Comparison

DinoLock vs Emberlock

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

Head to head
About

DinoLock

Features
Read full description

DinoLock is free to download and use. Locking apps and answering questions to earn screen time are free. Creating your own questions with AI, and importing questions from topics, photos, or documents, require DinoLock Premium — an auto-renewing subscription available in weekly or monthly plans. DinoLock connects learning with healthier screen habits. Create or import multiple-choice questions, choose apps to shield with Apple's Screen Time controls, and earn access time by answering correctly. Build a question bank from topics, photos, or documents. Adjust subjects, difficulty, rewards, daily goals, and lock settings to fit your routine. Progress stays clear while DinoLock keeps the experience friendly and encouraging. AI-generated questions can be inaccurate. Review learning material before use. Screen Time behavior depends on Apple system permissions and settings. Privacy Policy: https://dinolock.web.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Emberlock

This app locks distracting applications until you earn screen time by answering quizzes or completing physical exercises. It helps users regain focus by turning idle moments into productive learning or activity sessions. Earn your access back by studying, moving, or waiting.

Highlights
  • App blocking with earned screen time
  • Flashcard quizzes for learning
  • Physical exercise tracking for unlocks
  • Customizable app lock duration
  • Offline study modes
  • Streak tracking and milestones
Features
Read full description

Your apps are locked. One right answer opens them. > The problem: a phone wins every idle moment. Scrolling quietly eats whole evenings, and every "just five minutes" costs you the focus you had. > The fix: Emberlock flips the trade. Your most distracting apps (Instagram, TikTok, games, whatever pulls you in) stay locked until you earn them. Answer flashcards on a subject YOU choose, or put the phone down and knock out a set of reps. Learn first. Scroll after. WHAT CHANGES • Opening an app becomes a decision, not a reflex: a 6-second gate beats endless willpower. • Every doomscroll urge becomes a rep for your brain: real questions, real subjects, real recall. • Your streak compounds. Keep the ember lit day after day and watch the answered-questions count stack up. • When the timer runs out, the apps lock again. The trade is always the same, and it is always in your favor. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps to block and how you want to earn them back. 2. Open a blocked app → a challenge appears instead. 3. Answer correctly, or finish your set → your apps open for 15 to 120 minutes. You choose. 4. Keep the streak alive. Milestones, streak shields, and a shareable Study Wall card mark the run. THREE WAYS TO EARN THE UNLOCK • Study: flashcards on a subject you pick. 18 ready-made subjects built in: SAT vocab, biology, chemistry, Spanish basics, coding, history, psychology, law, medicine, and more, plus fact sets for world capitals, currencies and elements. 3,600+ curated questions that work fully offline. Or your own deck: type or paste questions and answers, or import a CSV, and the next unlock asks them. • Move: your phone counts reps with its motion sensors: push-ups, squats, jumping jacks. You choose how many it takes. • Wait: a short cool-down you set. No quiz, no reps, just a pause the urge rarely survives. PERFECT FOR • Students who reach for TikTok instead of their notes • Anyone with ADHD whose phone wins every fight for attention • Professionals who lose evenings to the feed • Language learners and exam preppers who want stolen minutes back • Anyone who has tried deleting apps, and just reinstalled them THE HONEST DEAL • Free tier that stays free: five unlocks a day, every mode, every subject, resetting at midnight. • Pay once and keep it forever. One price, no subscription. • Pro adds unlimited decks of your own (one is free), 8 fact decks in Learn, and no daily cap. • On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, build a course from your notes, PDFs or links on the device itself; one is free, Pro adds unlimited. • Private by design: no account, no ads, no tracking. Your decks and notes stay on your phone. Nothing is uploaded or shared. • You are always in control: Emberlock uses Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) so YOU choose what to block, and you can change it any time. THE SCIENCE Retrieval practice, recalling an answer instead of re-reading it, is one of the most consistently supported findings in learning research. Emberlock turns the moment you most want to waste into the moment you remember something. That is the whole trick: the habit you can't quit starts paying for the one you can't start. Privacy: https://studylock-llm-proxy.mcggmjhp5p.workers.dev/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

DinoLock4 screens
Emberlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Emberlock at every 4 days against DinoLock's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. DinoLock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Emberlock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DinoLock ships an update every 3 weeks, Emberlock every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
DinoLock versus Emberlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDinoLockEmberlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBatuhan BayirTom Nguyen

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DinoLock

Subscriptions2
  • DinoLock Weekly$4.997 Days
  • DinoLock Monthly$12.991 Month
2 purchases

Emberlock

Subscriptions1
  • Emberlock Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Emberlock Pro (Lifetime)$4.99

Questions

Is DinoLock free?
DinoLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Emberlock free?
Emberlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DinoLock or Emberlock have ads?
Neither DinoLock nor Emberlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DinoLock or Emberlock?
DinoLock ships an update every 3 weeks, and Emberlock every 4 days. Most recently, DinoLock was updated on November 10, 2026 and Emberlock on November 10, 2026.

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