DrillLock vs NumLock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DrillLock
This app requires users to solve a math problem before accessing distracting applications, helping to create focused study sessions. It offers scheduled blocking, usage limits, and temporary unlocks for essential apps. A pro subscription unlocks advanced features for serious learners.
- Math challenge to unlock apps
- Scheduled app blocking
- Usage limit blocking
- Temporary unlocks
- Essential app exceptions
- Multiple rule support (Pro)
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Your study hours and your sleep are too important to leave to willpower. DrillLock locks the apps that eat them, and nothing opens again until you solve a math problem. You choose the apps that pull you away, and the hours they stay shut. Reach for one anyway and the math is waiting. Your hand stops, and the moment passes. IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU • You sit down to study, open one app for a second, and the next hour is gone • You get into bed on time and you're still awake at 1 a.m., scrolling • You have a deadline this week and keep drifting away from the work • You're studying for an exam, a license, or a degree while working full time • You've tried Screen Time and found it far too easy to tap right past WHAT YOU CAN DO • Start focusing right now (Instant) Choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour, and the noisy apps are out of reach for exactly that long. Made for the moment you finally sit down. • Decide once when the phone goes down (Schedule) Set the days and the time windows a single time. Your study block and your bedtime then hold on their own, so you're not renegotiating with yourself at midnight. • Call it a day once you've had enough (Time Limit) Give the apps that eat your evenings a daily allowance. The moment you pass it, they close for the rest of the day and the evening comes back to you. • One question stands between you and the app (Math Challenge) Nothing opens until you solve a math problem and get it right. It's a small enough step to clear when you truly need the app, and just enough friction that most of the time you set the phone down instead. • Ten minutes, then it closes itself (Temporary Unlock) Answer the challenge correctly and the app opens for ten minutes. After that it locks again by itself, with no timer to watch, and one tap re-locks it early when you're done sooner. GOOD TO KNOW • DrillLock needs Screen Time permission to lock and release apps • Phone and other essential apps are never locked, so you can always reach help in an emergency • Locking runs on Apple's Screen Time system, so iOS decides part of how a blocked app looks and behaves • Every locking decision is made on your iPhone. DrillLock does not send your browsing history or the names of the apps you restrict. DrillLock collects anonymous usage data to improve the app. PRO • Keep several rules running at the same time • Allowlist mode: block everything except the handful of apps you name • Set your own daily cap on temporary unlocks, so one rough evening can't become ten unlocks • Hard challenges, with your own choice of digit count and number of questions PRO is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly. You can cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Deciding once is easier than deciding fifty times a day. Set the rule tonight, and take back the hours that were quietly going missing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
NumLock
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Your phone unlocks over 150 times a day. What if each unlock made you smarter? NumLock turns your screen time into brain time. Before you can open your blocked apps, solve a set of mental math problems. It takes seconds, keeps your mind sharp, and adds just enough friction to break the mindless scrolling habit. HOW IT WORKS Choose which apps to block. When you try to open one, NumLock presents math problems you solve on a number pad. Get them all right and your apps unlock for your chosen grace period. Simple, fast, and surprisingly satisfying. ADAPTIVE DIFFICULTY NumLock starts easy and gets harder as you improve. The 25-level system tracks your accuracy and speed, automatically adjusting to keep you challenged. Start with basic addition. Work your way up to multi-step equations, percentages, and large multiplication. You'll be amazed how fast your mental math improves. GRACE PERIODS THAT FIT YOUR LIFE After solving, your apps stay unlocked for a window you choose — 5 minutes for a quick check, 30 minutes for a balanced session, 1 hour for extended use, or until midnight for a full day off. When time's up, the lock comes back automatically. STREAKS AND STATS Build a daily streak by solving at least one session per day. Track your accuracy, average solve time, current level, and total problems solved. Watch yourself get faster and sharper over time. Your best streak is always recorded — can you beat it? DESIGNED FOR ADULTS NumLock isn't a parental control. It's a tool for people who want to take back control of their own screen time while training their brain. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind that activates every time you reach for a distraction. FEATURES — Block any app on your iPhone — Mental math challenges on a clean number pad — 25 levels of adaptive difficulty — Streak tracking with best-streak records — Accuracy and speed stats dashboard — Configurable grace periods (5 min to all day) — Light and dark mode — No ads, no data collection, fully private SUBSCRIPTION NumLock requires an active subscription to use. — Monthly: $4.99/month — Annual: $39.99/year (7-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://apptato.github.io/numlockapp/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://apptato.github.io/numlockapp/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
DrillLock and NumLock 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. DrillLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and NumLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | DrillLock | NumLock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FRONTLINE LLC | Peter Li |
In-app purchases
DrillLock
- Challenge Pack Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Challenge Pack Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year
NumLock
- NumLock Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- NumLock Pro Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is DrillLock free?
Is NumLock free?
Do DrillLock or NumLock have ads?
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