Comparison

Habit Lock vs CalcGate | App Lock with Math

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

Head to head
About

Habit Lock

This app locks your phone until you complete a chosen habit, requiring a photo as proof of completion. It uses on-device AI for verification, ensuring privacy and encouraging consistent habit formation.

Highlights
  • Phone locking with AI photo verification
  • On-device AI for privacy
  • Flexible habit scheduling
  • Streak tracking
  • Customizable lock duration
  • Multiple habit support (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Goals first, screen time later. Habit Lock is the accountability app that locks your phone and won't let you back in until you take a photo as proof. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose a habit (exercise, reading, healthy eating, prayer, family dinner, or custom) 2. Set your schedule - daily or weekly 3. When the time comes, your phone locks 4. Take a photo as proof 5. AI verifies the photo instantly 6. Phone unlocked. Streak extended. Keep going. BUILT FOR REAL HABITS • Exercise - gym, run, workout, or any physical activity • Reading - open book with visible text • Healthy Eating - your meal, verified by AI • Room Cleaning - your tidy room after cleaning • Prayer - Bible, Siddur, or any book of prayer • Family Dinner - photo of the after-dinner table, phone-free time enforced • Custom - define your own habit and what counts as proof WHY IT WORKS Most habit apps are easy to ignore. Habit Lock isn't. When your phone is locked and the only way out is to do the thing - you do the thing. PRIVACY FIRST All AI verification runs entirely on your device - no internet connection required. No accounts. No habit tracking. Your photos and habits stay private. FEATURES • App blocker with AI scene recognition (no facial recognition) • On-device AI verification — fully private, no internet required • Flexible scheduling • Streak tracking to keep momentum going • Activity history • Configurable lock window (15 minutes to 24 hours) • Multiple habits and multiple slots (Premium) terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ privacy policy: https://www.notion.so/Privacy-Policy-Habit-Lock-334bbd2d6f3e80f0ada7dd23943b6f2c

About

CalcGate | App Lock with Math

Features
Read full description

CalcGate is a screen time control app designed for people who want to break the habit of opening distracting apps without thinking. Have you ever opened social media “just for a minute,” only to lose track of time? Do you find yourself checking your phone when you should be studying, working, or focusing? Do app limits feel too easy to ignore or turn off? CalcGate adds a simple but effective moment of friction before you can reopen restricted apps. Choose the apps or app categories you want to limit, start a lock, and CalcGate will require you to solve math challenges before access can be restored early. Unlike blockers that can be dismissed instantly, CalcGate is designed to make you pause and ask yourself: “Do I really want to open this app right now?” To unlock early, every math problem must be answered correctly. If you make a mistake, your progress resets and the challenge starts again from the beginning. This small hurdle helps interrupt automatic habits like repeatedly opening social media, video apps, games, or other distractions without thinking. CalcGate is useful for study sessions, deep work, productivity, reading, reducing late-night scrolling, managing screen time, and building healthier digital routines. Key features: ・Restrict selected apps or app categories ・Start instant locks anytime ・Create recurring daily lock schedules ・Unlock early by solving math challenges ・Customize challenge difficulty and question count ・Reset progress after incorrect answers CalcGate is not about completely avoiding your phone. It is about using your phone more intentionally. Whether you want to improve focus, study without distractions, reduce social media overuse, build better habits, or create a healthier relationship with your device, CalcGate helps you pause before you tap. Start using CalcGate today and build the habit of thinking before unlocking.

Screenshots

Habit Lock4 screens
CalcGate | App Lock with Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CalcGate | App Lock with Math at none against Habit Lock's 3. Habit Lock's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Habit Lock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. CalcGate | App Lock with Math asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Habit Lock ships an update every 2 days, CalcGate | App Lock with Math every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Habit Lock versus CalcGate | App Lock with Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHabit LockCalcGate | App Lock with Math
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size207 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRadoslaw KotowskiHIDEYUKI INAGAKI

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Habit Lock

Subscriptions3
  • Habit Lock Premium$2.997 Days
  • Habit Lock Premium$7.991 Month
  • Habit Lock Premium$49.991 Year
None

CalcGate | App Lock with Math

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Habit Lock free?
Habit Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CalcGate | App Lock with Math free?
CalcGate | App Lock with Math is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Habit Lock or CalcGate | App Lock with Math have ads?
Neither Habit Lock nor CalcGate | App Lock with Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Habit Lock or CalcGate | App Lock with Math?
Habit Lock ships an update every 2 days, and CalcGate | App Lock with Math every 3 weeks. Most recently, Habit Lock was updated on October 31, 2026 and CalcGate | App Lock with Math on October 25, 2026.

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