Comparison

Focus Lock vs Charge Screen 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

Enhance concentration and achieve goals with customizable focus timers and distraction blocking. This tool offers ambient sounds, motivational quotes, and cross-platform support to optimize your workflow for deep work or short bursts of productivity.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Customizable focus and break sessions
  • Ambient sounds for concentration
  • Motivational quotes via widgets
  • Cross-platform support (iOS, iPadOS, macOS)
Features
Read full description

Focus Lock Pro is your ultimate tool for maximizing productivity and achieving your goals. With customizable focus and break sessions, distraction-blocking capabilities, and motivational quotes, Focus Lock Pro adapts to your personal workflow, whether you need short bursts of focus or extended deep work sessions. Key Features: - Block Distractions: Prevent distractions by blocking specific apps during focus sessions, ensuring you stay on track and accomplish more. - Customize Sessions: Set the perfect length for focus and break times. Whether you prefer short bursts or deep, uninterrupted work, tailor each session to your needs. - Ambient Sounds: Create the ideal environment for concentration with a variety of soothing ambient sounds. - Enhance your focus sessions with beautiful, relaxing wallpapers. - Motivational Quotes: Stay inspired and motivated with uplifting quotes displayed on your homescreen and lock screen through widgets. - Cross-Platform Support: Seamlessly integrated across iOS, iPad, and MacOS, Focus Lock Pro keeps you productive on all your devices. For more details, please read our Privacy Policy - https://sites.google.com/view/focuslock/privacy Terms of Service - https://sites.google.com/view/focuslockpro/terms Support Page - https://sites.google.com/view/focus-lock-pro/support

About

Charge Screen Time

This app provides a renewable screen time budget, allowing you to set limits on specific apps, websites, and categories. Once your budget is depleted, access is blocked until minutes drip back over a set interval.

Highlights
  • Renewable screen time budget
  • App and website limiting
  • Category-based restrictions
  • Customizable drip intervals
  • Blocks access when budget is zero
Read full description

Block distracting apps without the all-or-nothing cutoff. Charge gives any app or website you choose a charge of minutes, like a battery. Once you've used the useful portion of your scrolling, it blocks until you take a break! Most screen time limits are a wall: you hit it, you're locked out until tomorrow, so you switch the limit off. Charge works like a battery instead. Spend your charge when you need it and recharge every time you step away. Run out, and Charge blocks those apps with Apple's own Screen Time shield until you've recharged. HOW IT WORKS • Pick the apps, websites or categories that steal your time • Choose a preset (Lockdown, Limited, Restrained or Relaxed) or set your own • Your charge goes down while you use them; at zero they're blocked • Take a break from them and recharge, up to your max charge FEATURES • App blocker and website blocker built on Apple Screen Time. No VPN, no accessibility tricks • Earned breaks: time away from your apps recharges them • Multiple blocklists, each with its own charge, for social media, games, news, shopping or work email • Schedules: only count time during work hours, school or evenings • Always-block schedules for sleep, study or deep focus • Locked mode: a blocklist that's out of charge can't be edited, paused or deleted, so you can't talk yourself out of your own limits • Lock on low charge: lock your settings when you're running low, not just at zero • Low charge alerts before you run out • Mindful Launcher widget: open apps through a short breathing pause, count your pickups and cap how often you open them • Stats: see how many hours your apps stayed blocked and how much charge you never even needed • Break the Glass: once a day, unblock everything for 3 minutes when you really need it FOR DOOMSCROLLING, NOT FOR LIVING Charge is for the endless feeds, autoplay video and autopilot pickups, not for cutting off your whole phone. Reduce screen time, break the phone addiction loop and stay focused for work and study without deleting apps. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Uses Apple's Screen Time framework. Charge never sees the names of the apps you pick • Your blocklists and their charge stay on your iPhone • No account, no sign-up • Anonymous usage analytics only, with no personal information CHARGE PRO Charge is free with up to 3 blocklists, recommended presets, a low charge alert, Locked mode, Lock on low charge, the Mindful Launcher widget and Stats. Charge Pro adds more blocklists, custom charge settings, always-block schedules, up to 5 low charge alerts per blocklist and Break the Glass. Charge Pro is a monthly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm your purchase. It renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.chargescreentime.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Focus Lock4 screens
Charge Screen Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Charge Screen Time at free against Focus Lock's free with in-app purchases. Charge Screen Time also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Focus Lock's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, 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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Charge Screen Time sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Focus Lock against 5.0 for Charge Screen Time. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Lock ships an update every 5 days, Charge Screen Time every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Focus Lock versus Charge Screen Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus LockCharge Screen Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKonstantinos MeletiouRoman Pisani

Customer experience

Focus Lock

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

Charge Screen Time

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus Lock

Subscriptions2
  • Focus Lock Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Focus Lock Pro - Yearly14 Days trial$7.991 Year
1 purchases

Charge Screen Time

Subscriptions1
  • Charge Pro$5.991 Month

Questions

Is Focus Lock free?
Focus Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Charge Screen Time free?
Charge Screen Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Focus Lock or Charge Screen Time?
Focus Lock and Charge Screen Time are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Focus Lock or Charge Screen Time have ads?
Neither Focus Lock nor Charge Screen Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Lock or Charge Screen Time?
Focus Lock ships an update every 5 days, and Charge Screen Time every 2 weeks. Most recently, Focus Lock was updated on October 27, 2026 and Charge Screen Time on November 10, 2026.

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