Comparison

Focus Lock vs Core Time

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Focus Lock

This app helps you reduce screen time and block distracting applications to improve focus and productivity. It offers customizable blocking sessions, scheduling, and progress tracking to support digital detox and better presence.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Set screen time limits
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Digital detox without deleting apps
  • Track progress and streaks
  • Save custom session shortcuts
Features
Read full description

For over 7 years, Focus Lock is the original #1 app for limiting screen time and the easiest way to block distracting apps on your phone. With Focus Lock, you can block all or selected apps for a period of time, allowing you to focus, get more done, and simply be present without distractions. Whether you’re working from home, studying, focusing, reading, sleeping, hanging with family, or taking a detox from social media, Focus Lock will make your life a whole lot easier. HEAR IT FROM OUR COMMUNITY: // “I am a better person, friend, mother, and employee because of this app. I flip it on at outings with friends and family and it has truly restored my ability to break away from the chains of cell phone addiction. I could never recommend this app enough.” // “It’s honestly the best app ever. I appreciate how much it helps me focus. That I’m able to block my apps for an hour a day helps me be more productive and feel better.” // “Total insulation from distractions.” // “It prevents any and all distractions without deleting apps.” // "It saved my life, I got so much work done, and it changed my relationship with my phone." THE BENEFITS OF FOCUS LOCK - reduce your screentime select distracting apps to block - set up an automatic schedule to make Focus Lock part of your daily routine - take a digital detox without needing to delete any apps from your phone - heighten your productivity, focus, and ability to be more present HOW IT WORKS - Block Your Apps: start a session by selecting the apps you want to block and the duration of your session - Save Shortcuts: easily save a session to quickly access the same setup again for future blocks - Whitelist Apps: select all or specific apps you want to block, organized by app category - Tagged Goal: add a tag to your session to remember what you did - Activities: view your recent sessions organized by date, tag, and duration - Weekly Progress: view your progress by completed days of the week - Day Streak: stay on track and compete against yourself with a day streak - Daily Goal: set up a goal for how much screentime you’d like to improve GO PREMIUM Focus Lock is created by the team behind Flipd (App of the Day 2021). It takes a team to build and maintain our apps, which is why we ask for a subscription to support our work. Your initial trial will give you up to five free sessions, after which you’ll need to upgrade to continue using Focus Lock. We never sell data and we don’t serve ads, so your premium subscription will go toward supporting the services we provide you. Without your premium subscription, Focus and Flipd wouldn’t be able to exist! If you were previously a Flipd subscriber and are wondering about a subscription migration, contact us at info@flipdapp.co. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year 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. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew at the subscription price unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the current subscription once activated during the subscription period. Manage your subscriptions in your iOS Account Settings after purchase. Terms and Conditions: http://www.flipdapp.co/terms-privacy Support Contact: info@flipdapp.co

About

Core Time

This app provides a strict approach to blocking distracting applications and websites, helping users regain focus and manage screen time. It offers customizable lock durations and schedules, ensuring boundaries are enforced without negotiation.

Highlights
  • Strict app blocking
  • Customizable lock durations
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Cold turkey focus mode
  • Dopamine detox support
  • ADHD-friendly focus aid
  • One-tap recovery
Features
Read full description

Core Time is a strict app blocker and screen time app lock for people who need more than a gentle reminder. Block apps cold turkey, protect your focus, and stop losing hours to social media, dopamine loops, and phone addiction. If Screen Time limits are too easy to ignore, Core Time gives you a harder reset. Choose the apps and websites that pull you away from what matters, set your lock duration or schedule, and let Core Time enforce the boundary until time is up. ▶ STRICT APP BLOCKER Select distracting apps, set a timer, and tap Lock Now. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit, games, and other dopamine traps stay blocked while your lock is active. ▶ SCREEN TIME APP LOCK Use Core Time as a stronger screen time blocker when default limits are not enough. Create hard app limits for study, deep work, bedtime, weekends, or any moment when one more scroll can ruin your day. ▶ COLD TURKEY FOCUS No snooze. No soft warning. No willpower negotiation. Core Time is built for people who want a cold turkey app blocker that removes temptation instead of asking you to resist it. ▶ STUDY, EXAMS, AND DEEP WORK Start a lock before homework, exam prep, reading, writing, coding, or meetings. Keep your phone nearby without letting social media or games steal your focus. ▶ DOPAMINE DETOX AND DIGITAL DETOX Trying to break a scrolling habit? Use Core Time to block the apps that trigger quick dopamine hits and build a calmer digital routine. It is useful for a daily digital detox, a weekend reset, or a longer phone addiction recovery plan. ▶ AUTOMATIC SCHEDULES Set recurring locks for school hours, work blocks, family time, or sleep. Core Time can activate on your schedule so you do not need to decide again every day. ▶ ADHD-FRIENDLY FOCUS SUPPORT When impulse control is hard, a reminder is not enough. Core Time helps by removing the option to open the apps you already decided to avoid. ▶ NO WAY OUT DURING A LOCK During an active lock, selected apps and websites show a shield screen. Core Time uses Apple's Screen Time API and Family Controls framework so blocking runs on your device and stays private. ▶ ONE-TAP RECOVERY If something goes wrong, use Fix Now in Settings to reset Core Time to a clean state quickly. ▶ RECOMMENDED FOR • Students preparing for exams or homework • Professionals protecting deep work blocks • People with ADHD who need stronger focus boundaries • Anyone reducing phone addiction, doomscrolling, or social media overuse • Night owls who want to stop scrolling before bed • Parents who want a clear app blocking routine on their own device Core Time is not another reminder app. It is a strict app blocker, screen time blocker, app lock, focus timer, and digital detox tool for people who want their time back. Take back control of your phone. Download Core Time and start your next focus block today. ▶ USE CASES THAT MATCH REAL LIFE Use Core Time before a study session, during exam prep, while writing, when coding, during meetings, at the gym, or before sleep. If you keep opening the same apps without thinking, create a lock before the habit starts. ▶ WHY IT HELPS Core Time turns a vague intention into a real boundary. Instead of checking your phone, feeling guilty, and trying again tomorrow, you make one decision up front and let the app enforce it. ▶ BUILT FOR REPEAT ROUTINES The best results come from repeated locks: weekday work blocks, daily study sessions, lunch breaks without scrolling, and bedtime screen time limits. Start small, then make your focus routine automatic. ▶ SCREEN TIME CONTROL AND APP DETOX Use Core Time as screen time control when you need cold turkey blocking, app detox, a dopamine detox app, or a phone detox app. It works as a blocker for apps that interrupt study, deep work, sleep, and real life. Terms of Use (EULA): https://core-ground.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://core-ground.com/privacy

Screenshots

Focus Lock4 screens
Core Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Core Time at 100% against Focus Lock's 23%. Core Time also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3). Focus Lock's advantage is ratings volume (295 vs 4) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus Lock sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Core Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Core Time holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus Lock has 295 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Focus Lock's written reviews are positive against 100% of Core Time's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Lock ships an update every 2 weeks, Core Time weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Focus Lock versus Core Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus LockCore Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (295 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings295 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlipd Appscoreground

Customer experience

Focus Lock

All ratings295 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative16.3%
Written reviews329 reviews
Positive22.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative66.3%

Core Time

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Focus Lock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Apps not returning after lock duration
  • Inability to unlock or reactivate apps
  • Frequent crashes or glitches

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow selective app locking
  • Provide scheduling options for automatic locks
  • Improve app organization after lock ends

Core Time

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Focus Lock

Subscriptions9
  • Weekly subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Monthly subscription$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • The Success Bundle$12.491 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription - 3 days free3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription - 7 days free7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Yearly subscription$49.991 Year
  • The Success Bundle$87.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focus Lock Premium Lifetime$99.99
3 purchases

Core Time

Subscriptions3
  • Core Time Pro (Monthly)$6.991 Month
  • Core Time Pro (Annual)$24.991 Year
  • Core Time Pro (Annual)$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Focus Lock free?
Focus Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Core Time free?
Core Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Focus Lock or Core Time?
Core Time is rated higher. Focus Lock averages 4.3 out of 5 from 295 ratings, while Core Time averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Focus Lock or Core Time have ads?
Neither Focus Lock nor Core Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Lock or Core Time?
Focus Lock ships an update every 2 weeks, and Core Time weekly. Most recently, Focus Lock was updated on November 7, 2026 and Core Time on November 5, 2026.

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