Comparison

PlainLock vs Marked

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

Head to head
About

PlainLock

Features
Read full description

PlainLock is a deliberately simple screen-time self-control tool. TWO WAYS TO SET A LIMIT • Schedule blocks: choose days and times, then the selected apps are blocked. • Daily limits: after the minutes you set are used, the apps stay blocked until tomorrow. • Shared group limits: put distracting apps in one group so switching apps cannot bypass the limit. • Group app limit: each group supports up to 50 apps, with a clear message when the limit is exceeded. • Cooling-off period: when you really need temporary access, wait 5 seconds, then unlock for the short duration you chose. LANGUAGES • Available in Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Spanish. READ BEFORE YOU BUY • One purchase. No subscription. No in-app purchases. • Every rule stays on your device. The app makes no network requests and collects no app data. • This is a self-control tool, not a security tool. You can always remove restrictions by disabling its Screen Time permission in Settings. • Applying or clearing a block depends on iOS scheduling and can take one to two minutes. • Requires iOS 17.0 or later. Only iOS versions tested at release are supported; future compatibility and continuing updates are not guaranteed.

About

Marked

Capture and organize memorable quotes and highlights from books and articles. Rediscover them through daily reminders and home screen widgets, adding your own reflections to deepen understanding. Designed for avid readers who want to revisit and remember what they've read.

Highlights
  • Save quotes and highlights
  • Import from e-readers
  • Daily quote reminders
  • Home screen widgets
  • Add personal notes
  • Camera capture for physical books
Features
Read full description

Marked helps you save the words worth remembering, and brings them back into your life through daily reminders and home screen widgets. Save quotes, highlights, and passages from the books and things you read. Instead of letting them disappear into screenshots, notes, or forgotten highlights, Marked gives them a place to come back to. REDISCOVER WHAT YOU’VE READ Your favorite quotes shouldn’t disappear after you save them. Marked resurfaces your saved highlights so you can revisit ideas, sentences, and passages you once found meaningful. SAVE QUOTES AS YOU READ Found something worth keeping? Capture quotes from physical books with your camera, or import highlights from your favorite e-readers and reading apps, including Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, Readmoo, WeRead, and HyRead. DAILY QUOTE REMINDERS Receive a daily reminder with something you’ve saved before. A small moment to revisit an idea, remember a book, or rediscover a sentence you had almost forgotten. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Keep your favorite highlights where you’ll actually see them. Add Marked widgets to your Home Screen and let saved quotes naturally reappear throughout your day. ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS Reading the same sentence months later can mean something completely different. Add notes and reflections to your saved highlights and keep track of what they mean to you over time. MADE FOR READERS WHO HIGHLIGHT EVERYTHING Marked is for anyone who saves passages from books, articles, essays, and other things they read, but rarely goes back to them. Instead of building another archive you never open, Marked helps the ideas you care about find their way back to you. Save what matters. Rediscover it later. Remember more of what you read. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://clementineflow.github.io/marked/privacy/

Screenshots

PlainLock4 screens
Marked4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Marked at Free against PlainLock's $2.99. PlainLock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On update cadence, 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

Marked is free to download; PlainLock costs $2.99 up front. Marked sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PlainLock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlainLock ships an update every 5 days, Marked every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
PlainLock versus Marked: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlainLockMarked
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChang Jhih YehTingan Cho

In-app purchases

None

PlainLock

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Marked

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is PlainLock free?
PlainLock costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Marked free?
Marked is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PlainLock or Marked have ads?
Neither PlainLock nor Marked shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlainLock or Marked?
PlainLock ships an update every 5 days, and Marked every 4 days. Most recently, PlainLock was updated on October 25, 2026 and Marked on October 31, 2026.

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