Comparison

Apollo ID vs Penlock

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

Head to head
About

Apollo ID

Manage your digital identity for venues and events. Purchase food, drinks, tickets, and memberships directly from your device. Earn rewards for your loyalty and streamline your experience.

Highlights
  • Digital passport for venues
  • Event ticket management
  • In-app purchases for food and drinks
  • Membership management
  • Loyalty rewards program
Features
Read full description

Apollo ID is your digital passport & wallet to your favorite venues and events. You can purchase drinks, food, bottles, memberships, tickets etc. at your fingertips and always be rewarded for your patronage.

About

Penlock

Features
Read full description

Penlock is a beautiful journaling app built on one principle: your words never leave your device. No cloud sync. No accounts. No servers. No subscriptions. Everything you write is stored locally on your iPhone — private by design, not as an afterthought. WRITE FREELY Create journal entries, attach photos, set your mood, and organize with custom colored tags. Whether it's a quick daily reflection or a detailed travel log, Penlock gives you everything you need — and nothing you don't. START FROM YOUR DAY On iPhone, Journaling Suggestions bring up moments from your day — photos, places, workouts and music — so you never face a blank page. You choose what to use; Penlock only sees what you pick. STAY PRIVATE Your journal is protected by Face ID or Touch ID. All data lives in Apple's secure local storage — never uploaded, never shared, never seen by anyone but you. BUILD A HABIT Track your writing streak and keep the momentum going. Add the streak widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Use built-in writing starters — gratitude, daily reflection, goal setting, weekly review, travel log — or create your own custom prompts. DISCOVER YOUR PAST The Timeline view lets you navigate entries by date at a glance. Memories and the On This Day widget show what you wrote on this day in previous years. Full-text search puts every thought you've ever written at your fingertips. SHARE YOUR PROGRESS, NOT YOUR WORDS Celebrate a streak or your Year in Penlock with a shareable card. Cards show only your numbers — days, entries, words — never what you wrote. ONE PRICE. YOURS FOREVER. Penlock is a one-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring charges, all future updates included. Try it free with up to 10 entries, then unlock everything for life. FEATURES · Unlimited journal entries (after one-time unlock) · Custom tags with 10 color options · Photo attachments — up to 10 per entry · Mood tracking with 12 emoji moods · Writing starters and custom templates · Journaling Suggestions on iPhone · Writing streak tracker · Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets · On This Day memories · Shareable streak and Year in Penlock cards · Timeline calendar view · Full-text search · Markdown export · Face ID / Touch ID protection · Daily writing reminders · No cloud, no accounts · All future updates included PRIVACY Penlock does not collect any personal data. Your journal entries, photos, and preferences never leave your device. The only third-party services are RevenueCat for purchase validation and anonymous crash reports that help fix bugs — neither ever receives any of your journal content. Full privacy policy at tonybach.io/Penlock/privacy.

Screenshots

Apollo ID3 screens
Penlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Apollo ID at none against Penlock's 1. Apollo ID also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). Penlock's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Penlock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Apollo ID asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Apollo ID ships an update fortnightly, Penlock every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Apollo ID versus Penlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApollo IDPenlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (124 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings124 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB20 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperApollo Technology Platform, IncorporatedPHUC HOANG BACH

Bugs and requests

Apollo ID

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App doesn't work as advertised
  • Sign-up flow gets messed up
  • Login doesn't work
  • SMS verification fails
  • Manual login crashes
Show 6 more
  • Servers can't handle traffic
  • App crashes
  • App won't load
  • Rejected RSVP
  • Bouncers hired by app were aggressive
  • One venue not able to purchase via app

Requested features

7 requests
  • Android support for Apple Pay
  • More reliable servers to handle traffic
  • Waiting queue for presales
  • Clearer information for presales
  • Improved login process
Show 2 more
  • Better association of phone numbers with accounts
  • Fix sign-up flow issues

Penlock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Apollo ID

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Penlock

One-time1
  • Penlock Lifetime$7.99

Questions

Is Apollo ID free?
Apollo ID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Penlock free?
Penlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Apollo ID or Penlock have ads?
Apollo ID shows ads; Penlock does not.
Which is updated more often, Apollo ID or Penlock?
Apollo ID ships an update fortnightly, and Penlock every 4 months. Most recently, Apollo ID was updated on October 22, 2026 and Penlock on October 22, 2026.

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