Comparison
Language-learning app blockers compared
Five apps make you practise a language before Instagram or TikTok opens. For the most languages and the lowest price, LLLock (30+). For speaking practice, PollyStop. For a free plan, audio for every word and a move goal as well, Sorry Scroll (sorryscroll.com). LangLocker teaches the same six languages as Sorry Scroll, one phrase at a time.
How we compared
Every fact comes from each app's own App Store page, Google Play page or website, checked on 23 October 2026. Where an app doesn't say something, the table says not stated instead of guessing. We make Sorry Scroll, so it's listed with the same columns as the others.
| App | What you do to unlock | Languages | Unlocks for | Free plan | Paid | Platforms | App Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorry Scroll | 2 new words, a check on each, 1 older word (5 cards, about 30 seconds) | 6: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean; meanings in 7 | 15 to 60 minutes, you choose | 1 app, every language | $39.99/yr (3-day trial), $4.99/wk | iPhone; Android in review | No ratings yet |
| LangLocker | Learn one phrase and answer a short exercise | 6: English, French, Spanish, German, Korean, Japanese | A time you set | No (free trial) | $44.99 to $59.99/yr, $9.99/mo, $4.99/wk | iPhone (Android on its roadmap) | 5.0 (1) |
| LLLock | Answer five vocabulary words | 30+, any pair; your own decks too | A time you set | No (7-day trial) | €14.99/yr on its site; $12.99/yr or $2.99/mo on the App Store | iPhone, Android | No ratings yet |
| LearnPass | Answer flashcards; each right answer banks 1 minute | "All languages" | 1 minute per correct answer | No (free trial) | $24.60/yr or $2.56/mo on its site | iPhone, Android | 5.0 (1) |
| PollyStop | Practise speaking out loud with an AI tutor | 31 | Not stated | Practice is free; blocking is Premium | $95/yr or $10/mo on its site | iPhone, Android, web | 4.0 (1) |
What actually helps words stick
Two findings from memory research are worth checking any of these apps against:
- Testing beats rereading. In Roediger and Karpicke's 2006 study, people who were tested on a passage remembered 56% a week later; people who reread it remembered 42%.
- Spacing beats cramming. Across 271 comparisons in a 2006 meta-analysis, spaced practice averaged 47% final recall against 37% for the same practice done in one go.
Most of these make you recall something to unlock, which is the testing part. For spacing, Sorry Scroll publishes its schedule: a word comes back 20 minutes after your first correct answer, then after 1, 3, 7 and 21 days, and a missed word comes back in a minute.
Which to choose
- Many languages, or your own decks, for the lowest price: LLLock.
- Speaking practice: PollyStop (blocking needs Premium).
- Minutes you can bank and spend later: LearnPass.
- A phrase at a time in one of the big six: LangLocker.
- A free plan, audio for every word and sentence, meanings in Hindi and five other languages, and the option to move instead: Sorry Scroll.
Not sure you want a blocker? Duolingo alternatives that block social media covers using a course alongside one. Every Sorry Scroll language, day one: the language goal.
Questions
Is there an app that makes you learn a language before opening Instagram?
Yes, at least five: Sorry Scroll, LangLocker, LLLock, LearnPass and PollyStop. They differ in what you do (words, a phrase, flashcards or speaking), how many languages they teach and whether there's a free plan.
Which one is free?
Sorry Scroll is free for one blocked app with every language. PollyStop's practice is free, but blocking apps is Premium. LangLocker, LLLock and LearnPass have free trials, then a subscription.
Which teaches the most languages?
LLLock (30+ in any pair, plus your own decks) and PollyStop (31). LearnPass says all languages are supported. Sorry Scroll and LangLocker teach six.
Which is best for speaking?
PollyStop, which is built around talking out loud to an AI tutor. The others teach vocabulary.
Which work on Android?
LLLock, LearnPass and PollyStop. Sorry Scroll's Android app is in Google Play review. LangLocker says Android is on its roadmap.