Comparison

MathLock vs Otto

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

Otto

This app helps college students and parents track critical university dates like housing deposits, FAFSA renewals, and tuition payments. It provides personalized timelines and timely reminders to prevent missed deadlines and potential financial loss.

Highlights
  • Personalized deadline timelines
  • Official university dates
  • Escalating reminders
  • Instant alerts for date changes
  • Mark deadlines as complete
  • Add custom deadlines
Features
Read full description

Last year, 40% of college students missed a critical deadline. Lost housing. Lost financial aid. Lost an entire semester. Otto makes sure that doesn't happen to you. Tell Otto your university and it finds every deadline that matters — housing deposits, FAFSA renewals, breaks, registration windows, tuition payments — pulled directly from your school's official calendar. No more digging through emails. No more checking six different portals. No more hoping you don't forget. — HOW IT WORKS — → enter your university, graduation year, and housing status → otto builds a personalized deadline timeline in seconds → you get reminders at 30 days, 7 days, and 1 day before each one → if your school changes a date, otto alerts you immediately — FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS — whether you're tracking your own deadlines or keeping an eye on your student's, otto works for both. parents get full visibility into every upcoming date. — WHAT YOU GET — → every official deadline in one place → escalating reminders so nothing slips → instant alerts when dates change → mark deadlines done as you complete them → add your own custom deadlines one missed deadline can cost thousands. otto costs less than $1 a week. — SUBSCRIPTION — Otto allows a 3-day free trial to test things out. otto pro unlocks everything: → monthly: $6.99/month → annual: $49.99/year ($4.17/month) with a 3-day free trial payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. you can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MathLock4 screens
Otto4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MathLock at free with in-app purchases against Otto's subscription. Otto's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Otto sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. 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 Otto. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MathLock ships an update weekly, Otto every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MathLock versus Otto: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathLockOtto
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHamid Mahmood SiddiquiSilas Streeter

Customer experience

MathLock

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

Otto

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MathLock

Subscriptions2
  • MathLock Pro$2.997 Days
  • MathLock Pro Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • MathLock Pro Lifetime$39.99
2 purchases

Otto

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is MathLock free?
MathLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Otto free?
Otto is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MathLock or Otto?
MathLock and Otto are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MathLock or Otto have ads?
Neither MathLock nor Otto shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MathLock or Otto?
MathLock ships an update weekly, and Otto every 2 days. Most recently, MathLock was updated on October 25, 2026 and Otto on October 10, 2026.

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