StillTabs vs Fluid Friction: which one fits you?
If you want a free Fluid Friction alternative that only removes Reels, Shorts and suggested feeds and keeps your DMs, StillTabs does that with no in-app purchases and no Screen Time permission. Both apps hide those feeds for free. Fluid Friction is a bigger toolkit: scroll friction, app blocking, alarms, NFC keys and eight networks, with an optional Pro subscription for themes and extras. StillTabs does one job: it shows Instagram and YouTube without the endless parts.
The short version
Both apps open social networks inside their own app and hide the parts built for endless scrolling. Both keep your messages. Both keep their feed blocking free.
The difference is scope. Fluid Friction adds a "wave" you drag through before the next post loads, blocks other apps with Screen Time, and comes with alarms, focus timers, insights and a friends leaderboard. It covers Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, X, Snapchat, Facebook and LinkedIn, plus any website you add.
StillTabs is narrower on purpose. It removes Reels, Shorts, Explore, suggested posts, "For you" feeds and autoplay from Instagram and YouTube, keeps DMs, stories, search, subscriptions and posts from people you follow, and asks for nothing else. Facebook, X and Reddit are in beta.
Side by side
| StillTabs | Fluid Friction | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads | Free download; feed blocking free. Optional Fluid Pro $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year (7-day free trial) for themes and comfort extras such as dark mode |
| Removes Reels, Shorts, Explore, For You | Yes | Yes (free) |
| Keeps DMs | Yes | Yes |
| How it slows you down | Removes the feeds. Four modes, all free: Off, Standard, Strict, Blackout (only search, profiles and DMs) | Hides feeds, and adds scroll friction: drag through a wave before the next post. Scroll limits and daily allowances |
| Networks | Instagram, YouTube; Facebook, X, Reddit in beta | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, X, Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn, plus any website you add |
| Stopping the habit of opening the official app | Home Screen icons named Instagram, YouTube and so on open StillTabs. No Screen Time permission | Uses Screen Time to send taps on the real app to its calm version, or to a pause screen |
| Blocks other apps | No. It never locks or changes other apps | Yes, with Screen Time: shields, schedules, cooldowns, NFC and QR keys |
| Other tools | None | Alarm, focus timer, insights, friends leaderboard, widgets, 91 themes |
| Accounts | Up to 5 per platform | Multiple accounts with separate sessions (number not stated) |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Linked to You | Data Not Linked to You: Contact Info (Name), User Content, Identifiers (User ID, Device ID), Usage Data |
| In-app analytics | Off unless you turn them on | None, per its privacy policy |
| Website trackers | None | fluidfriction.app loads Google Analytics |
| Devices | iPhone only | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple silicon Macs (the iPad version), plus a separate Android app |
| Requires | iOS 16.0 | iOS 17.0 |
| Age rating | 17+ | 16+ |
| App Store ratings (US) | New, no ratings yet | 4.6 from 22 ratings |
Where StillTabs is better
- Nothing to buy. StillTabs has no in-app purchases at all. Fluid Friction keeps its tools free too, but sells Fluid Pro for themes and extras such as dark mode.
- No permissions to hand over. StillTabs needs no Screen Time access, no screen broadcast, no device management and no Safari extension. Its Home Screen icons do the habit work instead. How the icons work.
- Nothing between you and the platform. Pages load straight from Instagram or YouTube. There is no proxy and no StillTabs server in the path, so passwords and messages never pass through us.
- It feels like Instagram. StillTabs draws Instagram's toolbar natively, keeps tabs loaded and supports edge swipes. There is no extra gesture before each post. What that looks like.
- A DMs-only mode. Blackout leaves only search, profiles and DMs, free. Instagram only for messages.
- Older iPhones. StillTabs runs on iOS 16; Fluid Friction needs iOS 17.
- A tracker-free website. stilltabs.com loads no third-party trackers; fluidfriction.app loads Google Analytics. We checked other sites too.
Where Fluid Friction is better
- Many more networks. TikTok, Snapchat and LinkedIn are covered, and you can add any website. StillTabs has no TikTok or Snapchat.
- It can block other apps. With Screen Time it shields native apps, runs schedules and timed sessions, and can tie unlocking to an NFC tag or barcode. StillTabs never touches other apps.
- Friction instead of removal. If you still want to scroll a little, the wave and per-app scroll limits slow you down without taking the feed away.
- Notifications. It can deliver Instagram and Snapchat message notifications through its own app, even with the official app removed. Its policy says they pass through its server encrypted.
- More devices and languages. iPad, Apple Watch, Apple silicon Macs and a separate Android app, with 18 languages listed on its App Store page. StillTabs is iPhone only.
- No analytics in the app at all, according to its privacy policy, and no account.
- Ratings already. 4.6 from 22 US ratings, and frequent updates since its July 2026 launch.
Which one should you pick?
Pick StillTabs if you want Instagram and YouTube without Reels and Shorts, your DMs kept, and nothing else to set up. No permissions, no subscriptions, no extra steps between posts. See why we built it this way.
Pick Fluid Friction if you also use TikTok or Snapchat, want other apps blocked on a schedule, or like the idea of a physical key or an alarm that keeps feeds closed until you are up.
Both are free to try. Our comparison index lists more options.
What neither can do
Both apps show each network's own website inside their app, so some features of the official apps are missing in both, such as calls. Both can briefly miss something when a network changes its site, and both need an update to catch up.
Common questions
What is a good Fluid Friction alternative?
If you mainly want Instagram and YouTube without Reels, Shorts and suggested feeds, StillTabs is a free alternative with no in-app purchases and no Screen Time permission.
Is Fluid Friction free?
Mostly. Its feed blocking, friction, shields, alarm and insights are free. Fluid Pro, at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year on the US App Store with a 7-day free trial, unlocks themes and comfort extras such as dark mode. StillTabs has no paid tier.
Is there a free app to use Instagram for DMs only?
Yes. StillTabs' Blackout mode, which is free, leaves only search, profiles and DMs. Fluid Friction can also hide Reels, Stories, Explore and For You while messages keep working. See how to use Instagram only for messages.
Does StillTabs work with TikTok or Snapchat like Fluid Friction?
No. StillTabs covers Instagram and YouTube, with Facebook, X and Reddit in beta. If you need TikTok or Snapchat, Fluid Friction covers them.
Does either app need Screen Time access?
StillTabs does not. Fluid Friction asks for Screen Time access to block other apps and to redirect the official apps; its policy says its friction browser works without it.
Who wrote this comparison?
The makers of StillTabs. Every fact about Fluid Friction comes from its US App Store page, privacy policy, terms and website, checked 8 November 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
StillTabs is free on the App Store, for iPhone. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account. iOS 16 or later.
Sources
- StillTabs on the US App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6761367777
- StillTabs website: https://stilltabs.com/
- Fluid Friction on the US App Store (price, in-app purchases, privacy label, age rating, iOS minimum): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6782510849
- Fluid Friction App Store lookup (ratings, version, description): https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=6782510849&country=us
- Fluid Friction website: https://fluidfriction.app/
- Fluid Friction privacy policy (iOS): https://fluidfriction.app/ios/privacy
- Fluid Friction terms of service (iOS): https://fluidfriction.app/ios/terms