App Lock vs TYW
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
App Lock
Understand your phone usage habits and build sustainable focus. Gain insights into your focus trends, distraction patterns, and usage with detailed reports. Take control of your time with focus modes and contextual triggers that adapt to your environment.
- Focus Reports with usage insights
- Focus Mode inspired by Pomodoro
- App locking for specific scenarios
- Contextual triggers based on environment
- Quick triggers via phone gestures
- Privacy protection with multitasking blur
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See your focus, don't just lock your Phone. Most focus tools are designed to block distractions. This app focuses on something more important: helping you understand your habits and build lasting, sustainable focus over time. With Focus Reports and Focus Mode, you can gain clear insights into your focus trends, distraction patterns, and usage habits. Move from being constantly interrupted by your phone to gradually taking control of your time. FEATURES Focus Reports The app continuously tracks and analyzes your focus behavior, providing intuitive data insights to help you identify key factors affecting your efficiency. Through these reports, you can monitor: - Focus shielding count - App launch attempts - Category-specific access stats - Focus trend changes - Distraction-prone hour analysis - Detailed unlock history Focus Mode Inspired by the Pomodoro Technique, Focus Mode helps you maintain a healthy rhythm between focused work and breaks. App Lock Quickly select apps that need management and configure exclusive locking modes based on different scenarios, keeping your attention strictly on what truly matters. Contextual Triggers Automatically switch focus modes based on changes in your device's environment, such as: - Connecting to a specific Wi-Fi network - Connecting to a specific Bluetooth device Whether you are at the office, the library, home, or commuting, the app seamlessly adapts to the ideal focus state for your current environment. Quick Triggers To make focusing second nature, the app provides multiple convenient shortcuts to trigger focus mode: - Flip your phone face down - Double/Triple tap the back of your phone - Configure via the Action Button Privacy Protection Beyond managing your focus, we prioritize your privacy. The app supports multitasking preview blurring, minimizing the risk of sensitive information being accidentally exposed in public spaces. WHO IS IT FOR? - Students and exam candidates - Working professionals - Freelancers - Creators and developers - Deep work practitioners - Anyone looking to reduce screen time and phone distractions Focus isn’t about willpower alone. It’s a skill that can be measured, understood, and continuously improved. Gain insights through data, stay on track with Focus Mode, and reduce distractions with powerful automations. Start taking control of your time today.
TYW
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Track your work and bill it – no subscription. TYW (Track Your Work) is a time tracker for everyone who works on a project basis and wants an honest, simple tool instead of a bloated subscription product. You track what you work on – by project and category, with a timer or manual entries. Time is the measure, not the purpose: you see at a glance how much effort went into which project, and you bill it directly. YOUR DATA STAYS WITH YOU TYW stores everything locally on your iPhone – nothing else. No account, no cloud, no tracking, no sharing with third parties. Your projects and hours belong to you, and only you. TYW LITE – FREE Up to 3 projects Timer and manual entries Projects and categories Basic statistics TYW PRO – ONE-TIME UNLOCK, NO SUBSCRIPTION Unlimited projects Hourly rates and automatic earnings calculation Project budgets with overrun alerts Export as CSV, XLSX, PDF and JSON Reports and date-range filters Advanced statistics filters Customizable dashboard Project search, activity types and descriptions WHY TYW EXISTS TYW was born because a simple time tracker with billing – and without a forced subscription – was missing. Not a product that keeps growing endlessly, but one that does a single thing really well: track time, keep projects separate, bill cleanly. Fast, clear, no clutter. What's there works reliably and belongs to you – unlock once instead of paying monthly. Made for freelancers, self-employed professionals and everyone who works on a project basis. Also great for tracking study time, side projects or work from home. For iPhone with iOS 18.0 or later. Questions? ch@fynq.ch
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: App Lock at none against TYW's 1. App Lock also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. TYW sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. App Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | App Lock | TYW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 宝锋 张 | Christoph Hirschbuhl |
In-app purchases
App Lock
No in-app purchases
TYW
- TYW Pro$4.99









