Comparison

Locky vs EarnTime

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

Head to head
About

Locky

This app locks distracting applications until you complete real-world tasks. Prove completion with a photo, and earn back your screen time. It's designed to build habits and provide accountability beyond simple timers.

Highlights
  • Lock any app behind real-world tasks
  • AI-powered photo verification
  • Customizable daily tasks
  • Works with Apple Screen Time
  • Simple setup
Read full description

Your apps won't unlock until you get things done. Locky locks your most distracting apps — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more — behind real-world tasks that you set. Want to scroll? Make your bed first. Want to check social media? Do 10 pushups. Complete the task, snap a photo to prove it, and your apps unlock. Simple. No more "just five more minutes" that turns into an hour. Locky gives you the accountability that screen time limits and app blockers can't, because you actually have to DO something to earn your screen time back. HOW IT WORKS Set your tasks: Choose what you need to get done each day. Make your bed. Go for a walk. Do the dishes. Read for 10 minutes. Whatever matters to you. Pick your locked apps: Select the apps that steal your focus. Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, games. Locky blocks them until your tasks are complete. Do the work: When you try to open a locked app, Locky reminds you what needs to get done first. Complete a task and take a photo to verify it. Earn your screen time: Once your tasks are done, your apps unlock for the rest of the day. You earned it. WHY LOCKY IS DIFFERENT Other screen time apps set timers, Locky sets tasks. Timers are easy to ignore or override while tasks give you something real to accomplish before you get your screen time. Locky wants you to have as much screen time as you want - just only after you've done the dishes. Locky uses AI to verify your task photos, so no cheating. Did you actually make your bed, or did you just take a photo of your wall? Locky knows. BUILT FOR REAL PEOPLE Whether you have ADHD and need structure, you're trying to cut your screen time, or you just want to stop doomscrolling before breakfast, Locky turns your phone from a distraction into a motivation tool. Tasks reset daily, so every morning is a fresh start. Set three tasks, lock your apps, and build the kind of routine you've always wanted. FEATURES - Lock any app behind real-world tasks - AI-powered photo verification (no cheating) - Customizable daily tasks that reset each day - Fun, encouraging (and sometimes sassy) feedback - Works with Apple Screen Time for real app blocking - Simple setup in under 2 minutes SUBSCRIPTION Locky has both a free and pro option. Locky pro unlocks unlimited tasks and premium features. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://thelocky.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://thelocky.app/privacy/

About

EarnTime

This app intelligently blocks distracting applications by requiring users to earn screen time through physical activity. It offers workout immunity and allows unused time to roll over, promoting a healthier balance between digital habits and physical well-being.

Highlights
  • Earn screen time through physical activity
  • Workout immunity for active sessions
  • Intelligent app shielding
  • Screen-off audio doesn't count against time
  • Rest day grace period and reserves
  • Apple Watch and iOS widgets
  • 100% on-device privacy
Features
Read full description

Tired of doomscrolling? Earn your screen time through real movement. Intelligent app blocking that only counts true visual screen time: free background audio, workout immunity, and rest day reserves—with zero subscriptions and 100% on-device privacy. Most screen time blockers treat you like a child, forcing rigid locks that punish you for listening to music or working out. EarnTime is different. It seamlessly aligns your physical health with your digital habits: close your Apple Watch rings, earn minutes, and spend them without guilt. SMART SCREEN TIME: ONLY REAL USAGE COUNTS • Free Screen-Off Audio: Listening to YouTube, Spotify, or podcasts with your screen locked in your pocket? It won't cost you a single second. We detect display state and only count time when your eyes are actually on the screen. • Workout Immunity: Out for a run, cycling, or lifting at the gym? Monitored apps stay completely unlocked during active Apple Watch workout sessions. Never get locked out of your workout playlist or training log. • Exercise Adds Time: Each synced Exercise ring minute earns one minute of unlocked app allowance. Active movement above your daily baseline earns an extra bonus. • Keep Room for Rest: Real life happens. You start each day with a 30-minute grace period, backed by a 60-minute weekly reserve (up to 120 minutes) for rest days and recovery. • Intelligent Shielding: When your daily allowance and reserve run out, selected distracting apps are gently shielded until you get moving again. A GLANCE ON YOUR WRIST & HOME SCREEN • Apple Watch Companion: Check your live remaining allowance, reserve, and status directly from your wrist. • iOS Widgets: Beautiful Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets keep your balance visible at all times. • History & Marks: Track your weekly progress, celebrate streaks without punitive broken-streak penalties, and collect editorial weekly covers. WHY EARNTIME IS DIFFERENT • No Subscriptions: Free to start with 1 monitored app. Unlock up to 10 apps with a single, tiny $1.99 one-time purchase. Future core updates included forever. • 100% Private & Local: No accounts, no ads, no trackers, and no remote servers. Everything runs strictly on your device via Apple’s native Screen Time and HealthKit APIs. • Guilt-Free Balance: We don't believe in digital starvation. Unused daily time rolls over into your reserve, turning your screen time into a healthy, earned reward. COMPATIBILITY & NOTES Requires an iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later and Apple Watch Exercise ring data in Apple Health. Health read access and individual Screen Time authorization are required. The Apple Watch companion app requires watchOS 10.0 or later. Balance updates after exercise data syncs via HealthKit. Sync and callback frequency are managed by iOS.

Screenshots

Locky4 screens
EarnTime4 screens

Verdict

The call

Locky and EarnTime are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Locky sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and EarnTime sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Locky against 5.0 for EarnTime. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Locky versus EarnTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLockyEarnTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRadical SlothHangfang Zhang

Customer experience

Locky

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

EarnTime

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Locky

Subscriptions2
  • Locky Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Locky Pro - Annual$59.991 Year
1 purchases

EarnTime

One-time1
  • EarnTime Full$1.99

Questions

Is Locky free?
Locky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is EarnTime free?
EarnTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Locky or EarnTime?
Locky and EarnTime are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Locky or EarnTime have ads?
Neither Locky nor EarnTime shows ads.

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