Freedom vs Lock In Squad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Freedom
This app helps you block distracting apps and websites to improve focus and productivity. Schedule blocking sessions across all your devices to build better screen time habits and reclaim productive hours.
- Block distracting apps and websites
- Schedule blocking sessions
- Sync across all devices
- Block the internet
- Locked Mode for habit commitment
- Focus sounds
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Block distracting apps and websites so you can focus, be more productive, and build better screen time habits. We've built the world's best app and website blocker, trusted by over 3 million individuals and teams to deliver focused attention for the things that matter most. During a Freedom session, when you attempt to open an app or website on your blocklist, Freedom blocks the app from opening and displays a peaceful green screen - reminding you that you're currently free of that distraction. Freedom users report gaining an average of 2.5 hours of productive time every day. They're more fulfilled, happier with work and family life, and have a healthier relationship with their technology. Schedule a Freedom app blocking session to start automatically when you need it – for complete, seamless control over distractions. Because Freedom works across all your devices, you'll feel confident knowing you're in complete control. We call it mindful productivity. There's no limit to the number of devices (including phones, tablets, and computers) you can connect to Freedom, so you can block apps and websites regardless of where you are or what you're doing. You'll stay focused, productive, and distraction-free. "Our favorite distraction-killing app blocker." – Lifehacker "One antidote to the always-on life is Freedom…" – Time Magazine "As Freedom shows, the solution to the problems created by technology isn't anti-technology, but more and better technology." – Huffington Post "Freedom has garnered celeb fans like Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Seth Godin, and Nora Ephron." – Mashable PEACE OF MIND - COVER EVERY DEVICE - For one price, Freedom covers all your devices (phones, tablets, and computers) with our powerful distraction-blocking technology. TURN OFF THE NOISE - BLOCK APPS and WEBSITES - Block distracting apps and websites for as long as you want. Select from a pre-made blocklist or create a custom blocklist of your time-consuming distractions. EXPERIENCE TOTAL PEACE - BLOCK THE INTERNET - Block the internet with a single button. Enjoy peace, quiet, and focus, away from all distractions. Freedom won't block important texts or calls, so you can enjoy offline time knowing you can be reached if need be! SMART COVERAGE - SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES - Distractions aren't limited to your phone! Sync block sessions to your phones, tablets, and computers. There's no limit to the number of devices you can use. CREATE GOOD HABITS - USE POWERFUL SCHEDULING - Schedule your blocks now, later, or create recurring blocks to help make focus and productivity a habit. LOCKED MODE - Use Locked Mode to commit to breaking bad digital habits and addictions. FOCUS SOUNDS - Free audio tracks give you an assortment of music, café, office, and nature sounds to help you stay focused and productive, no matter where you are. We're excited about helping you be the best version of yourself. We're continually building new tools - and they're always included in your subscription. We've also got a great Perks program which offers discounts on top productivity products. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS We’re confident that you’ll love Freedom, but just so you can be sure, we offer a 7-day free trial of Freedom Premium. After that it’s only $39.99 per year. Many Freedom users tell us it pays for itself within a few days! These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Your Freedom subscription will automatically renew at the end of each term and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Terms and Conditions - https://freedom.to/terms Privacy Policy - https://freedom.to/privacy Thank you!
Lock In Squad
This app helps you limit screen time by blocking selected apps, categories, or websites. You can set schedules, use timers, and even collaborate with friends to stay focused together. Earn in-app currency to customize your experience or watch ads for bonuses.
- Block apps, categories, and websites
- Set custom schedules
- Group lock-ins with friends
- Live Activity on Lock Screen
- Progress tracking and streaks
- In-app shop for customization
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Lock In Squad blocks the apps that pull you away while you're locked in, on your own or together with your friends. Pick your apps, start a timer or a stopwatch, and they stay blocked until you hold the Lock Out button. BLOCKING • Pick apps, whole categories such as Social or Games, and websites in Apple's Screen Time picker. • Choose Block these apps, or choose Allow only these apps to keep up to 50 apps open while every other app and website stays blocked. • Set up to five schedules, such as weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM, and your apps lock at those times even with Lock In Squad closed. • When a timer reaches zero, your apps stay blocked until you lock out. • To lock out, you hold the button for 1 to 30 seconds, however long you set, which gives you a moment to change your mind. • On iPhone, a Live Activity keeps your lock-in time on the Lock Screen. FRIENDS • Add friends by name or user ID, or share a link that adds you as a friend. • Start a group lock-in and follow the live standings while you lock in together. Invite friends in the app or with a link. • Give a group lock-in set times. Everyone who accepts them has their apps blocked at those times, and that time counts in the group's standings. • Keep a friend streak going on the focus days you share. • Like your friends' longer lock-ins, streak milestones, and group wins in Activity. • A glowing dot on a friend's picture means they're locked in right now. Send a nudge to a friend who hasn't started yet, or a cheer to one who has. • The weekly leaderboard ranks you and your friends by time locked in, and each week's winner wears a crown all the next week. PROGRESS • Your streak counts only the focus days you pick on the Block tab. • Share your streak, your week or a group win as a card made for stories, with a link that adds you as a friend. • Set a daily goal from 15 minutes to 4 hours on the Block tab. Your profile shows how close you are today, and its heatmap marks the days you hit it. • Your profile charts your focus time over 7, 30 or 90 days, a year or all time, next to a heatmap of the days you locked in. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show your lock with your streak or today's minutes. On a focus day you haven't locked in, the lock gets more worried as midnight gets close. • Reminders come from your lock, in its own voice, and switches in Settings turn them off by type. THE SHOP Each minute locked in earns you one minute for the Shop. Give your lock a body color, face, hat and top, pick a background and a button color, and save up for safes from a piggy bank to a vault door. Your safe's door shuts when you lock in and opens when you lock out. You can also watch an ad for 10 bonus minutes. A friend who signs up with your referral code gets 1,000 minutes, and you get 1,000 after their first lock-in. PRICE Lock In Squad is free to use. An ad can show when you end a stopwatch lock-in or quit a timer early, but never when you finish a timer. Premium is a single payment, with no subscription. It removes ads and comes with the Diamond safe and a Premium badge next to your name. Lock In Squad runs on iPhone and iPad, and blocking apps needs iOS 16 or later. It works with VoiceOver and has a dark mode in Settings. Start as a guest, then sign in with Apple, Google or email to keep your progress, see your stats and add friends. The privacy policy is at lockinsquad.com/privacy and the terms are at lockinsquad.com/terms.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lock In Squad at 5.0 against Freedom's 4.5. Lock In Squad also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (100% vs 64%). Freedom's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (6.1K vs 8). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Freedom sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Lock In Squad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lock In Squad holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freedom has 6.1K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Freedom's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lock In Squad's.
Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, Lock In Squad daily. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Freedom | Lock In Squad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (6.1K ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 94 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Eighty Percent Solutions | Eli Young |
Customer experience
Freedom
Lock In Squad
Bugs and requests
Freedom
Reported bugs
3 issues- Blocks unintended apps/websites
- Fails to block certain apps like Facebook, Instagram
- Doesn't work in low power mode on iOS
Requested features
4 requests- Allow specific app whitelisting
- Add time limit/usage tracking features
- Improve scheduling options (e.g. by day, not just time)
- Better integration with mobile OS features (e.g. iOS Screen Time)
Lock In Squad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Freedom
- Monthly Subscription$8.991 Month
- Freedom Monthly$12.991 Month
- Freedom Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
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- Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$39.991 Year
- Freedom Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Freedom Forever$199.00
Lock In Squad
- Lock In Premium (No Ads)$4.99








