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Is There an App Where Kids Earn Screen Time by Doing Chores?

The NestBoard Team · 2026-07-20

If you have ever asked "is there an app where kids earn screen time by doing chores?", you are not alone. It is one of the most common things parents type into a search bar. The honest answer is that most family apps handle either chores or screen time, rarely both, and almost none connect the two in a way that stays calm instead of turning into surveillance. Here is a clear look at how NestBoard does it, how the nearest competitor compares, and what to expect before you set it up.

The quick take

NestBoard links chores to a per-child Screen Time agreement. Each kid has a daily minutes target shown as a countdown ring, and you choose per child how chores affect it: completing a chore can add bonus minutes on top of the daily limit, or the day's time can stay locked until today's chores are done. It is honest about what it is: a shared tracker and a conversation tool, not a device lock. A parent taps "Use Time" to log minutes, so there is no creepy background monitoring of your child's phone.

Chore-first apps like Chorsee handle the chores half well: parents assign chores, kids check them off, and allowance builds up. But screen time is not part of the loop, so the minutes-for-chores deal stays a verbal agreement you track yourself.

Cozi, TimeTree, and FamCal do not do this at all. They are shared calendars with lists, so there is no chore-to-screen-time link to speak of.

If you want chores, points, and a real screen-time agreement living in one calm, ad-free app where each kid has their own profile, that is what NestBoard is built for.

How NestBoard's Screen Time actually works

It helps to be precise here, because "earn screen time" can mean very different things.

It is a shared agreement, not device enforcement. NestBoard's Screen Time is a per-child daily minutes target shown as a countdown ring on their profile. It does not lock apps on the phone or tablet, and it does not auto-measure usage. When your child sits down to watch or play, a parent (or the child, by agreement) taps "Use Time" and logs the minutes. The ring counts down. This is deliberate. It keeps the tool honest and keeps you in the conversation instead of handing enforcement to software that guesses.

Chores connect to screen time in three modes, set per child. On each child you pick one:

• Earn bonus time. Every completed chore adds bonus minutes on top of the daily limit, up to a daily maximum you set. Undo a chore and the bonus is clawed back, so the numbers stay honest.
• Unlock. The day's screen time stays locked until today's due chores are done. Finish the list, and the time opens up.
• Off. Chores and screen time are kept separate for that child.

Because it is set per child, an older kid can be on "Earn bonus time" while a younger sibling is on "Unlock," all in the same household.

No surveillance, on purpose. NestBoard does not read what apps your child uses or track them in the background. Some parents want a hard blocker, and if that is you, a dedicated device-control tool is the honest recommendation. NestBoard is for families who want an agreement everyone can see and trust, not a monitoring system.

Each kid gets their own profile. Add each child with no email required. They get a color, their own chores, points, and their Screen Time ring, and they check things off from the family tablet. The screen-time agreement feels like theirs, which is a large part of why it sticks.

How this compares to chore-first apps

For years the standard answer to this question was OurHome, which let parents offer "30 minutes of screen time" as a points reward. That answer is out of date: the original OurHome chore app is no longer available on either app store as of mid-2026, and an unrelated app now uses the name.

The best of the chore-first apps still standing is Chorsee, a simple chore-and-allowance tracker kids understand, free to start with in-app purchases, and well rated on both stores (4.6 stars on iOS, 4.4 on Android). The difference is structural: Chorsee tracks chores and allowance, and screen time is not part of the app, so any minutes-for-chores deal lives in your head. In NestBoard, screen time is its own daily allowance with a countdown ring, and chores plug into it directly through the earn or unlock modes. NestBoard shows the balance as time rather than something the child has to convert in their head, and it is ad-free on a flat household price.

Pricing, honestly

NestBoard is $4.99/month or $49.99/year, ad-free, with unlimited members and a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card. One price covers the whole household, so adding every kid costs nothing extra.

Chorsee is free to start, with in-app purchases on both stores. If your only goal is basic chores with allowance tracking, starting free with Chorsee can be enough, and Cozi's free tier (with ads) covers plain shared lists. NestBoard costs more because it bundles the calendar, chores, points, allowance, medication reminders, the kitchen tablet view, and the Screen Time agreement into one ad-free place.

Which should you choose?

Pick NestBoard if you want a real per-child screen-time agreement that chores feed into directly, each kid on their own profile, and no ads or surveillance. It fits families who want the whole household in one calm app, not just chores.

Pick Chorsee if you want a simple chore-and-allowance app that is free to start (with in-app purchases) and you are happy to keep the screen-time deal a verbal agreement. Cozi's free tier is the fallback if lists and a calendar are enough and you can live with ads.

You can find out for free. NestBoard's 14-day trial needs no card, so you can add the kids, turn on a screen-time mode, and see whether an agreement your children can actually see changes how the week goes. Start at mynestboard.com.

Screen-time-for-chores apps at a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is there an app where kids earn screen time by doing chores? Yes. NestBoard links chores to a per-child Screen Time agreement: completing a chore can add bonus minutes on top of the daily limit, or the day's time can stay locked until chores are done. Chore-only apps like Chorsee track the chores and allowance side but leave the screen-time deal to you. The original OurHome app, which offered screen time as a points reward, is no longer available on either app store.

Does NestBoard lock apps or block the device when time runs out? No, and it is honest about that. NestBoard's Screen Time is a shared tracker, not device enforcement. A parent taps "Use Time" to log minutes and a countdown ring shows the balance. It does not lock apps or measure usage in the background. If you need a hard blocker, a dedicated device-control tool is the better fit.

How do kids add screen time by doing chores in NestBoard? Set the child to "Earn bonus time." Each completed chore adds bonus minutes on top of the daily limit, up to a daily maximum you choose. If a chore is undone, the bonus is removed so the balance stays accurate.

Can I make screen time depend on chores being finished first? Yes. Set the child to "Unlock" mode. Their daily screen time stays locked until today's due chores are done, then it opens up. You set this per child, so different kids can use different modes.

Do kids need their own email or account to use this? No. In NestBoard you add each child as their own no-account profile with no email. They get a color, their own chores, points, and their Screen Time ring, all managed from the family tablet.