Comparison

Span vs LockNotes

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

Head to head
About

Span

Features
Read full description

Most calendars are just lists of text. They hide the reality of your day. Span is different. It visualizes your schedule as a continuous, flowing timeline, helping you focus on what’s happening now and what’s up next. Designed for visual thinkers. WHY SPAN?  • The unique layout transforms your list into a clear, continuous timeline. Instantly see what you have on without the clutter.  • Colour-code your life (Work, Health, Deep Work) and use Emojis to recognise tasks instantly without reading.  • A clean interface that highlights your current status and upcoming block, keeping you present. SMART CSV IMPORT Span is designed to work alongside your favourite AI tools. Simply ask an AI tool to generate a schedule as a CSV, and paste it directly into Span. We handle the formatting; you bring the plan. YOURS FOREVER  • No Subscriptions: Buy Span once, and it is yours forever.  • Private by Design: Your data stays on your device. No accounts, no cloud servers, no tracking.  • Offline: Works perfectly without an internet connection. FEATURES  • Visual Timeline  • One-Tap "Skip" logic for flexible days  • CSV Import for complex and lengthy schedules  • Custom Category Colours & emoji title support. • Simple Backup & Restore features, keeping your schedules protected. Reclaim your day with Span.

About

LockNotes

Keep important notes and to-dos visible directly on your phone's Lock Screen. Quickly check off tasks, organize projects with boards and lists, and personalize your notes with various styles and handwriting options. Collaborate with friends in real-time on shared notes.

Highlights
  • Lock Screen notes and widgets
  • Task completion without unlocking
  • Boards and lists for project organization
  • Customizable paper and ink styles
  • Handwriting and drawing tools
  • Real-time collaborative notes
  • Home Screen widgets and Live Activities
Features
Read full description

Your notes live on the Lock Screen. You see them every time you pick up your phone — nothing to unlock, no app to open, nothing to forget. You wrote it down and never looked at it again. LockNotes fixes that by putting the note where your eyes already go. ■ Tick off tasks without unlocking Today's to-do list, the groceries, the thing you keep forgetting. Tap it right on the Lock Screen and it's done — the widget updates instantly. ■ Boards and lists for the bigger stuff A trip, a move, a school project. Make a board, add lists and cards, and pin the one that matters to your Lock Screen. Use it as a planner, or as a simple checklist. ■ 150 papers to pick from Paper color, ink color, grid or lines or dots. Pinch through 150 designs until one sits right on top of your wallpaper. ■ Handwrite, draw, doodle Seven pens — pencil, crayon, marker, fountain, watercolor and more. Scribble the way you would on a real sticky note. Drop in doodles and photos from your library as stickers. ■ 34 fonts Handwritten faces that read like a real notebook, and clean ones for when you want it tidy. Latin, Japanese, Korean and more. ■ Write together, live Share a note or a board with a friend using one code. You both write on the same paper and you both watch it change — live, on both Lock Screens. ■ A nudge, if you want one Set a daily reminder and pick the time. Or don't — the note sits there patiently either way. ■ Yours by default Notes stay on your device. Only what you choose to share goes to the cloud, only after you agree, and ending a share deletes it. Also inside: a Home Screen widget, a Live Activity, a diary of everything you have written, and 50+ hand-drawn app icons to match your mood. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Span4 screens
LockNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LockNotes at Free against Span's $0.99. LockNotes also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On 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

LockNotes is free to download; Span costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 5 level
Span versus LockNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpanLockNotes
Price$0.99Free — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB197 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSamuel AttwoodHiPups inc.

In-app purchases

None

Span

No in-app purchases

None

LockNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Span free?
Span costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is LockNotes free?
LockNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Span or LockNotes have ads?
Neither Span nor LockNotes shows ads.

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