Comparison

WINNR vs Covenant Eyes (2026): Covenant Eyes Review and Comparison

Covenant Eyes review and WINNR comparison, checked October 2026. Victory prices, store ratings, who sees your blurred screenshots, who should pick which.

By the WINNR team · Published 25 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 · 16 min read

Prices, ratings and privacy details checked on 25 October 2026.

The short answer: pick Covenant Eyes if you want another person to see what you do on your screen, you have someone you trust to receive those reports, and you want blocking on your laptop as well as your phone. Pick WINNR if you want to work on the habit yourself, keep your journal in the EU, and reach a real psychologist at a price a student can pay. WINNR launches on iOS and Android in December 2026, so until then it is a waiting list, not an app on your phone.

WINNR publishes this comparison. We have tried to be fair; every claim about Covenant Eyes links to its source, and we apply the same privacy, pricing and evidence questions to ourselves as to Covenant Eyes.

At a glance

Covenant Eyes review: what it is and how it works

Who makes it

Covenant Eyes, Inc. is based at 1525 W King Street, Owosso, Michigan, the address on both Google Play listings and in the privacy policy. The About page says the company was formed in March 2000. The founder is Ron DeHaas, per a 2016 interview; the About page names no founder or current leadership.

The old "Covenant Eyes app" is now Victory by Covenant Eyes, split into two apps: Victory, the home app for reports, check-ins, lessons and community, and Victory Shield, which does the blocking and screenshots on each device, per the pricing page.

How it works

You choose a person, an "ally", and they see a summary of what you do on your devices. According to the Victory page and the privacy policy:

• Screen Accountability. Victory Shield takes screenshots at random moments, rates each one for explicit content on the device, shrinks and blurs it, and uploads the blurred version. Your ally receives reports with the highest-rated images and alerts when something is flagged.
• Ally relationship. You invite your ally from the Victory app. Allies use it for free and get notifications, daily check-ins and a chat with you.
• Porn blocking. Victory Shield blocks explicit domains in any app, with custom block and allow lists, per the Victory Shield Play listing.
• Lessons and community. Counselor-led mini-courses and a feed where members share wins and prayer requests. These are free; the activity feed, the ally connection and the blocker are paid, per the Victory Play listing.

There is no urge timer, no counter and no AI coach. The design assumption is that another person, not software, keeps you honest.

Platforms and limits

Per the Victory page, it runs on iOS 15.1+, Android 11+, Windows 10+ and Mac 11+. On iPhone, screenshots are only taken inside Safari. The blocker works through a VPN profile, which comes up often in reviews. Both apps are English-only. The homepage says over 1.7 million people have used the service since 2000; WINNR, for the same test, has no user count or outcome figure to publish, and says so.

Covenant Eyes pricing, free trial and ratings (as of October 2026)

The pricing page publishes three plans in US dollars, each after a 7-day free trial. One account covers unlimited devices for up to 10 people in a family.

The stores charge more. The Victory App Store listing shows a "Covenant Eyes Plan" at 19.99 and 219.99 dollars, and the Victory Shield listing adds 22.49 and 23.99 dollar entries. Covenant Eyes' pricing FAQ says the 18 dollar price applies through the website. Google Play shows no price range.

The End User License Agreement (updated 20 October 2025) gives a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users. To cancel you contact Member Care by call, chat or email, or cancel through Apple or Google. Billing continues until Covenant Eyes confirms deactivation, and uninstalling does not count as cancelling.

Store ratings, checked 25 October 2026:

• Victory, App Store (US): 4.7 stars from about 1,200 ratings. Age rating 9+.
• Victory Shield, App Store (US): 4.3 stars from about 60,000 ratings. Age rating 4+. First released December 2009.
• Victory, Google Play: 4.7 stars from about 2,100 reviews, 100K+ downloads, updated 15 October 2026.
• Victory Shield, Google Play: 4.4 stars from about 11,700 reviews, 500K+ downloads, updated 12 August 2026.
• Trustpilot: 3.9 out of 5 from 77 reviews, 38 in the last 12 months, 43 percent five-star and 40 percent one-star.

WINNR, for the same test: 9 euro a month or 49 euro a year, published on winnr.now. The first 100 waiting-list members pay 29 euro for the first year. No free tier and no free trial; the 4-minute check and the plan it produces are free. No store ratings yet, because the app is not in the stores until December 2026.

Privacy and data

With Covenant Eyes you are not only trusting a company; you are letting a specific person see a version of your screen. Here is what each app says, using the same five questions.

Covenant Eyes

What is collected. The privacy policy (last updated 28 August 2021) lists account details, randomly captured screenshots with their scores and metadata, the names of the apps that produced scored images, and, on iPhone and iPad, a log of the domains your device accesses. The licence agreement adds network activity, times of use and window titles.

Who can see it, and how blurring works. Each screenshot is scored on the device, reduced in size and blurred before upload. The policy says text is illegible in many but not all cases, and that unblurred images are not uploaded unless you specifically agree. Your ally receives reports by email and in the Victory app with the highest-rated images. Covenant Eyes says it shares your information with third parties only at your request or under a court order. If you ask Member Care to help you read a report, you give the company permission to view it.

Where it is stored. Not stated. The policy names no hosting provider and no country. The licence sets Shiawassee County, Michigan as the venue for disputes, and there is no mention of GDPR or EU users.

Retention and deletion. The licence says accountability data is deleted after 30 days, while names, usernames, passwords, billing details, demographics and IP addresses are kept indefinitely. You can request deletion "to the extent required by law" by phone, email, web form or post.

Reported incident. We found no reported data breach. One platform event is worth knowing: after a Wired investigation in September 2022 into the Android app's use of the Accessibility permission and how some churches used reports on members, Google suspended the app from Google Play; it was reinstated in March 2023. Covenant Eyes told The Christian Post that its policy forbids monitoring anyone without consent and that church leaders should not use it to watch congregants. The practical point: pick your ally carefully.

WINNR

What is collected. The privacy notice (updated 4 July 2026, marked as pending formal legal review) lists your email, a display handle, subscription status and a Stripe customer reference; and, treated as special-category data, your questionnaire answers, goals, urge events, counter history, journal entries, community posts, partner messages and AI coach messages. No card details are stored. WINNR takes no screenshots and keeps no browsing log.

Who can see it. Only the processors: Supabase (database and sign-in, AWS Stockholm), Hetzner (hosting, Germany), Brevo (email, France), Stripe (payments, US and Ireland), Google (only if you use Google sign-in). If you opt in to the AI coach, your coach messages are processed by OpenRouter with a DeepSeek model in the United States, under zero-retention terms. That is the honest exception to "EU only", and you can use WINNR without the coach. Your accountability partner sees what you send them in chat, nothing more; WINNR produces no activity reports for anyone.

Where it is stored. EU servers, with the AI coach exception above.

Retention and deletion. Kept while your account is open; unused accounts are deleted after 12 months; payment records are kept seven years under Dutch tax law. You can delete everything from Settings, actioned immediately, and export your coach data. No DPO is appointed yet; Chino.io is to be appointed at launch.

Reported incident. None. WINNR has not launched, so this line is a promise, not a track record.

Who is behind it

Covenant Eyes

Covenant Eyes, Inc., Owosso, Michigan, founded in March 2000 by Ron DeHaas. The About page dates the milestones: iPhone app 2009, Android app 2012, Screen Accountability 2019, Victory 2022. The company is openly faith-based: the homepage leads with resources for churches and Bible-based material. You do not need to be a Christian to use it, but the lessons, the community and the marketing assume you are. Support is by phone, chat and email at support@covenanteyes.com. The current CEO and employee count are not stated on the pages we could open.

WINNR

WINNR is made by Stichting Extraordinary Life (KvK 75069385), a Dutch foundation in Rotterdam. The founder is NJ (Nicolaas van Disseldorp), a coach and researcher. The team of six includes a CTO, a founding engineer, a lead writer with a background in work and organisational psychology, and two practical-interventions consultants. Bios are at winnr.now/about.html. WINNR won Impacthon (PLNT, Leiden) in September 2026. It has no religious affiliation. Contact is winnr.now@gmail.com.

What real users say about Covenant Eyes

We read recent reviews on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot on 25 October 2026. These are paraphrased themes, not quotes, and store reviews are self-selected.

Recurring praise

• The ally relationship works for people who have one. A September 2026 App Store reviewer recommended Victory Shield specifically with an accountability partner; an August 2026 Victory reviewer called it a message of hope.
• Support is responsive. Trustpilot reviewers in August and September 2026 praised quick, hands-on Member Care; an October 2026 customer of about eight years called the monthly price economical.
• Parents like the peace of mind. Several five-star Trustpilot reviews from September and October 2026 come from parents covering a household.

Recurring complaints

• The VPN. August 2026 App Store reviewers said it keeps re-enabling and disrupts mobile data, GPS and texting; a May 2026 Play reviewer reported recurring "unreachable" errors.
• Cancelling and billing. An August 2026 App Store reviewer could not cancel; an April 2026 Play reviewer said there is no in-app cancellation; an October 2026 Trustpilot reviewer said refund requests went unanswered.
• Shame and false flags. A September 2026 App Store reviewer said the frequent notifications felt shaming; negative Trustpilot reviews mention overly sensitive flags.
• Reliability. A September 2026 App Store reviewer reported inaccurate partner alerts; an April 2026 Play reviewer was repeatedly signed out.

Victory Shield's written App Store reviews average 2.5 out of 5 across about 3,000 reviews, according to the mwm.ai store tracker, while its star rating sits at 4.3. People who tap a star are happier than people who write a paragraph.

Head-to-head

These are two different answers to the same problem. Covenant Eyes bets that being seen is what changes behaviour. WINNR bets that a counter which does not punish a slip, a partner you talk to rather than report to, and a psychologist you can afford will get you further. If you are not sure which describes you, the free check at winnr.now is a reasonable way to find out.

What the research says

Be careful with every company's claims, ours included. A 2022 content analysis in JMIR Formative Research reviewed 170 apps for problematic pornography use and found that none cited direct evidence of effectiveness or safety. That is true of Covenant Eyes, despite 25 years of operation, and it is true of WINNR. WINNR's science page says so plainly: the cited evidence concerns the methods WINNR uses, nobody has yet checked whether WINNR itself works, and a controlled study is planned after launch.

WINNR builds on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with CBT elements, self-monitoring with goal setting and feedback, and if-then plans; the screener is the PPCS-6 (Bothe et al. 2020). The team also draws on the Dual Control Model of sexual response (Bancroft and Janssen) to understand how urges rise and fall, as a model to design around rather than as proof that WINNR works. Covenant Eyes' FAQ argues that blocking alone rarely helps and relationships do; plausible, and not a published outcome study either.

WINNR is not a treatment, therapy or crisis service, and neither is Covenant Eyes. If porn use is seriously hurting your life, a licensed therapist is worth adding to either app.

When WINNR is the better choice

• You do not have, or do not want, a person reading reports about your screen. You would rather talk to a matched partner on your own terms.
• You want your answers and journal kept in the EU, with every processor named and a delete button that works immediately.
• You want to reach a real psychologist from inside the app at a price you can pay, once that feature opens.
• You are not a Christian, or you are and would rather keep faith and this habit in separate rooms.
• You have slipped before and want a counter that keeps your history instead of starting over.

When Covenant Eyes is the better choice

• You already have an ally, a friend, mentor or spouse, and you know that being seen is what stops you.
• You need blocking and reporting on a Windows or Mac laptop, not only a phone.
• You want one plan to cover a household of up to 10 people.
• You want a faith-based community and counselor-led courses written for that audience.
• You need something tonight, with a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to switch from Covenant Eyes, or use both

If you are moving to WINNR

1. Join the WINNR waiting list at winnr.now by taking the free 4-minute check. Your place and the founding price are reserved by email.
2. Talk to your ally first. The licence allows a final report to go to them when you remove them, so make it a conversation, not a surprise.
3. Cancel at the source. If you pay through the website, contact Member Care and keep the confirmation. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, cancel in your store subscriptions before renewal. Uninstalling does not cancel.
4. Uninstall Victory Shield properly. It installs a VPN profile. Follow the steps Member Care gives you so your phone's internet keeps working.
5. Ask for deletion in writing. Email support@covenanteyes.com and ask them to confirm what was removed. Accountability data ages out after 30 days on its own.
6. Keep a blocker in the gap. Until December, use Screen Time's adult-site limit on iPhone or Private DNS with a family filter on Android, with the passcode held by someone you trust. Our guide to the best porn blocker apps covers the free options.

If you want to use both

• Covenant Eyes for the laptop blocker and the ally reports, if you keep that relationship.
• WINNR for the counter, the urge timer, the matched partner and the psychologist sessions once they open.
• If you also use a streak app like QUITTR, keep one app as your official counter.

Key takeaways

• Covenant Eyes (now Victory and Victory Shield) is a 25-year-old monitoring tool: blurred screenshots and alerts go to an ally you choose, with blocking on four platforms. It costs 18 dollars a month or 198 a year on the web, more in the App Store.
• Its star ratings are high (4.7 for Victory, 4.3 to 4.4 for Shield), but 2026 written reviews return to the VPN breaking connectivity, cancellation that needs a call or chat, and notifications that feel shaming.
• Its privacy policy dates from August 2021, names no storage location, and keeps account data indefinitely; accountability data is deleted after 30 days.
• WINNR costs 9 euro a month or 49 euro a year, keeps data in the EU except for opt-in AI coach messages, keeps your full history after a slip, and sends reports to nobody.
• WINNR is not in the stores until December 2026, its psychologist access and social-media blur are in development, and it has no outcome data, like every app in this category.

FAQ

How much does Covenant Eyes cost?

As of October 2026, the website lists 18 US dollars a month, 198 dollars a year or 950 dollars for a lifetime plan, each after a 7-day free trial, covering up to 10 people. App Store purchases are higher, at 19.99 and 219.99 dollars.

Is Covenant Eyes free?

No. There is a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users. Lessons, check-ins and community are free in the Victory app, but the activity feed, the ally connection and the blocker need a paid plan. Allies use the app for free.

Does Covenant Eyes block porn?

Yes. Victory Shield blocks explicit domains across apps on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac, with custom lists. On iPhone, accountability screenshots are only taken in Safari.

Is Covenant Eyes worth it?

If you have a trusted ally and you respond to being seen, many users say yes, and support gets consistent praise. If you are on your own, or the thought of someone receiving alerts makes you more likely to hide than to stop, it is an expensive way to feel watched. Read the 2026 reviews about the VPN and cancellation first.

Is WINNR better than Covenant Eyes?

They do different jobs. Covenant Eyes reports your screen to an ally and blocks across devices; WINNR gives you a counter, an urge timer, a matched partner, an opt-in AI coach and a path to a psychologist, with no reports to anyone and data kept in the EU. Today only Covenant Eyes exists on your phone. Neither has published evidence that it works.

Can I use WINNR and Covenant Eyes together?

Yes. Covenant Eyes for the laptop blocker and the ally relationship, WINNR for the daily habit work and the psychologist sessions. Keep one app as your main record of progress.

Want a plan for your own pattern? Take the private 4-minute check. Fighting an urge right now? Open the urge page.