readlock vs App Block
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
readlock
This app helps you break away from distracting digital habits by locking your most used apps until you complete your daily reading. It offers a curated library of book insights and tracks your reading progress to encourage a healthier relationship with your devices.
- Block distracting apps
- Daily reading goals
- Curated library of 70+ book insights
- Track reading streaks and progress
- Personalized book library
- Daily reading reminders
Read full descriptionHide full description
Break the doomscrolling cycle with readlock, the app that locks your most distracting apps until you complete your daily reading. Choose which apps to block - social media, games, streaming - and readlock keeps them locked until you've read. Once you finish your daily reading, your apps unlock automatically for the rest of the day. How it works: • Select the apps you want to block • Set a daily lock time - your apps lock again each day at that time • Complete your daily reading to unlock them • Build a reading streak and track your progress over time Features: • Curated library of 70+ book insights across topics like productivity, finance, science, and more • Track your reading streak, total reads, and time spent reading • Add books to your personal library to prioritize what you read next • Set a daily reminder to read before your apps lock readlock turns screen time into reading time - one day at a time. Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Subscription Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-7tooybCedT9l65kBVJSvekUcjIuPe8e_tEMcRB3Td0/edit?usp=sharing Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pJuEopap3xDAhfAzuDXVd1DvLhZ6yzsxnAf3kMfYo2Q/edit?usp=sharing
App Block
Read full descriptionHide full description
Make distraction earn its place in your day. Read to Unlock blocks the apps that usually win your attention, and gives them back only once you have read for them. Every page is worth 1 minute. Pass a short quiz to prove you understood it, and those minutes go into your balance — spend them on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube whenever you want. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps to block — the ones that usually get the first tap 2. Read inside the app — every page you read earns 1 minute 3. Pass the quiz — answer 3 questions, get 2 right, and the minutes are banked 4. Spend your balance — activate minutes whenever you want your apps back There is no daily goal and no minimum. Read as much or as little as you want. Your balance carries across days, so nothing you earned is ever lost at midnight. FEATURES • Blocks distracting apps through iOS Screen Time • 1 page = 1 minute, with a balance that carries over between days • A built-in book library, so you can start reading in the first minute • Import your own EPUB and PDF files (Pro) • A 3-question comprehension quiz written by AI from the pages you just read • Track pages read, minutes earned and your reading streak • Fully translated into 25 languages, switchable at any time FREE AND PRO Free gives you one blocked app, one book from the library and the full earning loop. Pro unlocks every distracting app, the whole library, EPUB and PDF imports, and one shared minute balance across everything you read. From $4.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. Works on iPhone with iOS 17 or later. Reading is the price of the feed. Download Read to Unlock and read first. Privacy Policy: https://readtounlock.org/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
readlock and App Block are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. readlock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and App Block sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | readlock | App Block |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 202 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Foundry Apps LLC | Askhat Bakitov |
In-app purchases
readlock
- Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
- Yearly Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
App Block
- Read to Unlock Pro$4.991 Month
- Read to Unlock Pro$29.991 Year





