# Dr Diary vs Padlock

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Padlock at 87% against Dr Diary's 21%. Padlock also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Dr Diary's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Dr Diary ships an update every 3 months, Padlock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dr Diary | Padlock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 21.1% of reviews | **86.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 125 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [British Medical Association (BMA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/499293884) | [Padlock Focus Technologies LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1803911081) |

## What reviewers say

### Dr Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dr-diary/id1372708556)

This work diary helps UK doctors track job plan activities, understand work patterns, and manage professional development. It allows for detailed activity logging, personalized entries, and report generation to inform negotiations and appraisals.

**Highlights:** Offline activity logging, Personalized activity tracking, 15 or 30-minute time slots, Track multiple employers, Copy/paste daily/weekly activities, Summary and detailed reports, Share reports with employers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Padlock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/padlock-remove-distractions/id6475106602)

This app locks distracting applications on your iPhone by requiring a physical device to be tapped against your phone. Once locked, apps remain inaccessible until the physical device is tapped again to unlock them.

**Highlights:** Lock distracting apps, Physical device integration, App access control, Phone distraction management

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dr Diary free?

Dr Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Padlock free?

Padlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Dr Diary or Padlock have ads?

Neither Dr Diary nor Padlock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dr Diary or Padlock?

Dr Diary ships an update every 3 months, and Padlock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Dr Diary was updated on October 5, 2026 and Padlock on October 14, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*