Comparison

Lock In Squad vs Science Explorer

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

Head to head
About

Lock In Squad

This app helps you limit screen time by blocking selected applications and websites. You can set timers, block apps by category, and even collaborate with friends to stay focused together. Earn in-app currency to customize your blocking experience.

Highlights
  • Block apps by category or specific selection
  • Set timed schedules for app blocking
  • Collaborate with friends for group focus sessions
  • Track focus streaks and daily goals
  • Customize app blocker appearance
  • Live Activities and widgets for lock-in status
Features
Read full description

Lock In Squad blocks the apps that pull you away while you're locked in, on your own or together with your friends. Pick your apps, start a timer or a stopwatch, and they stay blocked until you hold the Lock Out button. BLOCKING • Pick apps, whole categories such as Social or Games, and websites in Apple's Screen Time picker. • Choose Block these apps, or choose Allow only these apps to keep up to 50 apps open while every other app and website stays blocked. • Set up to five schedules, such as weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM, and your apps lock at those times even with Lock In Squad closed. • When a timer reaches zero, your apps stay blocked until you lock out. • To lock out, you hold the button for 1 to 30 seconds, however long you set, which gives you a moment to change your mind. • On iPhone, a Live Activity keeps your lock-in time on the Lock Screen. FRIENDS • Add friends by name or user ID, or share a link that adds you as a friend. • Start a group lock-in and follow the live standings while you lock in together. Invite friends in the app or with a link. • Give a group lock-in set times. Everyone who accepts them has their apps blocked at those times, and that time counts in the group's standings. • Keep a friend streak going on the focus days you share. • Like your friends' longer lock-ins, streak milestones, and group wins in Activity. • A glowing dot on a friend's picture means they're locked in right now. Send a nudge to a friend who hasn't started yet, or a cheer to one who has. • The weekly leaderboard ranks you and your friends by time locked in, and each week's winner wears a crown all the next week. PROGRESS • Your streak counts only the focus days you pick on the Block tab. • Share your streak, your week or a group win as a card made for stories, with a link that adds you as a friend. • Set a daily goal from 15 minutes to 8 hours on the Block tab. Your profile shows how close you are today, and its heatmap marks the days you hit it. • Your profile charts your focus time over 7, 30 or 90 days, a year or all time, next to a heatmap of the days you locked in. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show your lock with your streak or today's minutes. On a focus day you haven't locked in, the lock gets more worried as midnight gets close. • Reminders come from your lock, in its own voice, and switches in Settings turn them off by type. THE SHOP Each minute locked in earns you one minute for the Shop. Give your lock a body color, face, hat and top, pick a background and a button color, and save up for safes from a piggy bank to a vault door. Your safe's door shuts when you lock in and opens when you lock out. You can also watch an ad for 10 bonus minutes. A friend who signs up with your referral code gets 1,000 minutes, and you get 1,000 after their first lock-in. PRICE Lock In Squad is free to use. An ad can show when you end a stopwatch lock-in or quit a timer early, but never when you finish a timer. Premium is a single payment, with no subscription. It removes ads and comes with the Diamond safe and a Premium badge next to your name. Lock In Squad runs on iPhone and iPad, and blocking apps needs iOS 16 or later. It works with VoiceOver and has a dark mode in Settings. Start as a guest, then sign in with Apple, Google or email to keep your progress, see your stats and add friends. The privacy policy is at lockinsquad.com/privacy and the terms are at lockinsquad.com/terms.

About

Science Explorer

Features
Read full description

Science Explorer - the smart way to master science! Built for the curriculum, Science Explorer covers Year 7 through Year 10 with 8 topics, 118 levels, and 1,950+ real science questions. YEAR 7-8 TOPICS (10 levels each): - Chemistry — Atoms, elements, reactions & the periodic table (220+ questions) - Biology — Cells, body systems, ecosystems & genetics (200+ questions) - Physics — Forces, energy, electricity & motion (200+ questions) - Earth Science — Rocks, plate tectonics, weather & space (200+ questions) - Scientific Method — Experiments, variables, data & lab safety (200+ questions) YEAR 9-10 TOPICS (20 levels each): - Chemistry II — Bonding, moles, stoichiometry & organic chemistry (250+ questions) - Biology II — DNA, evolution, human physiology & disease (250+ questions) - Physics II — Waves, electromagnetism, nuclear & quantum (250+ questions) - New Space & Universe topic — 80 questions across 8 levels LEARN FROM EVERY MISTAKE: Every question includes a detailed explanation. Correct answers auto-advance so you keep your flow. Wrong answers show the solution — tap to review, then move on. SMART PLACEMENT TEST: A quick placement quiz on first launch determines your starting level automatically. GAMIFIED LEARNING: - Earn 1-3 stars on every level - Build answer streaks for bonus XP - Level up and unlock 30 achievements - Compete on the global leaderboard - Complete the daily challenge for extra rewards 1,950+ QUESTIONS across 110 levels — every quiz draws from a large pool so it's different every time. All aligned to the Curriculum. Created by A Star Learner — helping students achieve their best.

Screenshots

Lock In Squad4 screens
Science Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Science Explorer at none against Lock In Squad's 1. Science Explorer also leads on ads (none vs shown). Lock In Squad's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). 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. Lock In Squad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Science Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lock In Squad ships an update daily, Science Explorer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lock In Squad versus Science Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLock In SquadScience Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 9 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB30 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperEli YoungDung Ba Nguyen

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lock In Squad

One-time1
  • Lock In Premium (No Ads)$4.99
None

Science Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lock In Squad free?
Lock In Squad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Science Explorer free?
Science Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lock In Squad or Science Explorer have ads?
Lock In Squad shows ads; Science Explorer does not.
Which is updated more often, Lock In Squad or Science Explorer?
Lock In Squad ships an update daily, and Science Explorer every 9 days. Most recently, Lock In Squad was updated on November 5, 2026 and Science Explorer on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons