamada's StopScroll lists two StopScroll Premium purchases in the US, $7.99 and $29.99, and its description mentions monthly and yearly plans with a free trial; Premium adds custom break lengths and per-app filters, and removes ads. Ilya Nikolenko's StopScroll lists Stop Scroll Pro at $4.99 or $9.99 a week, $17.99 or $29.99 a year, and a $59.99 lifetime option. In minulo, hiding Reels, Shorts and suggested posts is free; Pro is $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
Do my DMs still work?
In minulo, yes: DMs keep working, and Instagram and TikTok have an “Every tab but DMs” setting. Moumen Hamada's StopScroll listing doesn't mention messages either way, so we couldn't confirm it. Ilya Nikolenko's StopScroll blocks the whole app, so DMs are blocked too while the block is on.
Sources
- App Store (US): Block Reels Shorts: StopScroll, Moumen Hamada (version 1.4, checked 2026-11-04)
- App Store (US): StopScroll Screen Time Control, Ilya Nikolenko (version 2.0, checked 2026-11-04)
- App Store (US): StopScroll: Reclaim your time, Denis Karpenko (checked 2026-11-04)
- App Store (US): StopScroll: Parental Control, Nikolaj Larsen (checked 2026-11-04)
- App Store (US): minulo (checked 2026-11-04)