Essential vs HRLocker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Essential
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The Essential App allows you to use your company’s Magnet Voice PBX system from any iPhone or iPad to Make and Receive Calls, chat with colleagues individually or in groups and access your Magnet Voicemail box. •Professional, modern and intuitive app design. •Making use of Apple’s Callkit Technology makes for familiar call handling, integration with iPhone contacts / recents lists and easy use of Bluetooth headsets and carkits. •Making use of Apple’s Push technology ensures you are contactable whilst preserving battery life. •Single number for both fixed and mobile devices. •Incoming calls to your fixed desk phone are automatically routed to your iPhone/iPad. •Incoming calls to the App show the number of the caller, not the PBX. •All outgoing calls from your App show the company number, not your mobile number. •Make calls from your iPhone/iPad contact list or from the company central address book in the PBX. In either case you present the CLI number of the company PBX. •Busy on mobile device status is indicated to other users. •Call history - missed calls, received calls, dialled calls. •Listen to and manage your business voicemails. •Chat with colleagues either individually or in groups. •Presence … You can change your own DND Message and you can also see the status and availability of your Colleagues •The PBX may be programmed to send all your app calls over IP or to the GSM network when you are off site and over Wifi on your LAN. •The Essential App uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology over both Wifi and 4G networks. Call quality is dependent on the quality of your 4G network or available WiFi network.
HRLocker
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All-in-one complete HR Software that will transform your people management, saving you money and time!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Essential at every 4 months against HRLocker's every 11 months. HRLocker's advantage is iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Essential ships an update every 4 months, HRLocker every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Essential | HRLocker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MDS Gateways | HRLocker |
In-app purchases
Essential
No in-app purchases
HRLocker
No in-app purchases






