Comparison

BarLock vs Step Glance

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

Head to head
About

BarLock

This app helps you wake up by requiring you to scan a unique barcode or QR code from an item across the room to turn off your alarm. It prevents snoozing and ensures you physically get out of bed.

Highlights
  • Barcode and QR code alarm missions
  • Exact-code matching
  • Full-screen Scan to Stop
  • Wrong-item protection
  • Wake-up check after dismissal
  • No ads or tracking
Read full description

You don't have a waking-up problem. You have a turning-off-the-alarm problem. BarLock keeps ringing until you get up and scan a barcode across the room. No snooze. No negotiating. Pick an alarm time, scan a barcode or QR code on something that lives away from your bed, and that exact code becomes the only way to stop the alarm. Toothpaste, coffee, medication, a notebook. Anything that forces you to stand up. HOW IT WORKS 1. Create an alarm. 2. Scan a barcode or QR code on an item away from bed. 3. Name the item. 4. When the alarm fires, walk to the item and scan it. 5. Wrong item, wrong code, or no scan? The alarm keeps ringing. WHY IT WORKS Most alarms die from one tap while you are still half asleep. BarLock moves the off switch across the room. By the time you have scanned, you are on your feet, and getting on your feet is the whole battle. BUILT FOR • Heavy sleepers • Students with early classes • Shift workers • Serial snoozers • Anyone who turns off alarms without remembering it WHAT YOU GET • An alarm only your chosen barcode or QR code can stop • A full-screen Scan to Stop screen the moment it rings • Wake-Up Check. BarLock rings again a little later to make sure you stayed up. • Backup Alerts. Opened the alarm but never finished the scan? It comes back. • Lock Window. In the minutes before it rings, the alarm can't be edited, paused, or deleted without a scan. 2 a.m. you can't sabotage 7 a.m. you. • Tiptoe Mode. A few quiet seconds after you press Stop, enough to reach your item without waking the house. Miss the scan and the volume comes back. • Stickers. Keep getting up and you'll earn them, in holographic foil. • Alarm sounds built to cut through deep sleep • Everything stays on your phone. No account, no ads, no tracking. WHAT'S INCLUDED One barcode alarm, one sound, and the standard wake-up rules. Enough to fix tomorrow morning. BARLOCK PRO Pro is a one-time purchase. No subscription. • Unlimited alarms for weekdays, naps, travel, and backups • Tiptoe Mode • Your own settings for Lock Window, Backup Alerts, and Wake-Up Check • Your sticker collection, revealed in full holographic color • Every alarm sound in the app PRIVACY Your alarms and scanned codes never leave your device. No account, no advertising, no tracking. Stop snoozing. Scan to stop.

About

Step Glance

View your daily step count directly from your iPhone's Home Screen or Lock Screen with a clean, minimal widget. It updates automatically every 15 minutes, eliminating the need to open the Health app.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widget
  • Lock Screen widget
  • Automatic step count updates
  • Minimalist design
  • Health app integration
Features
Read full description

Step Glance adds a clean, minimal widget to your iPhone's Home Screen and Lock Screen so you can see your daily step count without opening the Health app. Simply install, grant Health access once, and add the widget. Step count widgets update every 15 minutes throughout the day. No health data, or data of any kind, is accessed or stored by the developer.

Screenshots

BarLock4 screens
Step Glance2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BarLock at Free against Step Glance's $0.99. BarLock also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Step Glance's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ratings volume, 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

BarLock is free to download; Step Glance costs $0.99 up front. BarLock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Step Glance asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Step Glance holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BarLock ships an update every 3 days, Step Glance every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BarLock versus Step Glance: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarLockStep Glance
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.118.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCODE IN MOTION SRLBenjamin Jones

Customer experience

BarLock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Step Glance

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BarLock

One-time1
  • BarLock PRO Lifetime$9.99
None

Step Glance

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BarLock free?
BarLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Step Glance free?
Step Glance costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BarLock or Step Glance?
Step Glance is rated higher. BarLock averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Step Glance averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BarLock or Step Glance have ads?
Neither BarLock nor Step Glance shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BarLock or Step Glance?
BarLock ships an update every 3 days, and Step Glance every 3 months. Most recently, BarLock was updated on October 7, 2026 and Step Glance on October 17, 2026.

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