Comparison

Winter Arc by Coldstart vs Winterlock

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

Head to head
About

Winter Arc by Coldstart

This app helps you achieve personal growth goals with a unique contract system. Create daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, sign and share your commitments, and track your progress with reminders and social sharing. Unlock unlimited tasks and notifications with a pro upgrade.

Highlights
  • Create custom or premade task contracts
  • Set daily, weekly, or monthly tasks
  • Sign and share goal contracts
  • Track progress with checklists
  • Receive reminders and inspirational quotes
  • Share progress on social media
Features
Read full description

Coldstart is the best app to help you accomplish all your goals for growth during the winter period. The beautifully designed and animated user experience is centered on helping you focus, and accomplish all of your goals. Here's how it works. 1. Create your task Choose from one of our premade contract or create your own from scratch. Set up daily, weekly or monthly tasks that you want to accomplish. Select how long your want your winter arc contract to go on for. 2. Sign and share your contract Once you're happy with your winter contract, sign it and then share it with friends and the rest of the world. 3. Start and finish your contract Open up the app and cross off tasks from your check list. Get reminders and inspiration from quotes and notifications that are there to remind you of your goal. Share your progress to social media and with friends to inspire them to continue. See how close you are to your goal and to completing your Winter Arc. Want to set up more tasks? Upgrade to our pro plan and get unlimited tasks and daily notifications so you can unlock your best version. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Service URL: https://www.winterarc.io/terms

About

Winterlock

This app helps you commit to personal goals during the winter months by setting daily rules and tracking your adherence. It provides a visual representation of your progress and streak, encouraging consistency. The app works offline and requires no account creation.

Highlights
  • Set up to 10 daily non-negotiable rules
  • Create a personalized contract card
  • Daily check-in to lock in progress
  • Visual 92-day grid for streak tracking
  • Offline functionality
  • Optional daily reminders
Features
Read full description

Your Winter Arc, tracked. The Winter Arc is simple: while everyone else coasts through the cold months, you lock in. Pick your window (Oct 1 to Dec 31 is the classic), write the daily rules you refuse to skip, sign your name, and show up every single day. WRITE YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES Up to 10 daily rules: train every day, 10k steps, no alcohol, read 10 pages, up before 6, no phone after 9pm. Yours, in your words. Tap a suggestion or type your own. SIGN THE CONTRACT A contract card with your rules, your dates and your signature. Post it before day one. Telling people is half the discipline. CHECK IN. LOCK THE DAY. Every day, check off each rule. All of them done = a perfect day and a streak. Miss one and the grid shows it. No hiding. WATCH THE ARC FILL UP A 92-day grid (or however long you set), perfect-day streak, best streak, rules hit rate, days left. Share the progress card whenever you want. BUILT FOR THE LONG HAUL - Optional daily reminder at the hour you choose - Works fully offline. No account, no sign-up, nothing leaves your phone - Any dates: Oct 1 to Dec 31, 90 days from today, Nov 1 to Jan 31, or your own - Available in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian Free to use, supported by a small ad on the progress screen. Your check-in list stays ad-free, always. Winterlock is a habit tracker, not a coach or a medical tool. The only thing it measures is whether you kept your word.

Screenshots

Winter Arc by Coldstart4 screens
Winterlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Winterlock at none against Winter Arc by Coldstart's 7. Winterlock also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). Winter Arc by Coldstart's advantage is ratings volume (42 vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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. Winter Arc by Coldstart sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Winterlock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Winter Arc by Coldstart against 5.0 for Winterlock. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Winter Arc by Coldstart has 42 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Winter Arc by Coldstart ships an update every 6 weeks, Winterlock every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Winter Arc by Coldstart versus Winterlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWinter Arc by ColdstartWinterlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (42 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings42 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTheRoaming, IncGCL Tech

Customer experience

Winter Arc by Coldstart

All ratings42 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Winterlock

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

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Winter Arc by Coldstart

Subscriptions7
  • Winter Arc Pro$2.991 Month
  • Winter Arc Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Winter Arc Pro Weekly$9.997 Days
Show 4 more
  • Winter Arc Pro (6 months)$14.996 Months
  • Winter Arc Pro (Annual)$24.991 Year
  • Winter Arc Pro (Six Months)$24.996 Months
  • Winter Arc Pro Annual$49.991 Year
None

Winterlock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Winter Arc by Coldstart free?
Winter Arc by Coldstart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Winterlock free?
Winterlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Winter Arc by Coldstart or Winterlock?
Winter Arc by Coldstart and Winterlock are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 42 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Winter Arc by Coldstart or Winterlock have ads?
Both Winter Arc by Coldstart and Winterlock show ads.
Which is updated more often, Winter Arc by Coldstart or Winterlock?
Winter Arc by Coldstart ships an update every 6 weeks, and Winterlock every 5 days. Most recently, Winter Arc by Coldstart was updated on October 16, 2026 and Winterlock on October 7, 2026.

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