Rysing vs Amber Lock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rysing
Transform self-improvement into a fantasy RPG adventure. Create quests for your goals and earn XP by completing real-life actions. Build routines, track focus, and progress through a world shaped by your consistency.
- Fantasy RPG gamification
- Quest creation for habits and goals
- XP gain from real-life actions
- Character progression system
- Focus session tracking
- Story-driven campaigns
- Optional Apple Health integration
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Rysing turns self-improvement into a fantasy RPG and requires a Rysing Premium subscription after onboarding to access the full app experience. Rysing Premium includes a 7-day free trial, then renews monthly through Apple In-App Purchase. Subscription purchase, renewal, cancellation, and management are handled through your Apple ID settings. Create quests for the habits, routines, and goals you want to keep. Complete real-life actions to gain XP, strengthen your character, and move through a world shaped by your progress. Build daily routines, track focus sessions, follow story-driven campaigns, and earn rewards as your consistency grows. Optional Apple Health integration lets supported real-world activity contribute to your journey. Rysing is built for people who want productivity to feel less like a checklist and more like an adventure. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://rysing.vercel.app/privacy
Amber Lock
This app locks distracting applications behind a unique challenge: you must walk to unlock them. Earn screen time by increasing your daily steps and reclaiming your focus.
- Seal distracting apps
- Unlock apps by walking
- Customize step-to-time ratio
- Set unlock duration limits
- Track reclaimed screen time
- Home screen widget for quick access
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Amber Lock seals your most distracting apps in digital amber. To get them back, you have to stand up and walk. Whether your goals are to reduce screen time, increase your daily steps, or both, Amber Lock has got you covered! THE LEGEND Gnomish stories tell of a distracted worker whose candied berries were sealed in tree sap until he finished plowing the fields. Amber Lock applies the same friction to your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Seal your distractions. Pick your worst offenders (social media, games, news) and lock them inside the amber. 2. Set your own rules. Decide how many steps buy one minute, how many steps the tank can hold, and how long a single unlock is allowed to run. 3. Walk. Put the phone in your pocket and go. Your real steps charge the Melter. 4. Melt the amber. Spend that charge whenever you choose, up to the limit you set. 5. Watch it re-seal. When the charge runs dry, the amber locks your apps again. BUILT FOR YOUR SCREEN TIME, NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S A 4am doomscroller and a gamer who wants one clean hour at night need opposite things from a blocker. Most apps give them the same one. If your problem is the slow drip (five minutes here, twenty there) run a small tank and a short unlock cap. A slip costs you five minutes, not the entire evening. If your problem is that you want your hour before bed and you want it uninterrupted, use the deep tank instead. Bank steps all day, then spend them in one sitting without the app locking you out halfway through. SEE WHAT YOU GET BACK Amber Lock tracks your time in sealed apps week over week, so you can watch the hours come back. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN A widget sits beside your locked apps showing the time you have left, so you can melt or re-seal without opening anything. PRIVACY Amber Lock uses Apple's Screen Time API to block apps directly on your device. Your app usage data never leaves your phone. It isn't sent to us or to anyone else. Your step data stays on your device too. NO SUBSCRIPTION Amber Lock is free, and it's fully usable that way. One optional upgrade is available as one-time purchases. This gives you access to premium settings which allow you to further customize your Amber Melter! Take back your time. Seal the distractions. Earn your screen time. Terms & conditions of use: https://www.gnomesteadcollective.com/terms?app=amber-lock#amber-lock
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Amber Lock at free with in-app purchases against Rysing's subscription. Amber Lock also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Rysing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Amber Lock sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Rysing against 5.0 for Amber Lock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Rysing ships an update weekly, Amber Lock every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rysing | Amber Lock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 107 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jose Oliveira | Gnomestead Collective LLC |
Customer experience
Rysing
Amber Lock
In-app purchases
Rysing
- Rysing Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Rysing Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Amber Lock
- 1,000 Step Power Bank (1x)$0.99
- 1,000 Step Power Bank (3x)$1.99
- 1,000 Step Power Bank (10x)$4.99
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- Premium Step Tank$7.99
- Premium Burn$7.99
- Premium Settings Bundle$9.99









