Comparison

Refocus vs DrillLock

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

Head to head
About

Refocus

This app helps you regain control of your digital life by blocking distracting apps and websites. It offers various methods to limit screen time, set schedules, and track your usage, promoting better focus and productivity.

Highlights
  • Block any app or website
  • Strict Mode with multiple unblocking challenges
  • Set app timers and time limits
  • Schedule blocking for specific times
  • Location-based blocking
  • Screen time analytics
  • macOS app available
Features
Read full description

Refocus is an app blocker & website blocker that helps you limit screen time on apps! Refocus is easy to use, yet has powerful screen time control features: ▶ Various ways to restrict or lock apps and block websites. Choose what helps you focus! Block any app or site — from social media and games to messaging and news. ▶ "Strict Mode" feature prevents you from unblocking. Set a passcode, or use an NFC tag, or wait a duration (ex. 30 seconds), or do a copy text challenge, or utilize Pomodoro (limit unblocking to 5 times per day, for 25 minutes each, with a 5-minute cooldown between each unblock). ▶ Block for a specific duration (ex. app timer for 30 minutes). ▶ Block at specific times (ex. every weekday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). ▶ Set app limits (ex. after 10 minutes of using Instagram, block it). Set an app time limit! ▶ Hide Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts in Safari. ▶ Block at the location you pick — whether it be home, work or school. ▶ View your daily, weekly and monthly Screen Time analytics. Use Refocus as a screen time tracker! ▶ Mac app that also lets you block apps and websites on macOS. ▶ And more! --- Visit www.refocusapp.co for more information. Terms of Use: - https://refocusapp.co/terms-of-use

About

DrillLock

This app requires users to solve a math problem before accessing distracting applications, helping to create focused study sessions. It offers scheduled blocking, usage limits, and temporary unlocks for essential apps. A pro subscription unlocks advanced features for serious learners.

Highlights
  • Math challenge to unlock apps
  • Scheduled app blocking
  • Usage limit blocking
  • Temporary unlocks
  • Essential app exceptions
  • Multiple rule support (Pro)
Read full description

Your study hours and your sleep are too important to leave to willpower. DrillLock locks the apps that eat them, and nothing opens again until you solve a math problem. You choose the apps that pull you away, and the hours they stay shut. Reach for one anyway and the math is waiting. Your hand stops, and the moment passes. IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU • You sit down to study, open one app for a second, and the next hour is gone • You get into bed on time and you're still awake at 1 a.m., scrolling • You have a deadline this week and keep drifting away from the work • You're studying for an exam, a license, or a degree while working full time • You've tried Screen Time and found it far too easy to tap right past WHAT YOU CAN DO Everyone starts with the same rule set: one lock — Instant or Schedule — the math challenge, and three ten-minute unlocks a day. • Start focusing right now (Instant) Choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour, and the noisy apps are out of reach for exactly that long. Made for the moment you finally sit down. • Decide once when the phone goes down (Schedule) Set the days and the time windows a single time. Your study block and your bedtime then hold on their own, so you're not renegotiating with yourself at midnight. • One question stands between you and the app (Math Challenge) Nothing opens until you solve a math problem and get it right. It's a small enough step to clear when you truly need the app, and just enough friction that most of the time you set the phone down instead. • Ten minutes, three times a day (Temporary Unlock) Get the challenge right and the app opens for ten minutes, then re-locks itself — no timer to watch, and one tap ends it early when you're done sooner. You get three a day. Once you've used the third one, the challenge stops appearing until tomorrow, and the lock simply holds. GOOD TO KNOW • DrillLock needs Screen Time permission to lock and release apps • Phone and other essential apps are never locked, so you can always reach help in an emergency • Locking runs on Apple's Screen Time system, so iOS decides part of how a blocked app looks and behaves • Every locking decision is made on your iPhone. DrillLock does not send your browsing history or the names of the apps you restrict. DrillLock collects anonymous usage data to improve the app. PRO: WRITE THE RULES YOURSELF • Run several locks at once, so your study block, your work hours, and your bedtime each get their own • Allowlist mode: shut everything except the handful of apps you name • Lock by usage instead of by the clock (Time Limit): give an app a daily allowance, and the moment you pass it, it closes for the rest of the day • Design the temporary unlock yourself: one to ten a day, at five, ten, twenty, or thirty minutes each • Hard challenges, with your own choice of digit count and number of questions Loosening a rule — more unlocks, longer ones, easier math — takes effect at midnight, never in the moment you want it. Tightening one takes effect right away. PRO is about setting your own terms in advance, not about getting out of them later. PRO is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly. You can cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Deciding once is easier than deciding fifty times a day. Set the rule tonight, and take back the hours that were quietly going missing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Refocus4 screens
DrillLock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: DrillLock at none against Refocus's shown. DrillLock also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Refocus's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Refocus sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and DrillLock sells 2 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

DrillLock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Refocus has 12K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Refocus ships an update weekly, DrillLock every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Refocus versus DrillLock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefocusDrillLock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (12K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12K — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLabi, LLCFRONTLINE LLC

Customer experience

Refocus

All ratings11,541 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews2,219 reviews
Positive93.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.0%

DrillLock

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Refocus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blocking issues after phone restart
  • Inconsistent behavior when pausing/unpausing sessions
  • Crashing when trying to block apps in certain categories

Requested features

5 requests
  • Passcode or biometric lock to prevent bypassing
  • More advanced blocking options (e.g., math problems to unblock)
  • Ability to purchase a one-time license instead of subscription
  • Notification warnings before blocking sessions end
  • Search function to find apps to block more easily

DrillLock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Refocus

Subscriptions9
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Refocus Pro (Family)7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro1 Month trial2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time4
  • Reset Strict Mode$1.00
  • Reset Strict Mode$5.00
  • Reset Strict Mode$10.00
Show 1 more
  • Reset Strict Mode$50.00
2 purchases

DrillLock

Subscriptions2
  • DrillLock PRO Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • DrillLock PRO Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Refocus free?
Refocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DrillLock free?
DrillLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Refocus or DrillLock?
DrillLock is rated higher. Refocus averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while DrillLock averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Refocus or DrillLock have ads?
Refocus shows ads; DrillLock does not.
Which is updated more often, Refocus or DrillLock?
Refocus ships an update weekly, and DrillLock every 5 days. Most recently, Refocus was updated on October 21, 2026 and DrillLock on October 13, 2026.

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