Comparison

Calm Lock vs Etched

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

Head to head
About

Calm Lock

Features
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CalmLock puts one breath between you and the scroll. Lock Instagram, TikTok, and any app that steals your hours, then unlock them with 60 seconds of guided breathing. Scroll on purpose, never on autopilot. Lock the apps that steal your time. When you tap one, CalmLock steps in: "Time to breathe." Hold the circle for a 60-second guided breath, and your apps unlock for 30 mindful minutes. When time's up, they re-lock — automatically. You don't lose your life in years. You lose it in 15-second scrolls. CalmLock helps you take it back. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick your time-thieves — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, games, any app, category, or website 2. Tap a locked app and a calm shield appears instead of the feed 3. Hold the breathing circle for 60 seconds — lift your finger and the countdown pauses 4. Your apps unlock for a 30-minute window 5. When it ends, CalmLock quietly re-locks them No willpower required. The breath is the key. WHY ONE BREATH WORKS Most scroll sessions start on autopilot — you open the app before you've decided to. Sixty seconds is long enough for the urge to pass and the choice to come back. If you still want to scroll afterward, go ahead: you earned it, on purpose. Most of the time, you'll realize you never wanted to in the first place. WHAT'S INSIDE • True app locking, built on Apple's Screen Time technology — not a reminder you can swipe away • Guided press-and-hold breathing: stay present, or the countdown pauses • Your rules: set a daily limit before the lock kicks in • 30-minute mindful unlock windows with automatic re-locking • Emergency unlock for when life actually needs you — limited per day, so it stays honest • See the real cost: your hours, days, and years reclaimed from the scroll • Streaks, sessions, and calm-time stats that make progress visible • Calm, distraction-free design — no feeds, no noise, no guilt PRIVATE BY DESIGN CalmLock is built on Apple's Screen Time framework. Your app activity stays on your device — we can't see what you do on your phone, and we like it that way. No account required. WHO IT'S FOR • Doomscrollers who open Instagram "for a second" and lose an hour • Students and deep workers protecting their focus • Anyone on a digital detox or dopamine reset who doesn't want to go cold turkey • People who tried hard blockers, hated the punishment, and deleted them Hard blockers feel like a wall, so you tear them down. CalmLock isn't a wall, it's a pause. Breathe, then choose. Take back your attention. One breath at a time. Terms of service: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15xsPlPUJM0PHETlEQyawK3FkRTR7khgF/edit#bookmark=id.pg2q5yk5h1pm Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EqoWacWJicVAcnv_NsxEW9p0iK8zKaVK/edit#bookmark=id.2n3ry4uyw3vm

About

Etched

Features
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Stop losing your own notes. Etched finds what you wrote by meaning — not just by keyword. Ask for "the note about slowing down to think" and it surfaces, even if those exact words were never written. Everything runs on your device. Write in plain markdown and watch it render as you type — no symbols, no preview pane, no modes. What you see is the file. Your notes stay portable .md, yours forever. FREE, and complete: • On-device semantic search — find notes by meaning • Live WYSIWYG markdown — bold, headings, lists, quotes, code • Tables, callouts, code blocks, footnotes, highlights, links • iCloud sync across your devices • Export to .md (raw or with rendered images), PDF, plain text ETCHED PRO — one-time purchase, yours forever: • Flashcards + spaced repetition — turn notes into memory • Diagrams from plain text (flowcharts, sequences, mind maps) • Typeset math and chemistry (LaTeX) • Charts from a few rows of data • Sheet music from ABC notation • Handwriting / sketches • Present mode — turn a note into full-screen slides • Per-note themes Reading every format is always free — Pro unlocks creating them. No subscription, ever. Pay once and keep it. Coming from Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Bear? Your markdown imports as plain .md, and you finally get search that finds notes by meaning — privately, with no account. Private by design: your notes never leave your devices except through your own iCloud. No account, no tracking, no ads. Your notes, etched in memory. — Made by Hyojin Mo. Support: support@vibeland.app

Screenshots

Calm Lock4 screens
Etched4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Etched at every 2 days against Calm Lock's every 9 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calm Lock ships an update every 9 days, Etched every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Calm Lock versus Etched: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalm LockEtched
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMitesh YadavSoyeon Noh

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Calm Lock

Subscriptions2
  • usa7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • usa7 Days trial$49.991 Year
1 purchases

Etched

One-time1
  • Etched Pro$14.99

Questions

Is Calm Lock free?
Calm Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Etched free?
Etched is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Calm Lock or Etched have ads?
Neither Calm Lock nor Etched shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calm Lock or Etched?
Calm Lock ships an update every 9 days, and Etched every 2 days. Most recently, Calm Lock was updated on October 7, 2026 and Etched on October 5, 2026.

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