Comparison

OnLock vs LockTimer

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

Head to head
About

OnLock

This app enforces focus by locking distracting applications at the operating system level. It uses AI to verify study sessions with photos, ensuring your progress is genuine and building an earned streak. Features include scheduled blocks, intent journaling, and focus intelligence insights.

Highlights
  • OS-level distraction blocking
  • AI-verified study sessions
  • Streak building
  • Scheduled recurring blocks
  • Intent journaling
  • Focus intelligence insights
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Studying doesn't fail because you're lazy. It fails because Instagram is one swipe away, and willpower is not a strategy. OnLock is the block you can't talk yourself out of. When a session starts, OnLock locks your distractions at the operating system level using Apple's Family Controls. No "5 more minutes." No uninstall trick. The shield holds until you finish. But blocking is the easy part. The hard part is proving the work was real. Before any session counts toward your streak, OnLock's AI reviews a photo of what you did. No proof, no credit. THE SHIELD • Un-bypassable OS-level enforcement built on Apple's Family Controls • Locks the apps that derail you: social, games, browsers, anything • Holds through restarts, app deletion, and panic uninstalls • Schedule recurring blocks for the hours you always slip AI PROOF • Submit a photo of your notes, work, or finished problem set • AI verifies the session was genuine study before your streak counts • Catches the "I just sat there" sessions you'd rather forget • Builds a streak you actually earned THE INTERVENTION • A quiet pause before every session to ask if this is really study time • Journal your intent so distraction has to argue with your own words • Reflect after to see what is actually working THE WHY ON A TIMER • Plot your exams on a real countdown • Every session lands against the clock • See what each lost hour costs you FOCUS INTELLIGENCE • Learns your peak hours, worst blockers, and patterns • Tells you when to study and when to stop pretending • Your data, your insight, never shared ALWAYS ON • Home screen widgets in three sizes • Lock screen complications for glanceable streaks • Quick Study: one tap and you're locked in THE AESTHETIC A calm, editorial interface designed to feel nothing like the apps it replaces. No infinite scroll. No screaming notifications. No dopamine arcade. Just focus. PRIVACY • Screen time data stays on your device • Built on Apple's native Family Controls and Screen Time APIs • Photos for AI proof are reviewed and discarded • No tracking, no sale, no leak FREE Every feature above is included, free. No subscription, no upsells, no locked tools. Stop trying harder. Start being unable. OnLock. The focus you can't undo. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://onlock-api.joshuawang2048.workers.dev/legal/privacy

About

LockTimer

Features
Read full description

LockTimer lets you choose how long apps remain available and how long they stay locked afterward. Instead of blocking apps immediately, set a limited amount of time to use them first. When time is up, the selected apps lock automatically. Access returns when the lock duration ends. Use it before bed, during breaks, before work, or whenever you want to step away from your phone after using it briefly. How It Works 1. Choose the apps to lock 2. Set the time until lock 3. Set the lock duration and start the timer You can also create schedules that lock apps automatically on selected days and times. Timers take priority while running, and active schedules resume afterward. Features • Set the time until apps lock • Set the lock duration • Choose apps to lock • Create schedules by weekday and time • View the remaining lock time • Check timers with Live Activity • Manage multiple timers and schedules The free version lets you create up to two timers and start one timer per day. Pro removes timer creation and daily start limits and enables schedules. Terms of Use https://apps.mishimadesign.com/locktimer/legal.html#terms-en

Screenshots

OnLock4 screens
LockTimer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OnLock at none against LockTimer's 3. LockTimer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. LockTimer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. OnLock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OnLock ships an update every 5 weeks, LockTimer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
OnLock versus LockTimer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnLockLockTimer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTing Ting XuMishima Design

In-app purchases

None

OnLock

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

LockTimer

Subscriptions2
  • LockTimer Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • LockTimer Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • LockTimer Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is OnLock free?
OnLock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LockTimer free?
LockTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OnLock or LockTimer have ads?
Neither OnLock nor LockTimer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OnLock or LockTimer?
OnLock ships an update every 5 weeks, and LockTimer every 2 days. Most recently, OnLock was updated on October 2, 2026 and LockTimer on September 20, 2026.

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