Comparison

DrillLock vs MathBlocker

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Math challenge to unlock apps
  • Scheduled app blocking
  • Usage limit blocking
  • Temporary unlocks
  • Essential app exceptions
  • Multiple rule support (Pro)
Read full description

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/

About

MathBlocker

This app places a math problem between you and apps you overuse. Solve a math question to regain access to blocked applications, with difficulty levels and problem sets from standardized tests.

Highlights
  • Block any app or category
  • Adjustable math problem difficulty
  • Choose from various standardized test problem sets
  • Earn back app time by solving problems
  • Set daily, weekly, and per-app limits
  • Schedule blocks by time of day
  • Usage dashboard
Features
Read full description

MathBlocker puts a math problem between you and the apps you open too much. You pick the apps you want blocked. When you try to open one after your time's up, a math question shows up instead. You answer it, you get a few minutes back. You don't, the app stays closed. The questions are real. They come from the same problem sets people use to study for the SAT, ACT, AMC, and AIME. You can set the difficulty. Easy questions if you just want a speed bump. Harder ones if you actually want to stop scrolling. Features - Block any app or category — social, video, games, news, browsers - Pick your difficulty, from warmup arithmetic to competition-level - Choose your problem set: SAT, ACT, AMC, AIME, Putnam, or general practice - Earn time back per problem solved (you set how much) - Daily, weekly, and per-app limits - Schedule blocks by time of day (bedtime, study hours, work hours) - Dashboard with usage broken down by app, hour, and day - Custom block screen so it actually feels like a stop sign - Works with Family Sharing if you're setting it up for someone younger A few ways people use it: blocking social apps during work hours. Locking everything after 10pm with hard math. Pairing it with actual SAT prep so the time you would've spent scrolling becomes practice instead. Everything stays on your phone. No account, no login, no data sent anywhere. iOS 16 and up. iPhone only.

Screenshots

DrillLock4 screens
MathBlocker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MathBlocker at none against DrillLock's 2. DrillLock's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. DrillLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MathBlocker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
DrillLock versus MathBlocker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrillLockMathBlocker
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFRONTLINE LLCAndy Phu

Customer experience

DrillLock

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

MathBlocker

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DrillLock

Subscriptions2
  • Challenge Pack Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Challenge Pack Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year
None

MathBlocker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DrillLock free?
DrillLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MathBlocker free?
MathBlocker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DrillLock or MathBlocker?
DrillLock and MathBlocker are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do DrillLock or MathBlocker have ads?
Neither DrillLock nor MathBlocker shows ads.

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