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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.

OurHome is the closest competitor. It has a points and rewards system where kids earn points for chores and redeem them for rewards you define, and "30 minutes of screen time" can be one of those rewards. It works, but screen time is just a generic reward you write out, not a built-in daily allowance with a countdown.

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 OurHome

OurHome is the app most likely to come up alongside this question, so it deserves a fair look.

OurHome gives kids points for completing chores, and parents create rewards kids can redeem with those points. You can absolutely make "30 minutes of screen time" a reward. The difference is structural: in OurHome, screen time is one more custom reward in a list, redeemed with points. 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. Both are reasonable designs. NestBoard's is more purpose-built for the specific "screen time for chores" goal, and it shows the balance as time rather than an abstract point total the child has to convert in their head.

NestBoard is also ad-free on a flat household price, where OurHome runs a free tier with ads and a paid upgrade.

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.

OurHome has a free, ad-supported tier and a paid version that removes ads. If your only goal is basic chores with points and you do not mind ads, OurHome's free tier can be enough. 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 OurHome if you want a free, simple chore-and-points app and you are happy to write "screen time" as one of several custom rewards, ads included.

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. OurHome can do a lighter version by making "screen time" a custom reward kids redeem with points.

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.