LearnLock vs Cala
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LearnLock
This app transforms wasted phone time into productive learning sessions. It uses AI to create personalized study plans with daily lessons and quizzes, then locks distracting apps until your learning goals are met.
- AI-powered personalized study plans
- Bite-sized daily lessons and quizzes
- Focus Mode to block distracting apps
- Spaced repetition learning methodology
- Deadline-aware lesson pacing
- Progress tracking and streaks
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LearnLock turns the time you lose to your phone into time you learn something real. Pick any topic: a class, a certification, a language, a book, a skill you've always wanted to pick up. LearnLock's AI builds you a personalized study plan with bite-sized daily lessons, quizzes, and fill-in-the-blank practice designed around how memory actually works. A few minutes a day, every day, adds up faster than you think. Then comes the part that makes it stick: Focus Mode. Using Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls, LearnLock locks your most distracting apps (social media, games, video, or whatever derails you) until you finish today's study session. Study first. Scroll later. WHAT MAKES LEARNLOCK DIFFERENT • A personal AI tutor. Generate a full study plan from a topic, a syllabus, a PDF, or even photos of your notes or textbook. • Built on spaced learning. Short daily sessions beat cramming. Your retention improves week over week instead of fading in days. • Fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and explanations. Answers are graded and explained, not just marked right or wrong. • Focus Mode with real teeth. Choose which apps get locked during study time. Break them down only by earning your session. • Streaks that reward real effort. See your days compound. Miss a day and you'll feel it, because you're supposed to. • Deadline-aware planning. Got a test on the 14th? LearnLock paces your lessons to hit the date. • Confidence + level aware. Tell it what you already know. It won't waste your time re-teaching it. • Private by design. Your plans and progress stay on your device. We don't sell data, we don't run ads, we don't track you. WHO IT'S FOR • Students prepping for exams, finals, or certifications • Self-learners picking up a new skill, subject, or language • Anyone who feels like their phone is stealing hours from them and wants those hours back • People who want to learn a little every day, for real, not just in theory HOW IT WORKS Tell LearnLock what you want to learn. Paste a syllabus, upload a PDF, or snap photos of your notes. AI builds your plan. Daily sessions are generated based on your deadline, level, and confidence. Study first, unlock second. Focus Mode blocks distracting apps until you finish today's session. Keep showing up. Your streak grows. So does your knowledge. Win back the time your phone has been taking, and become someone who actually learned the thing. LearnLock. Study first. Scroll later. LearnLock is a product of Builado LLC. Learn more: https://www.builado.com/learnlock Privacy policy: https://www.builado.com/learnlock-privacy-policy Support: https://www.builado.com/learnlock-support Terms of Service: https://www.builado.com/learnlock-tos
Cala
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You pick up your phone for "just a second" — and 45 minutes disappear. Cala stops that cycle with real app blocking and a ten-second breath that turns impulse into intention. When you open a blocked app, Cala holds a shield. You breathe, then choose how long you need — 5, 15, or 30 minutes. When time's up, the app locks itself again. You decided in advance, so the moment doesn't get a vote. WHAT CALA DOES • Blocks any app or website with Apple's Screen Time shields — real blocking, not reminders • No Shortcuts to wire up and no workarounds to maintain — grant Screen Time access once and you're protected • Protects on your schedule: work hours, evenings, overnight, or all day • A short breathing exercise before every unlock — a pause, not a punishment • Timed access that re-locks automatically when you're done • Three strictness levels — Standard, Strict, and Locked. As firm as you need. • Habits and tasks live inside your protected hours, so the shield offers a better option, not just a wall • A Focus Score that measures the time you protected and the wins you stacked — not your failures • A weekly review of your wins, ready every Monday AS FIRM AS YOU NEED Standard asks for a calm ten-second breath before each unlock. Strict makes each unlock cost a little more. Locked holds the line completely — with a once-a-day emergency pass, because life happens. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Cala never sees which apps you open or for how long. Apple's Screen Time design keeps that on your device, and we like it that way. FREE TO START One schedule, unlimited blocked apps, two habits, your Focus Score, and the full breathing unlock — free. Cala Pro adds unlimited schedules and habits, Strict and Locked levels, and your complete history. Your phone, your rules. Cala keeps them. Terms of Use: https://heycala.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: LearnLock at weekly against Cala's every 2 months. LearnLock also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. LearnLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Cala sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
LearnLock ships an update weekly, Cala every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LearnLock | Cala |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | builado LLC | Spark Digital Incorporated |
In-app purchases
LearnLock
- LearnLock Subscription$3.997 Days
- LearnLock Subscription.3 Days trial$14.991 Month
Cala
- Cala Pro — Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Cala Pro — Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year









