Comparison

Focus Wave vs OnLock

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

Head to head
About

Focus Wave

Read full description

A simple yet highly effective technique. Use Focus Wave to enhance your focus time. It encourages you to work with the time you have rather than against it and helps you prevent burnout. Set your timer, choose an ambient sound, and track your progress.

About

OnLock

This app enforces focus by locking distracting applications at the operating system level. It uses AI to verify study sessions with photos, ensuring your progress is genuine and building an earned streak. Features include scheduled blocks, intent journaling, and focus intelligence insights.

Highlights
  • OS-level distraction blocking
  • AI-verified study sessions
  • Streak building
  • Scheduled recurring blocks
  • Intent journaling
  • Focus intelligence insights
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Studying doesn't fail because you're lazy. It fails because Instagram is one swipe away, and willpower is not a strategy. OnLock is the block you can't talk yourself out of. When a session starts, OnLock locks your distractions at the operating system level using Apple's Family Controls. No "5 more minutes." No uninstall trick. The shield holds until you finish. But blocking is the easy part. The hard part is proving the work was real. Before any session counts toward your streak, OnLock's AI reviews a photo of what you did. No proof, no credit. THE SHIELD • Un-bypassable OS-level enforcement built on Apple's Family Controls • Locks the apps that derail you: social, games, browsers, anything • Holds through restarts, app deletion, and panic uninstalls • Schedule recurring blocks for the hours you always slip AI PROOF • Submit a photo of your notes, work, or finished problem set • AI verifies the session was genuine study before your streak counts • Catches the "I just sat there" sessions you'd rather forget • Builds a streak you actually earned THE INTERVENTION • A quiet pause before every session to ask if this is really study time • Journal your intent so distraction has to argue with your own words • Reflect after to see what is actually working THE WHY ON A TIMER • Plot your exams on a real countdown • Every session lands against the clock • See what each lost hour costs you FOCUS INTELLIGENCE • Learns your peak hours, worst blockers, and patterns • Tells you when to study and when to stop pretending • Your data, your insight, never shared ALWAYS ON • Home screen widgets in three sizes • Lock screen complications for glanceable streaks • Quick Study: one tap and you're locked in THE AESTHETIC A calm, editorial interface designed to feel nothing like the apps it replaces. No infinite scroll. No screaming notifications. No dopamine arcade. Just focus. PRIVACY • Screen time data stays on your device • Built on Apple's native Family Controls and Screen Time APIs • Photos for AI proof are reviewed and discarded • No tracking, no sale, no leak FREE Every feature above is included, free. No subscription, no upsells, no locked tools. Stop trying harder. Start being unable. OnLock. The focus you can't undo. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://onlock-api.joshuawang2048.workers.dev/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Focus Wave4 screens
OnLock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus Wave at every 2 days against OnLock's every 5 weeks. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Wave ships an update every 2 days, OnLock every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Focus Wave versus OnLock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus WaveOnLock
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSantiago LimasTing Ting Xu

In-app purchases

None

Focus Wave

No in-app purchases

None

OnLock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus Wave free?
Focus Wave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OnLock free?
OnLock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Focus Wave or OnLock have ads?
Neither Focus Wave nor OnLock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Wave or OnLock?
Focus Wave ships an update every 2 days, and OnLock every 5 weeks. Most recently, Focus Wave was updated on October 10, 2026 and OnLock on October 24, 2026.

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