What is Unlockr used for?

Unlockr is an iPhone app that locks distracting apps and lets you earn time back by completing a short breathing exercise or a few reps of squats, push-ups or a plank. It is a good fit for cutting down on social media scrolling and building movement into the day before using apps.

How much does Unlockr cost?

Paid plans for Unlockr start at $5.99 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is Unlockr open source?

No. Unlockr is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Moodist and PowerToys.

What are some alternatives to Unlockr?

Unlockr competes with Freedom and Forest.

Unlockr: features, pricing and alternatives

About Unlockr

Unlockr cuts down time in distracting apps by turning access into something you have to earn. You choose the apps or categories to protect, and opening one requires a short challenge first: a minute of guided breathing, or a short round of squats, push-ups or a plank hold. Finishing it gives you real time to spend, and the time counts down only while you are actually using the unlocked app, not in the background.

Movement targets scale with the difficulty you choose, and camera-based rep counting runs entirely on the device with nothing recorded or uploaded, with a manual fallback if you decline camera access. A weekly view shows how much time you earned and where it went. The app needs Screen Time permission to protect your chosen apps.

It is an iPhone app that requires a subscription: weekly at $2.99, monthly at $5.99 with a 3-day free trial, or yearly at $34.99 with a 7-day free trial, renewing automatically through the Apple ID account.

Key features

Locks chosen apps and categories
Breathing and exercise challenges to unlock
Time deducted only during actual use
On-device camera rep counting
Weekly view of earned time
Difficulty scaling for exercises

Good fit for

Cutting down on social media scrolling
Building movement into the day before using apps

Tags: screen-time; digital-wellbeing; ios; app-blocker; focus; exercise; productivity

Unlockr: questions and answers

What is Unlockr used for?: Unlockr is an iPhone app that locks distracting apps and lets you earn time back by completing a short breathing exercise or a few reps of squats, push-ups or a plank. It is a good fit for cutting down on social media scrolling and building movement into the day before using apps.
How much does Unlockr cost?: Paid plans for Unlockr start at $5.99 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is Unlockr open source?: No. Unlockr is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Moodist and PowerToys.
What are some alternatives to Unlockr?: Unlockr competes with Freedom and Forest.