Comparison

MathLock vs Math Gate

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

Head to head
About

MathLock

This app transforms screen time into educational math practice. It uses quick math games to unlock distracting apps, helping users reduce mindless scrolling and improve their math skills. Features adaptive difficulty and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Math game app lock
  • Reduces distracting app usage
  • Five different math games
  • Adaptive difficulty levels
  • Streak tracking and XP
  • Emergency unlock option
Features
Read full description

MathLock turns screen time into math time. It is a math app lock that guards your most distracting apps behind a quick math game, so a few minutes of math practice take the place of the mindless scroll. Before Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or any app you choose can open, MathLock asks you to solve a quick challenge. Pick your apps, set your lock times, and the lock does the work. No willpower required. HOW MATHLOCK WORKS MathLock uses Apple Screen Time (Family Controls) to lock only the apps you choose. You select them with Apple's private picker, so MathLock never sees the other apps on your phone. When a locked app opens at a locked time, MathLock's shield appears. Tap Solve, finish a quick math game, and continue to your app. FIVE MATH GAMES, ONE TAP AWAY Math Duel: a fast mental math race against a rival bot. Mini Sudoku: a compact sudoku you can finish in a minute or two. Cross Math: balance the equations in a little math crossword. Math Maze: walk the number grid to reach the target. KenKen: crack the cages in the classic KenKen, also known as Ken Ken or mathdoku. A MATH WORKOUT, NOT JUST AN APP BLOCKER Most app blockers only block. MathLock turns every unlock into math learning: arithmetic, mental math, logic and number puzzles that keep your brain sharp. It is great for students who want daily math practice, for adults who want smarter screen time and better focus, and for anyone trying to doomscroll less and learn more. DIFFICULTY THAT ADAPTS TO YOU Start at Chill, Standard or Genius, and MathLock quietly tunes every game to your level. Easy mental math to warm up, or hard logic puzzles that make you think. You always finish and you always get through to your app. Winning just earns more. STREAKS, XP AND A CHEERFUL PI Keep your daily streak alive and watch it grow. Earn streak freezes to protect it on a busy day. Collect XP, level up, and let Pi, the orange mascot, celebrate with you. LIFE HAPPENS A clearly marked emergency unlock can pause the lock when you truly need it. It is deliberately a little slower than solving, because the easiest path should always be the math. PRIVACY FIRST MathLock locks only the apps you pick, chosen through Apple's private picker, so the app never sees your full list of apps. No account is needed, nothing is collected, and nothing is shared. Everything stays on your device, and you can change or remove Screen Time access at any time in Settings. Requires iOS 16 or later. Turn scrolling time into math time. Install MathLock and make every open count. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://reel.money/mathlock/privacy

About

Math Gate

This app allows parents to control their children's screen time by requiring them to solve age-appropriate math problems before accessing selected apps. It tracks progress and offers customizable profiles for each child, making learning a prerequisite for playtime.

Highlights
  • Math problems unlock app access
  • Customizable app and category locks
  • Automatic screen time expiration
  • Detailed progress tracking
  • Age-appropriate math challenges
  • Individual child profiles
  • Parent-locked settings
Features
Read full description

Screen time, finally on your terms. Math Gate turns "five more minutes!" into real learning. Before your kids can open the apps you choose, they solve a few quick, age-perfect math problems. Get them right, earn the time — and when it's up, the apps lock again automatically. Learning first, screen time second. Meet Cosmo! The friendly math penguin who turns practice into play and cheers kids on through every challenge. WHY PARENTS CHOOSE MATH GATE • You decide what's locked — any apps or whole categories. The lock holds even when Math Gate is closed. • Auto-unlock on your terms — set the reward time; apps re-lock when it runs out. • Real progress, at a glance — accuracy by operation, daily streaks, most-missed facts, and reward badges. • Always age-perfect — five levels from age 5 to 13+, across addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. • Truly private — no ads, no trackers, no accounts, no data collection. Everything stays on your device. • Built for families — a separate profile, difficulty, and time limit for each child. • Parent-locked — your settings sit safely behind Face ID. HOW IT WORKS Set it up once — create a profile, pick the apps to lock, choose difficulty and reward time. Kids solve to unlock — Cosmo serves a short set of problems; correct answers earn the screen time. Time's up, math's back — apps re-lock on their own; a quick new challenge unlocks them again. Turn everyday screen time into a daily learning habit — without the nagging. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Math Gate is free to set up. Unlock everything with: • Weekly — $0.99/week • Monthly — $1.99/month • Lifetime — $19.99 one-time Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends; your account is charged within 24 hours prior to renewal. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://mathgate.onbaseiq.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MathLock4 screens
Math Gate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MathLock at free with in-app purchases against Math Gate's subscription. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. MathLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Math Gate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MathLock against 5.0 for Math Gate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
MathLock versus Math Gate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathLockMath Gate
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHamid Mahmood SiddiquiOnBaseIQ, LLC

Customer experience

MathLock

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

Math Gate

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MathLock

Subscriptions1
  • MathLock Pro7 Days trial$2.997 Days
One-time1
  • MathLock Pro Lifetime$29.99
3 purchases

Math Gate

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$19.99

Questions

Is MathLock free?
MathLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Math Gate free?
Math Gate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MathLock or Math Gate?
MathLock and Math Gate are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MathLock or Math Gate have ads?
Neither MathLock nor Math Gate shows ads.

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