Comparison

smartLLM vs Arc Lock

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

Head to head
About

smartLLM

Features
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smartLLM runs a real large language model entirely on your iPhone. Your chat messages are never sent anywhere โ€” every answer is generated by your phone's own chip. โ€ข Fully on-device inference (powered by llama.cpp) โ€ข Chat messages never leave your phone โ€” no server, no account, no sign-up โ€ข smartLLM Pro (one-time purchase): search and download additional GGUF models from Hugging Face, inside the app โ€ข Checks your device's memory before downloading, so you don't end up with a model your phone can't run โ€ข Streaming responses, multi-turn chat history, stop generation anytime โ€ข Downloading the default model and chatting are free. No ads and no subscription ABOUT "OFFLINE" Chatting is fully offline. The app only uses the internet when you search for or download a model from Hugging Face, and for in-app purchase features through the App Store (StoreKit), such as loading the price, purchasing, and restoring. A NOTE ON AI CONTENT Answers are generated by a language model and may be inaccurate or inappropriate. Please verify anything important yourself, and don't rely on it for critical decisions.

About

Arc Lock

Features
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Companies fight for every second of your time to keep you distracted. Taking control of your screen time should be a human right, not something locked behind a paywall. Arc Lock blocks the apps and websites that eat your day, and once a block starts, it stays on. Every feature is free for everyone: no subscription, no account, no ads, no in-app purchases. SCHEDULES Pick apps, app categories and websites, choose the hours and days, and they lock on their own. Overnight windows like 11 PM โ€“ 7 AM work too (up to 22 hours). DAILY LIMITS Allow yourself a set time each day, from 5 minutes to 8 hours. See exactly how many minutes are used and left. When the time is used up, those apps lock until the limit resets: at midnight, or at the time you pick (say 4:00 AM, for late nights). A heads-up comes 5 minutes before. TIME-OUTS Not a full block, a pause. After a stretch of use, the apps take a short break, then open again. For example: after 20 minutes of short videos, a 10-minute break. It repeats all day and starts fresh at its reset time. BLOCK NOW Lock distractions right away, from 15 minutes to 12 hours. The Block now button is always one tap away. PLACES Pick one or more places on the map, like the library, your school or the gym, and the apps lock when you arrive. Each place block ends when you leave, or after a set time, whichever you choose, and starts only on the days you pick. Location access is asked for only when you set up a place block, and Arc Lock never sends your location anywhere. STRICT LOCK Every block can have Strict lock, and it's on by default. While a strict block runs: โ€ข it can't be stopped, loosened or deleted in Arc Lock โ€ข the date and time can't be changed by hand โ€ข the block screen has a single button: Close Daily limits and time-outs are locked in until they reset: you can make one stricter once a day, but looser settings only start at its next reset. Want a gentler block? Switch Strict lock off for that block, and you can stop it whenever you like. Switching Strict lock off for the whole app works right away: a block that's running or counting stays strict only until its own reset, or until it ends. DELETION PROTECTION On by default: no app can be deleted from your iPhone, Arc Lock included. Switching it off waits only until your strict blocks reset or end. LOCK-IN Freeze every rule for 1 to 30 days, even between blocks: no loosening, no deleting rules, no deleting apps. Changes you queued before it wait until it ends. WEBSITES BY ADDRESS Type a site like youtube.com and it's blocked in Safari and every other browser, in schedules, daily limits, time-outs and Block now. APPLE'S OWN LOOK Native lists and a compact Liquid Glass tab bar: Home, Blocks and Settings. Names are optional: a block without one is shown by its first app. Five themes (Navy, Graphite, Forest, Plum and Paper), each with a matching app icon. The phone-and-lock mark in the app closes while something is blocked. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Arc Lock works through Apple's Screen Time. Apple keeps your activity on your iPhone; Arc Lock never learns which apps you use and sends nothing anywhere. No account, no analytics, no tracking. OPEN SOURCE The complete source code is on GitHub under the MIT license: github.com/WeldingArc/arc-lock

Screenshots

smartLLM3 screens
Arc Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arc Lock at none against smartLLM's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. smartLLM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Arc Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

smartLLM ships an update fortnightly, Arc Lock every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
smartLLM versus Arc Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametersmartLLMArc Lock
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 8 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size11 MB7 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperYONONAKA LLCJUN HYUK CHOI

In-app purchases

1 purchases

smartLLM

One-time1
  • smartLLM Pro$5.99
None

Arc Lock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is smartLLM free?
smartLLM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arc Lock free?
Arc Lock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do smartLLM or Arc Lock have ads?
Neither smartLLM nor Arc Lock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, smartLLM or Arc Lock?
smartLLM ships an update fortnightly, and Arc Lock every 8 days. Most recently, smartLLM was updated on October 31, 2026 and Arc Lock on October 31, 2026.

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