Covenant Eyes vs Renounce: which fits your iPhone?
Covenant Eyes shows your browsing to a trusted ally. Renounce puts prayer and Scripture between you and the apps that pull you in. Here is how they differ on iPhone and who each one is for.
Renounce is made by Lucernel.
On this page
Short answer
Pick Covenant Eyes if you want another person to see your browsing. Pick Renounce if the fight happens inside apps on your iPhone and you need a prayer pause before they open.
Choose Covenant Eyes if
A trusted ally reviewing your web activity is the core of your plan.
Choose Renounce if
You struggle alone, in apps, in the moment, and want prayer to come before the tap.
At a glance
| Feature | Covenant Eyes | Renounce |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks iPhone apps | Noits help center says to use Apple Screen Time for apps | Yesthe apps you choose, through Screen Time |
| Filters websites | Yestwo filter levels plus custom lists | No |
| Reports to another person | Yesto an ally in the Victory app | Noit is private by design |
| Screenshots of activity | Partlyin Safari only, through an extension | No |
| Prayer before opening an app | No | Yeswith a verse and a short prayer |
| SOS for the moment of temptation | No | Yesbreathing, prayer and one physical step |
| Price | $18 a month or $198 a year on its website; $19.99 a month in the app | See the official app page for current pricing. |
Two different jobs
Covenant Eyes is built around accountability. Its Victory Shield app runs on the phone you want to protect and sends a picture of your online activity to an ally, a friend or mentor who reviews it with you in the Victory app.
Renounce is built around the moment itself. It does not report to anyone. It stands between you and the apps you chose to protect, and when you try to open one it asks you to pray and read first.
What Covenant Eyes does well on iPhone
It filters explicit websites at two levels and lets you add your own lists. In Safari it can take screenshots through an extension; in other apps it sees the domains your phone connects to. For someone whose honesty with another person is the missing piece, that visibility is its strength.
It also costs less per month when you buy it on its website than inside the app.
Where it stops
Covenant Eyes says in its own help center that Victory Shield cannot block apps downloaded from the App Store, and it points iPhone users to Apple Screen Time for that. If your weak moment starts in a social app, a browser you open late at night or a video app, the filter alone will not stand in the way.
What Renounce adds
Renounce uses Screen Time to protect the apps you pick, on the schedule you pick. Opening one asks for a short prayer and a verse first. You can also earn minutes by praying or reading Scripture and spend them on the apps you choose, so time online is something you decide, not something that happens to you.
When temptation is already loud, the SOS button slows you down with breathing, a short prayer and one concrete step such as putting the phone down or leaving the room. If you fall, you log a return and restart without hiding.
Can you use both?
Yes, and for many people that is the strongest setup. Covenant Eyes brings another person into the story; Renounce guards the apps and the minute before you give in. They do different jobs and do not replace each other.
Frequently asked questions
Can Covenant Eyes block apps on iPhone?
No. Covenant Eyes says Victory Shield cannot block App Store apps and recommends Apple Screen Time for that. Renounce uses Screen Time to protect the apps you choose.
Does Renounce send reports to someone else?
No. Renounce is private: nothing is shared with another person. If you want an ally to see your activity, pair it with an accountability service.
How much does Covenant Eyes cost?
Covenant Eyes lists $18 a month or $198 a year on its website, and $19.99 a month when bought in the app, before taxes. Prices were checked on the date shown in the sources.
Does Covenant Eyes see everything on my iPhone?
Not everything. On iPhone it captures screenshots in Safari through an extension and records the domains other apps connect to.
Is Renounce available now?
See the official app page for current availability and pricing.
Our pick
Renounce, for the minute before you give in
If your struggle happens alone, at night, inside apps, a report someone reads tomorrow comes too late. Renounce is built for that minute: it guards the apps you choose and turns the urge to open them into a moment of prayer. Keep an accountability partner if you have one; Renounce covers the part a filter cannot.
- Protects the apps you choose with Screen Time, on your schedule
- Asks for a short prayer and a verse before a protected app opens
- SOS for the moment of temptation, and a way back after a fall
