ScrollGuard alternatives that hide Reels and keep your Instagram DMs (2026)
ScrollGuard hides Reels, Stories, Explore and endless feeds on social media websites, mainly through Safari on iPhone, and keeps your messages. If you want the same idea in an app of its own, minulo, SocialLite and UNDOOMED open social networks in their own view with Reels and Shorts hidden while DMs keep working, and minulo can also lock the official apps and send you there. Nope is a free Safari extension for Instagram and YouTube. If you would rather slow yourself down than hide anything, one sec adds a pause before an app opens.
This page is written by the developer of minulo. Facts about other apps come only from their US App Store pages (description, price and US ratings) and their official websites, checked on 2026-10-17.
| App | How it works | Networks | Price (App Store page) | Keeps DMs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ScrollGuard (111 US ratings) | On the App Store: a Safari extension that hides feeds, Reels, Stories and Explore on social media websites, with a switch for each part. Its website adds that on iPhone it creates web app versions of each network, and that a separate Android version works inside the native apps. Requires iOS 18. | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, Reddit, LinkedIn on iPhone (per its website) | Free. Premium adds unlimited custom filters. | Yes, per its website |
| SocialLite (8,780) | Its own focused view of social networks. Removes short-form video feeds, recommendations, Explore, live and shopping tabs, and ads. A video a friend sends you plays, but you cannot scroll to the next one. | Instagram, YouTube and other platforms (TikTok not mentioned) | Free download; in-app purchases. | Yes |
| UNDOOMED (106) | Opens each network's mobile website in its own browser and filters the page. Has a Messages Only mode and hourly or daily caps. | Instagram, Threads, Reddit, Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn (no TikTok or Snapchat) | Free download; advanced filters need Pro. | Yes (Messages Only mode) |
| Nope (2) | A Safari Web Extension with 17 switches for instagram.com and youtube.com. Also a free Chrome extension. | Instagram, YouTube (in Safari) | Fully free: no subscriptions or in-app purchases. | Yes |
| one sec (23,716) | Does not hide anything. It shows a pause, such as a deep breath animation, before an app you chose opens, and can send you out after a set time. | Any app you choose; also a Safari extension | Free for one app; one sec pro for more. | Yes, after the pause (Reels are there too) |
| minulo (new, 0 US ratings) | Opens each network's official website inside the app and hides the parts you choose. Can lock the official apps with Screen Time and send you to minulo instead. | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat (10) | Hiding is free. Pro adds schedules, Locked Mode, blocks longer than 2 hours and multiple block lists. | Yes |
What is a good ScrollGuard alternative on iPhone?
If you like ScrollGuard because it hides Reels but keeps DMs, the closest alternatives are apps that do the same in their own view: minulo, SocialLite and UNDOOMED. If you want to stay in Safari, Nope is a free extension for Instagram and YouTube. minulo covers 10 networks, including Threads, Pinterest and Snapchat, and hiding is free.
Does ScrollGuard work inside the official Instagram app on iPhone?
Not according to its own website. ScrollGuard says its Android version runs on top of the native apps, while on iPhone it works through web apps and Safari. On the App Store it is described as a Safari extension. minulo also does not change the official app; it can lock the official Instagram app with Screen Time and send you to minulo, where Reels are hidden.
Is ScrollGuard free?
Yes. ScrollGuard is a free download, and its website says the core blocking works without paying. On the App Store, Premium adds unlimited custom filters. In minulo, hiding Reels, Shorts and suggested posts is free on all 10 networks; Pro adds schedules, Locked Mode and longer blocks.
What does ScrollGuard do better, and where is minulo different?
ScrollGuard has an Android version, a Strict Mode that locks settings with a password you can give to someone else, and an adult content filter, and it has 111 US ratings while minulo has none yet. minulo is an app of its own rather than a Safari extension, lists Threads, Pinterest and Snapchat, which ScrollGuard does not list for iPhone, can lock the official apps, and when you open a Reel a friend sent in DMs, it stops before the endless video feed starts, with an option to watch for 5 minutes. minulo has no Android version.
Sources
- App Store: ScrollGuard: Block Reels (checked 2026-10-17)
- ScrollGuard official website (checked 2026-10-17)
- App Store: SocialLite-Block Reels&Shorts (checked 2026-10-17)
- App Store: UNDOOMED: Reels & Feed Blocker (checked 2026-10-17)
- App Store: Nope: Block Instagram Reels (checked 2026-10-17)
- App Store: one sec | screen time + focus (checked 2026-10-17)
- App Store: minulo: Block Reels & Shorts (checked 2026-10-17)
