Comparison

Holdback vs Relock

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

Head to head
About

Holdback

This app helps you regain control of your screen time by locking chosen apps until you meet a daily step goal, adhere to a schedule, or stay within a set time limit. It offers a 'never allowed' option for apps you wish to permanently block. Focus sessions can lock your entire phone for dedicated work periods.

Highlights
  • Unlock apps with step goals from Apple Health
  • Schedule app availability
  • Set daily time limits for apps
  • Permanently block apps
  • Focus sessions to lock entire phone
  • Hard mode to prevent changing settings
  • Track walking history and milestones
Features
Read full description

Holdback locks the apps that eat your day until you've walked your step goal — or on a schedule, or on a daily limit. Steps come from Apple Health FOUR WAYS TO LOCK • Step goal — your apps stay locked until you've walked your goal for the day. • Schedule — pick the hours your apps stay shut. Nights, work blocks, early mornings. • Daily limit — give an app twenty minutes. When they're gone, they're gone. • Never Allowed — apps you are done with, blocked around the clock, with no unlock at all. All four apply only to the apps, websites and categories you choose. Nothing else on your phone is touched. When you want the whole phone shut for an hour, that's a focus session. WALK TO UNLOCK Set a step goal. Until you reach it, the apps you picked won't open. Steps are read from Apple Health, so there is nothing to fake — no taps to farm, no coins to earn, no minutes to buy back. Open Hours keep your morning usable. Pick the window where your apps stay open even if the goal isn't done — or switch it off and the lock runs around the clock. Reach the goal, and everything opens for the rest of the day. YOUR STEPS, IN ONE PLACE Week, month and year of walking, drawn out day by day. Days on goal, longest streak, best day, averages. The record starts the day you install Holdback and keeps going. Six milestones sit on top of it, from 20 000 steps in a day up to 100 000. FOCUS SESSIONS The four rules above run on their own, all day. A focus session is the one you start by hand — and while it runs, every app on your phone is locked, not just the ones you picked. Set a timer, or run an open-ended stopwatch and stop when the work is done. Rain, waves, thunder, fire or birdsong in the background. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps you want under control. 2. Pick how they unlock — a schedule, a limit, steps, or not at all. 3. Get on with your day. HARD MODE Switch it on and your settings lock along with your apps. You can raise a goal at any time, but lowering it, changing the days, or swapping the apps waits until that day's steps are done. It closes the loophole most blockers leave open — editing your way out instead of walking. You can remove every restriction at any time by deleting Holdback. Calls, messages and emergency services are never affected. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Holdback cannot see which apps you block. Apple's Screen Time framework hands the app anonymous tokens, not app names. Your step data is read from Apple Health and never leaves your device. No account, no sign-up, no ads, no data sold. Terms of Use: https://holdbackapp.github.io/legal/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://holdbackapp.github.io/legal/privacy-policy.html

About

Relock

This app creates a deliberate pause before you open distracting applications, helping you regain control of your time. It allows you to set custom rules and schedules based on your daily routine and Apple Screen Time controls.

Highlights
  • Customizable app blocking rules
  • Schedule-based restrictions
  • Purposeful interruption screen
  • Flexible rule management
  • Progress tracking and insights
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

Take your attention back. You open an app without thinking. Five minutes quietly become fifty. Relock puts a pause between the reflex and the scroll — just long enough to remember what you actually wanted to do. CHOOSE WHAT NEEDS PROTECTING Select apps and categories through Apple Screen Time controls. You decide what matters, not a preset list. BUILD A RULE AROUND YOUR DAY Schedules, durations, daily limits, rule modes. Shape the boundary that fits your morning, your work session, your wind down — from a light block to strict mode when you really mean it. A PAUSE WITH A PURPOSE When a protected app is restricted, Relock creates a clear interruption with the context of your rule. Not another notification. A moment to choose. CHANGE IT WHEN LIFE CHANGES Edit, suspend, resume, or reset your rules. No two days are the same, and your boundaries should not be either. PROGRESS WITHOUT PRESSURE Interventions, estimated time saved, streaks. Information, not judgment. CALM BY DESIGN A focused interface and restrained feedback. An app that helps you look at your screen less should not demand more of your attention. YOUR PRIVACY Relock does not read your messages, your photos, or the contents of restricted apps. Apple provides opaque selection tokens that stay local on your device. JSON export and account deletion are available anytime in Settings. Start with the app that steals five minutes. Build the pause that gives them back. Relock is built around Apple Screen Time controls, for iPhone. Support: contact@getrelock.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://getrelock.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://getrelock.com/privacy/ Apple standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Holdback4 screens
Relock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Holdback at 5.0 against Relock's 4.5. Holdback also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Relock's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, 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. Holdback sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Relock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Holdback holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holdback ships an update every 2 weeks, Relock every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Holdback versus Relock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHoldbackRelock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size262 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaman PazdniakouYaya Mouhamad Nourouddine

Customer experience

Holdback

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

Relock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Holdback

Subscriptions2
  • Holdback Pro Weekly$7.997 Days
  • Holdback Pro Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
3 purchases

Relock

Subscriptions3
  • Relock premium$4.997 Days
  • Yearly promo$24.991 Year
  • Premium access$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Holdback free?
Holdback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Relock free?
Relock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Holdback or Relock?
Holdback is rated higher. Holdback averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Relock averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Holdback or Relock have ads?
Neither Holdback nor Relock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holdback or Relock?
Holdback ships an update every 2 weeks, and Relock every 3 days. Most recently, Holdback was updated on November 5, 2026 and Relock on October 31, 2026.

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