# Tonic vs Tinted App Lock

The clearest difference is rating: Tonic at 5.0 against Tinted App Lock's 4.0. Tonic also leads on ratings volume (44 vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Tinted App Lock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tonic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Tinted App Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tonic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tonic has 44 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Tonic ships an update every 4 days, Tinted App Lock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tonic | Tinted App Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonic-earn-screen-time/id6760635258/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinted-app-lock/id6762886819/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **44** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 37 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.4** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Sets Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885438054) | [Anton Sudat](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895059746) |

## What reviewers say

### Tonic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonic-earn-screen-time/id6760635258)

This app helps you build good habits by making them unlock your other apps. It allows you to set limits on distracting apps and rewards productive behavior. You can customize rules to integrate with your existing life and achieve your goals.

**Highlights:** Habit-based app unlocking, Customizable screen time limits, Integration with Apple Health, Flexible rule setting, Productive minute banking, Escalating pause feature

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tonic Unlimited | $9.99 | per month |
| Tonic Unlimited | $29.99 | per year |


### Tinted App Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinted-app-lock/id6762886819)

This app introduces a physical barrier to app usage, requiring an NFC card tap to unlock selected distracting applications. It aims to combat excessive phone use by adding friction to access, with features like unlock cooldowns and emergency unlocks.

**Highlights:** Physical NFC card unlock, Custom blocklists for apps and websites, Unlock cooldown timer, Monthly emergency unlocks, Friction-based distraction prevention

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tonic free?

Tonic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Tinted App Lock free?

Tinted App Lock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tonic or Tinted App Lock?

Tonic is rated higher. Tonic averages 5.0 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Tinted App Lock averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Tonic or Tinted App Lock have ads?

Neither Tonic nor Tinted App Lock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tonic or Tinted App Lock?

Tonic ships an update every 4 days, and Tinted App Lock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Tonic was updated on October 25, 2026 and Tinted App Lock on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*