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Locket Widget vs Retro: photo sharing with a small circle?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Locket Widget logoLocket Widget6.5/10Freemium · FreeRetro logoRetro6.8/10Freemium · $4.99/mo

Quick verdict

Locket Widget vs Retro: photo sharing with a small circle.

Locket Widget: Close friends, family or long-distance couples who want to see each other's photos on the home screen.

Retro: Friends and family who want a weekly rhythm of sharing photos.

Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Head-to-head

Locket Widget leads on 0, Retro on 4, 5 even

FeatureLocket WidgetRetro
Ads on the free tier[2],[12],[18]Shows ads; removing them requires Locket Gold.No ads; revenue comes from subscriptions.
→ If you want to stay on the free tier without ads, Retro is the more comfortable choice.
What the free plan really allows[8],[16],[18]Send photos to friends' widgets, emoji reactions, past photo history; up to 20 friends.Weekly photo posts, group albums and recaps.
→ Locket fits instant sharing with a small circle, while Retro fits a weekly rhythm and group albums.
Friend limit[2],[8]Free tier capped at 20 friends; Locket Gold allows unlimited friends.No public information found.
→ If your circle has more than 20 people, keep Locket's free-tier cap in mind.
Paid plan pricing[2],[6],[16]No official price page; US App Store lists Gold items from $1.99 to $36.00, billing periods not stated.US App Store: $4.99/month, $35.99/year or $1.99/week; some listings include a trial.
→ Retro states its billing periods, so you can estimate the cost before subscribing.
Refund policy[3],[14]Billed via App Store/Google Play; Apple or Google decide refunds, and Locket cannot influence them.Terms say charges are final and non-refundable unless Retro decides otherwise; Apple/Google policies also apply.
→ With either app, getting a refund largely depends on the app store you paid through.
Ad tracking and privacy[4],[13],[16]App Store label lists identifiers used to track you; ad SDKs; device IDs may be shared with third parties.App Store label lists no tracking data; says it does not sell data; still uses ad partner cookies and Google Analytics.
→ People wary of being tracked for advertising should lean toward Retro.
Support channels[2],[3],[13]Help center with a Vietnamese version; no email or chat channel listed.Email only ([email protected]); no help center.
→ Locket suits self-service lookups, while Retro offers a direct email contact.
Group features and integrations[11],[16],[18]Photo widget, reactions, history, recap video; no integrations.Group albums, group messaging, recaps, printed postcards, widgets; Instagram integration.
→ Groups collecting shared photos after an event get more tools with Retro.
User ratings[6],[8],[16]4.8/5 US App Store (590,566 ratings); 4.6/5 Google Play (401,000).4.8/5 US App Store (18,601 ratings); 4.6/5 US Google Play (23,900).
→ Scores are identical; Locket just has far more ratings, so its satisfaction level reflects a much larger user base.

Choose Locket Widget if…

  • Close friends, family or long-distance couples who want to see each other's photos on the home screen
  • People who want a small social app without follower counts or public likes

Choose Retro if…

  • Friends and family who want a weekly rhythm of sharing photos
  • Groups that want a private album after an event, with group chat
  • People who want a social app with no ads and no public like counts

How the products differ

Locket Widget: Locket suits close friends or couples who want to share small moments without a public feed or like counts. The trade-offs are a narrow feature set, ads and a 20-friend cap on the free tier, and fairly broad data collection.

Retro: Retro suits people who want a small, private place to catch up on friends' and family's photos each week, without a feed of strangers. The trade-offs are no standalone pricing page or help center, contact mostly by email, and access to contacts and photos when permitted.

Choose around your use case

Locket Widget: Fits Close friends, family or long-distance couples who want to see each other's photos on the home screen; People who want a small social app without follower counts or public likes. Strengths: Photos appear directly on the widget; no app to open or message to send; High store ratings: 4.8/5 on the US App Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play, each from 400,000+ ratings.

Retro: Fits Friends and family who want a weekly rhythm of sharing photos; Groups that want a private album after an event, with group chat. Strengths: No ads; revenue comes from subscriptions, per TechCrunch; Friend list and likes are private, and captions are optional.

Costs and limits to check

Locket Widget: Paid prices depend on plan and purchase channel; see the product review. Trade-off: The free tier shows ads; removing them and lifting the friend cap requires Locket Gold.

Retro: Retro Premium: 4.99 USD/month, as recorded in the review. Trade-off: No standalone pricing page or help center; contact is by email to [email protected]. Prices retain the currency and billing units recorded in the source profiles; no currency conversion or plan equivalence is assumed. Check official prices, limits and terms before payment.

When to consider another option

Locket Widget is not aimed at: Anyone who needs to reach a wide audience or build a public following; People who want to minimise personal data collection and in-app ads.

Consider alternatives to Retro if you are: Anyone who wants a wide audience or a public following; People who want minimal data access, since the app uses contacts and photos when permitted. Read these limitations alongside the feature table before deciding; a single strength cannot compensate for a missing requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose Locket Widget or Retro?

Locket Widget vs Retro: photo sharing with a small circle. Locket Widget: Close friends, family or long-distance couples who want to see each other's photos on the home screen. Retro: Friends and family who want a weekly rhythm of sharing photos. Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Does a higher score always mean a better fit?

No. Overall scores are editorial judgements across several criteria. Your task, allowance and existing ecosystem may matter more; the table separates those differences so you can decide.

Where do prices and limits come from?

From each product’s researched profile, with source links and check dates in the review. This comparison reuses that evidence; its compilation date does not mean every price was rechecked that day.

Sources

Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.

  1. 1.Official website · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  2. 2.Locket Gold help article · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  3. 3.Locket Gold refund help article · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  4. 4.Privacy Policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  5. 5.Terms of Service · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  6. 6.App Store listing (US) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  7. 7.App Store listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  8. 8.Google Play listing · store · Nov 10, 2026
  9. 9.TechCrunch (2022-08-02) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  10. 10.Techweez (2026-06-26) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  11. 11.Official website · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  12. 12.Official ethos page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  13. 13.Official privacy policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  14. 14.Official terms of use · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  15. 15.Lone Palm Labs company site · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  16. 16.App Store listing (US) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  17. 17.Google Play listing (US) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  18. 18.TechCrunch (2026-08-28) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  19. 19.TechCrunch (2024-07-11) · press · Nov 10, 2026

Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.

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