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Pause Protocol vs Attached
Attached is an education-first app: attachment style quizzes, articles, and clear explanations of anxious, avoidant and secure patterns. Pause Protocol assumes you already know your style and need something to do at 11:47pm.
Pause Protocol
$9/month or $79/year
7 days of Plus free, no card. Free tier forever.
Attached
Subscription, varies
Per their public pricing — check their site, it changes.
Both are subscriptions. The real difference isn't price — it's whether you're buying understanding or an intervention.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pause Protocol | Attached |
|---|---|---|
| Attachment theory education and quizzes | ~ | ✓ |
| Built specifically for anxious attachment | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-the-moment urge intervention (guided pause timer) | ✓ | — |
| Urge log with trigger, feeling and intensity | ✓ | — |
| Hourly trigger patterns from your own data | ✓ | — |
| Victories log and hold rate | ✓ | — |
| Partner pairing and sealed notes | ✓ | — |
| Conflict mediation exercises for couples | ✓ | — |
| Community / peer content | — | ~ |
| Full-feature trial with no card | ✓ | ~ |
✓ yes · ~ partial / adjacent · — not really.
Choose Attached if…
- You are new to attachment theory and want the concepts explained well
- You learn best by reading and want a library, not a practice
- You mainly want to identify your style rather than change a behaviour
Choose Pause Protocol if…
- You already know you're anxiously attached and want the spiral interrupted
- You want evidence from your own logs that the urge passes on its own
- You want your partner in the loop without negotiating reassurance at 2 a.m.
Attached: honest pros and cons
Pros
- Genuinely strong educational content
- Good quizzes and plain-language explanations
- Great first step if the topic is new to you
Cons for anxious attachment
- Teaches you about the pattern more than it moves you through it
- No urge logging, sealed notes, or partner pairing
- Nothing designed for the acute moment
The verdict
Attached explains why you reach for your phone. Pause Protocol is what you open instead. Many people read Attached once and then need a practice — that's us.