Comparison

LockIn vs Scrollmate

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

Head to head
About

LockIn

This app helps high-achievers regain control of their day by blocking distracting apps and websites. It uses AI-assisted planning and unique verification methods like photo proof and AI fitness tracking to ensure task completion and habit formation.

Highlights
  • AI-assisted scheduling
  • Hard app and website blocking
  • ML-powered fitness verification
  • Photo proof verification
  • 21-day habit architect
  • Integration with Apple Health
Features
Read full description

Your phone is stealing your day. LockIn helps you take it back. Open Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube and one quick check turns into a lost hour. LockIn blocks the apps that distract you - and makes you earn your screen time back with real actions. HOW IT WORKS Block your worst apps. Set a daily limit for each one. When you want screen time, you earn it. Do something real, get coins, then spend coins to unlock your apps for a while. EARN YOUR MINUTES Move your body. LockIn counts your reps in real time with your camera, so you can't fake it. Pushups, squats, pull-ups, planks, jumping jacks, lunges, crunches, shoulder press, leg raises, high knees, wall sits, and side planks. Prove your habits. Snap a photo to show you touched grass, read a book, cleaned your room, or got outside. SET HARD LIMITS Give each app a daily limit it can't go over. Add an app to your block list and earn coins. Want to take one off? That costs you. It's built to keep you honest. STAY ON A STREAK Show up every day, keep your streak alive, and collect bonus coins. Focus becomes a game you actually want to win. MADE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT MORE The student beating the TikTok trap during finals. The founder who needs real focus. The athlete turning screen time into a workout. Anyone who wants to end the day proud, not guilty. YOUR PRIVACY STAYS YOURS LockIn uses Apple's official Screen Time API and works right on your phone. Your photos, camera, and data never leave your device. Stop scrolling. Start living. LockIn today. Free to start. Upgrade anytime for full access. Questions? lockin@fibipals.com Terms: https://lockin.fibipals.com/terms-of-service Privacy: https://lockin.fibipals.com/privacy-policy

About

Scrollmate

Features
Read full description

Parental controls that need a parent's approval, not a tap. ScrollMate is a parental control app for families with teens. A parent or legal guardian sets up limits on their child's phone, and when the child hits a limit, the app gets blocked. If the child wants more time, they send a request. The parent decides. Free 3-Day Trial • Then Subscription Required Built for one relationship and one relationship only: a parent or legal guardian and the child whose device they manage. There is no social network here, no feed of strangers, and no way to be found by anyone you did not hand a code to. HOW IT WORKS 1. Set up ScrollMate on the child's phone and pick the apps to limit 2. Set the daily limits 3. A parent or guardian installs ScrollMate on their own phone and connects with an invite code 4. When the child hits a limit, ScrollMate blocks the app 5. The child can send a request for extra time, with a photo and a reason 6. The parent approves or denies it from their own phone WHY SCROLLMATE WORKS Most screen time apps leave the final decision to the child. That sounds fine until they are bored, tired, or already twenty minutes deep into a feed. A four-digit passcode gets watched over a shoulder and shared within a week. ScrollMate adds one step that cannot be tapped past: a parent has to say yes. Nothing unlocks until they do. FEATURES Parent Approval Extra time only happens when a parent or guardian approves it from their own device. App Blocking Set limits for distracting apps on the child's phone and make them harder to reopen. No Easy Snooze ScrollMate creates real friction, not another button to dismiss. Request With Context The child explains why they need more time before the parent decides. Daily Overview Parents see how the day is going on the phone they manage. Invite Codes Only Accounts connect by sharing a code in person. No username search, no contact uploads, no strangers. USE SCROLLMATE FOR Managing a teen's social media use Blocking distracting apps on a child's phone Keeping homework time free of interruptions Cutting back on doomscrolling Building healthier phone habits as a family Giving a parent a real say in screen time instead of relying on a passcode PRIVACY ScrollMate uses Apple's Screen Time tools so a parent or guardian can manage app access on their child's device, which is exactly what those tools are built for. Screen time details stay protected by Apple's system and are only ever shared with the parent or guardian connected to that device. Accounts connect by invite code, so nobody can find a child's account by searching. We do not upload contacts and we do not sell data. GET STARTED Install ScrollMate on the child's phone. Set the limits. Connect a parent or guardian with an invite code. From then on, extra time is a decision, not a tap. Privacy Policy: https://smallstack.dk/scrollmate/privacy By subscribing to Scrollmate, you agree to Apple's standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LockIn4 screens
Scrollmate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: LockIn at none against Scrollmate's shown. Scrollmate's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, 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. LockIn sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Scrollmate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LockIn ships an update monthly, Scrollmate every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LockIn versus Scrollmate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLockInScrollmate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTymofii Hrynchuksmallstack ApS

In-app purchases

3 purchases

LockIn

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription$3.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription LockIn3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription LockIn$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Scrollmate

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$9.997 Days
  • Premium (Yearly)3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is LockIn free?
LockIn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scrollmate free?
Scrollmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LockIn or Scrollmate have ads?
Scrollmate shows ads; LockIn does not.
Which is updated more often, LockIn or Scrollmate?
LockIn ships an update monthly, and Scrollmate every 10 days. Most recently, LockIn was updated on October 7, 2026 and Scrollmate on October 11, 2026.

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