Comparison

Lockin Journal vs Sentence

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

Head to head
About

Lockin Journal

Features
Read full description

Lockin Journal Your Personal Productivity Companion Everything you need to stay focused, organized, and on track, all in one app. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DAY Dashboard See your entire day at a glance. Tasks, habits, streaks, and progress — all in one beautiful overview. Tasks Create, organize, and conquer your to-do list. Set priorities, deadlines, and never let anything slip through the cracks. Journal Reflect, plan, and grow. Write daily entries, track your mood, and look back on your journey. Routines Build habits that stick. Create morning and evening routines, track your streaks, and stay consistent. Fitness Log your workouts, track your lifts, and watch your progress over time. Your personal gym companion. Teams Collaborate with friends and teammates. Chat in real-time, share files, manage group tasks, and stay connected. Finance & Trading Keep track of your trades and financial goals. Monitor your portfolio and stay on top of your money. Calendar Plan your week with a clean, intuitive calendar. Everything syncs with your tasks and routines automatically. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS Dark mode by default. No distractions. No clutter. Just you and your goals. Lock-in is built for people who are serious about getting things done. Whether you're a student, entrepreneur, athlete, or anyone who wants to level up — Lock-in is your tool. Available on iOS and Web. © 2026 Lock-in. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

About

Sentence

This app introduces a unique approach to screen time management by requiring users to handwrite and scan a sentence to unlock blocked applications. It aims to create a deliberate pause between impulse and action, offering a robust system for managing digital distractions.

Highlights
  • Handwritten sentence scanning for app unlock
  • Block specific apps or categories
  • Customizable time-based schedules
  • Multiple block group configurations
  • Zen Mode to prevent app deletion
  • Choice of sentence prompts (enquiry, affirmation, literature, roasting, custom)
Features
Read full description

Most screen time apps are easy to dismiss. A tap. A passcode you set yourself. An exception you grant in three seconds. You already know this. You've tried them all. Sentence works differently. To unlock a blocked app, you write a sentence by hand — on paper — and scan it with your camera. Every time. No bypass. No exceptions. No "ignore for today." That moment of friction is the whole point. Most of the time, it's enough to make you put the phone down. HOW IT WORKS 1. Block any app or category — social media, streaming, games, news, anything. 2. Set your schedule — always on, a specific time window or a particular limit. 3. When you try to open a blocked app, you see a screen. Tap "Write Sentence." Sentence opens. 4. Write the sentence on paper. Hold it up. Scan it. The block lifts — for that session. 5. Tomorrow, you write it again. THE RITUAL Choose what you write each time you unlock: · Enquiry — why are you reaching for your phone right now? Answer honestly. · Affirmations — reinforce the person you're trying to become. · Literature — Seneca. Thoreau. Orwell. One line that reframes the moment. · Roasting — brutal honesty about what you're about to do with the next hour. · Custom — write your own sentence. Your commitment, your words. BLOCK ON YOUR TERMS · Block specific apps or entire categories · Time-based schedules — morning, night, all day, specific windows · Multiple block groups with different schedules and sentence types · Zen Mode — prevents deleting apps from your phone. Requires handwriting to disable. WHO SENTENCE IS FOR You've set screen time limits. You turned them off. You've tried grayscale mode. You adapted in a week. You've deleted the apps. You reinstalled them. You've tried willpower. It wasn't enough. Sentence isn't about willpower. It's about friction — a deliberate pause inserted between the impulse and the action. One sentence, written by hand, changes the calculus entirely. This is for people who are done with tricks that don't work. Access to Sentence features requires a paid subscription. Options include Monthly and Annual (with free trial). Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Lockin Journal3 screens
Sentence4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lockin Journal at none against Sentence's 5. Sentence's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, 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. Sentence sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Lockin Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lockin Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, Sentence every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Lockin Journal versus Sentence: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLockin JournalSentence
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLorenz HacklDaksh Kaushik

In-app purchases

None

Lockin Journal

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Sentence

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly Premium$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium$4.991 Month
  • Annual Premum7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Annual Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$34.99

Questions

Is Lockin Journal free?
Lockin Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sentence free?
Sentence is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lockin Journal or Sentence have ads?
Neither Lockin Journal nor Sentence shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lockin Journal or Sentence?
Lockin Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Sentence every 8 days. Most recently, Lockin Journal was updated on October 13, 2026 and Sentence on October 23, 2026.

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