BlockLab vs Vanta
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
BlockLab
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Your phone is designed to distract you. BlockLab is designed to stop it. BlockLab uses Apple's Screen Time framework to block distracting apps during focus sessions and scheduled blocks ā the same system-level protection built into iOS, with a cleaner, more intentional interface built around how you actually work. Focus your way Create Focus Profiles with the exact apps you want blocked. Start a manual session when you need to lock in, or set a recurring schedule so blocking happens automatically ā no willpower required. Real blocking, not suggestions When a session is active, blocked apps are shielded at the system level. There's no sneaking past it. Grace Period Need a moment before a block kicks in? BlockLab gives you a grace period so you can wrap up what you're doing before focus mode takes over. Pay once. Use forever. No subscription. No monthly fee. No paywalled features. Buy BlockLab once and it's yours. BlockLab is for people who want a simple, honest tool ā not an app that gamifies your attention or monetizes your habits.
Vanta
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Vanta is a private Markdown notes app for iPhone with AI that runs entirely on your phone, and real GTD built in. Your notes stay as plain Markdown you own. Start with a local vault in seconds: no account, no servers, nothing uploaded. ON-DEVICE AI ⢠Turn a messy, rambled note into clean Markdown ⢠"Clarify with AI" sorts your whole GTD inbox into Next Actions, Waiting For, Someday, Done, or Trash ⢠Clean up dictation, summarize, and suggest tags ⢠Powered by Apple's on-device models, so it works offline and nothing ever leaves your phone GETTING THINGS DONE, BUILT IN ⢠Capture to your Inbox in a tap, by typing or voice, even from the Share Sheet ⢠Process your inbox to zero, by hand or with AI ⢠Next Actions by @context, plus Waiting For, Someday, and Projects ⢠A weekly review that surfaces stalled projects and what you're waiting on ⢠Inbox and Next Actions pinned to the top of your vault A REAL MARKDOWN NOTES APP ⢠Folders, favorites, and instant full-text search, all offline ⢠Syntax-highlighted code, callouts, tables, images, SVG, and tasks ⢠Tap [[wikilinks]] to jump between notes, and see backlinks ⢠Light and true-black dark themes YOURS, EVERYWHERE ⢠Start on-device with no account ⢠Sync across your devices with iCloud, or your own private GitHub repo ⢠Obsidian-compatible: open the same vault on your Mac, and favorites sync with Obsidian bookmarks ⢠No subscription. No analytics. No tracking. Vanta works great as a standalone local notes app, and plugs into your existing Obsidian or Markdown vault whenever you want. On-device AI features require an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vanta at none against BlockLab's 1. Vanta also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. BlockLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Vanta asks for nothing beyond the download.
BlockLab ships an update every 2 weeks, Vanta every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BlockLab | Vanta |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad ā better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 ā better | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Catinella | Shane Vitarana |
In-app purchases
BlockLab
- BlockLab Premium$2.99
Vanta
No in-app purchases









