Comparison

Gratlock vs Samvar

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

Head to head
About

Gratlock

This app transforms your phone usage into a daily gratitude practice. Before opening selected apps, you're prompted to write one sentence of gratitude, which is then saved to a private journal. It helps build a positive habit by leveraging existing app usage patterns.

Highlights
  • Gratitude journaling before app access
  • Customizable app blocking
  • Private on-device journal storage
  • Adjustable app unlock windows
  • Plain-text journal export
  • No ads or social feed
Features
Read full description

Turn doomscrolling into a gratitude journal you'll actually keep. Every time you reach for an app, Gratlock asks for one good thing first. Write it, and your apps open for the window you chose. Each line joins a private journal that grows with the little things from your real life. Gratitude journals are easy to start and hard to keep. Gratlock turns the urge to scroll into a one-sentence gratitude habit. No extra reminder to remember. No long entry to finish. The habit you already have becomes the cue for the one you want. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps that pull you in, using Apple's own Screen Time picker. 2. When you open one, a quiet block screen stands in the way. 3. One grateful sentence opens them, and every sentence lands in a private journal you keep. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE Gratlock pairs a habit you want less of with a practice you want more of. The prompt is intentionally small enough to answer honestly, even on a busy day. Your apps then open for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, or the rest of the day. When the window ends, the lock returns automatically. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Journal entries are stored on your device and are never sent to Gratlock. There is no account or sign-in. Blocking runs on Apple's Screen Time system, which keeps your app choices hidden even from us. Screen Time data is never used for advertising and never shared. WHAT YOU GET • Unlimited app and category locking, enforced by iOS itself • A gratitude journal that grows one honest sentence at a time • Unlock windows you control, with automatic re-locking • Plain-text journal export, anytime • No ads and no feed, just your words Gratlock Pro is $29.99 a year. The price is shown in the app before you pay, and you can cancel anytime in your Apple subscription settings. Terms of Use: https://www.gratlock.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.gratlock.com/privacy

About

Samvar

Read full description

Nobody drifts apart on purpose. A busy month becomes a busy year, and the people you love most go quiet — not because you stopped caring, but because nothing reminded you to show up. Samvar helps you be your friends' best friend: the one who keeps in touch, remembers the details of their lives, and asks about them at just the right time. JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED After a coffee, a call or a long walk, tap the microphone and talk, the way you'd tell a friend. Samvar picks out what's worth remembering: their daughter starting school, the marathon they're training for, the new job, the move. REMINDED AT THE RIGHT MOMENT Dates in your notes become reminders. A good-luck message the night before the trip or the big interview. "Ask Sam how the race went" the morning after. Birthdays before they sneak up on you. THE FIRST LINE, WRITTEN FOR YOU Every day Samvar names someone worth reaching out to and drafts the opening line from what they actually told you: "How was Hamilton — worth the wait?", "Did the knee hold up in the half?", "Settled into the new office yet?" Edit it or send it as is. One tap opens Messages or WhatsApp. A CARD FROM EVERYONE For a birthday, start a group card and share the link in your group chat. Friends add photos, voice notes and messages from any phone — no app needed — and on the day you send them all at once. WORK RELATIONSHIPS, BUILT LIKE FRIENDSHIPS The colleagues, clients and mentors who help you most are the ones you stay in touch with between meetings. Switch to Work and Samvar does for them what it does for friends: remembers the new role, the conference talk, the move to Zurich, and nudges you before a good relationship goes cold. Work has its own circles (Core, Regular, Network) and weekday-only reminders, kept completely separate from your personal life. RETURN THE INVITE Friends had you round, or treated you to a show? Just say so. Samvar notes who and when, and reminds you to return the invite before too long. SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO, TOGETHER Tap Find ideas and Samvar suggests real things to do nearby, picked for a close friend: a Sunday swim, a film night, a market wander. Then it helps you suggest it. A CONTACTS APP THE WAY IT SHOULD BE Your people, in the order you should reach out, with the things that matter to them a tap away. Add them straight from Contacts — your address book never leaves your iPhone. A RHYTHM FOR EVERY FRIENDSHIP Some friends you want to see every couple of weeks, others every few months. Set the rhythm for each circle and Samvar keeps time. Three gentle rings show how you're doing — and yes, closing them feels good. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your people, notes and memories stay on your iPhone, with a private backup in your own iCloud. No accounts, no copy on our servers, and nothing about your friends is ever shared or sold. Samvar AI is optional and asks your permission first. Group cards are the one exception: they live on our server so friends can add to them, and are deleted automatically 60 days after they're sent. Start with a few friends and see how it feels. Try everything free for a month, then choose a monthly or yearly plan — for less than one coffee with a friend each month. — Samvar Pro is an auto-renewing subscription with a 1-month free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy policy: https://samvar.app/privacy · Terms of use: https://samvar.app/terms

Screenshots

Gratlock4 screens
Samvar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Samvar at every 3 days against Gratlock's weekly. 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. Gratlock sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.00 per 7 days and Samvar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gratlock ships an update weekly, Samvar every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Gratlock versus Samvar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGratlockSamvar
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB29 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperQRACKED LLCGerald Fowler

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Gratlock

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Weekly$7.007 Days
  • Pro Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly Offer$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Samvar

Subscriptions2
  • Samvar Pro Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Samvar Pro Yearly1 Month trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Gratlock free?
Gratlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Samvar free?
Samvar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gratlock or Samvar have ads?
Neither Gratlock nor Samvar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gratlock or Samvar?
Gratlock ships an update weekly, and Samvar every 3 days. Most recently, Gratlock was updated on November 6, 2026 and Samvar on October 29, 2026.

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