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Locket vs Setlog: home-screen photos or an auto-made daily vlog?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Locket Widget logoLocket Widget6.5/10Freemium · FreeSetlog logoSetlog6.6/10Free · Free

Quick verdict

Locket sends single photos to friends' home screens; Setlog prompts a short clip every hour and stitches the day into a vlog.

Locket Widget, from Locket Labs (US), dates back to 2022 and rates highly on both the App Store and Google Play. The free tier has ads and a 20-friend cap; Locket Gold lifts both, but there is no official price list. The app collects a fair amount of personal data and shows ads through partners.

Setlog, from New Chat Inc. (South Korea), reached the App Store in late 2025. It is currently entirely free, with no stated way of making money. Press reports put groups at 12 people at most. The company says content is end-to-end encrypted, though no independent audit confirming this was found, and its Google Play rating is 3.3/5.

Head-to-head

Locket Widget leads on 3, Setlog on 4, 2 even

FeatureLocket WidgetSetlog
What gets shared[8],[6],[16],[17]Photos and short videos that appear directly on friends' home-screen widgets, plus reactions, a photo history and a monthly recap video.Clips of a few seconds recorded each hour and shown in a shared group, then combined into a vertical split-screen video at the end of the day.
→ Locket suits one-off moments; Setlog suits people who want a friend's whole day in one video.
Posting rhythm[8],[10],[16]You tap the widget to snap and send whenever you like. The sources AppDuo read mention no hourly prompts; Rollcall, per Techweez, is a weekly Sunday post.An hourly notification asks for a clip; some users describe posting as turning into an obligation.
→ If constant prompts put you off, Locket is the lighter option; Setlog's hourly rhythm is what builds the vlog, and also what can wear people out.
Circle size limit[8],[2],[18],[17]Up to 20 friends on the free tier; Locket Gold removes the cap.Up to 12 people per group, per Newsis and Geek Culture (May–June 2026).
→ Groups larger than 12 fit better on Locket, though going past 20 friends means paying for Gold.
Paid plan[2],[7],[6],[14],[20]Locket Gold exists but has no official price page. The US App Store lists Gold items from $1.99 to $36.00 without saying which is monthly or yearly.No paid tier is on record; neither the US App Store nor Google Play lists in-app purchases.
→ Everything in Setlog is free for now, though its future business model is unknown. For Locket, check the billing period shown in your store before buying.
Ads[4],[2],[20]The free tier shows ads served through advertising partners, including SDKs; Gold removes them.Google Play shows no ads label, and none of the sources AppDuo read mention ads.
→ An ad-free Locket costs money; no ads are on record for Setlog.
Content encryption[4],[8],[12],[16]Google Play states encryption in transit; Locket may review message content when something is reported or flagged.The policy says messages, photos and videos are stored end-to-end encrypted and unreadable by the company; no independent audit confirming it was found.
→ On paper Setlog promises stronger protection, but it rests on the company's own word.
Tracking and data sharing[4],[6],[8],[12],[14],[20]The App Store label lists identifiers used to track you, and Google Play says device IDs may be shared with third parties. The app also collects phone number, birthday and contacts (with permission).The App Store label lists name, user content and identifiers for app functionality only; Google Play says nothing is shared with third parties. Both labels are self-declared.
→ Setlog's declarations are narrower for anyone avoiding ad tracking, although its Korean and English policies do not fully match.
App store ratings[6],[7],[8],[14],[21],[22],[20]US App Store 4.8/5 (590,566 ratings), Vietnam App Store 4.6/5 (401,307), Google Play 4.6/5 (about 401,000).US App Store 4.6/5 (285 ratings), South Korea 4.5/5 (3,333), Vietnam 4.5/5 (84); Google Play only 3.3/5 (about 5,400).
→ Locket rates high and consistently on both platforms from far more reviews; Android users should note Setlog's low Google Play score.
Customer support[2],[3],[11],[12],[13],[20]A help center, with a Vietnamese version, covering Gold, cancellation and refunds; the pages consulted list no email or chat.Email only, plus in-app reporting; the team replies to Google Play reviews.
→ Locket offers self-help articles, Setlog a direct email address; neither lists a chat channel in the sources read.

Choose Locket Widget if…

  • You want loved ones' photos to land right on your home screen
  • Your circle has more than 12 people
  • You use Android and want an app that rates well on Google Play

Choose Setlog if…

  • You want a video of your group's whole day without editing it yourself
  • You want no ads and do not plan to pay
  • End-to-end encryption matters to you, even as a company claim

A photo right now, or the whole day

With Locket, the recipient sees a new photo without opening the app, because it sits on the home screen. That suits quick picture check-ins during the day between partners or a few close friends. Techweez also describes Rollcall, a Sunday post of the week's favourite photos that disappears after 7 days. Setlog only delivers its result once the day is over. Per Geek Culture, when the day resets at 4am the clips are combined into a video that is easy to repost to Instagram or TikTok. Locket's recap is monthly; Setlog produces one every day.

How far free goes, and what paying buys

Per Locket's help center, Gold includes custom app icons, camera roll uploads, unlimited friends, longer videos, streak restoration, no ads, a Gold badge and camera themes. There is an odd twist: the 20-friend cap is what keeps Locket small and personal, yet paying removes it. Gold is billed through the App Store or Google Play, so refunds are up to Apple or Google, and Locket says it cannot guarantee or influence the outcome. Setlog has nothing to buy yet, but the sources AppDuo read do not say how the company plans to make money, so the terms may change later.

Privacy promises and what remains unverified

Setlog's policy (updated 25 Apr 2026) says usernames sit on AWS servers in Virginia (US) and photos and videos on AWS in Seoul; logs are kept up to a year and content until you delete it. The Korean version says personal data is not given to outsiders except with consent or by law, while the English version adds service providers and business transfers. Korea JoongAng Daily quoted an X user advising against uploading sensitive content; the company replied that encryption keeps clips hidden from anyone outside the group. Locket's policy was last updated on 27 November 2023; it collects phone number, email, full name and birthday at sign-up and uses data to show ads through partners.

An established app and a newcomer

Locket launched on the App Store on 1 January 2022. According to TechCrunch, Matt Moss built it as a side project for his girlfriend, and by August 2022 the company had raised $12.5 million in total with more than 20 million downloads. Releases are near-weekly, though some Google Play reviews say the Android version lacks features found on iPhone. Setlog is much younger: iOS on 24 Dec 2025, Android on 23 Apr 2026. Newsis reported more than 2 million users and 1.94 million average daily users over 24–27 Apr 2026; per Mobile Index, about 55% are teenagers and 38% in their 20s. A psychology professor quoted by Korea JoongAng Daily doubts the hourly posting habit can last.

Frequently asked questions

How long is each Setlog clip?

Sources differ: 2 to 3 seconds per Korea JoongAng Daily and Newsis, 2 to 4 seconds per Geek Culture. The sources AppDuo read give no official figure from Setlog.

Can I use Setlog on my own?

Yes. Per Geek Culture, a solo mode works the same way as a group and adds a calendar for past videos.

Are these apps suitable for children?

Setlog is not aimed at children under 13 and has a child safety policy (effective 8 Apr 2026) with in-app reporting. The App Store rates Locket 13+ and notes user-generated content and messaging.

Do both apps have a Vietnamese interface?

Yes. Both offer eight interface languages including Vietnamese; Locket also has French and Indonesian, while Setlog adds Russian and Chinese.

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 13, 2026
  12. 12.Official privacy policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  13. 13.Official child safety standards policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  14. 14.App Store listing (United States) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  15. 15.iTunes Lookup API (release date, version, languages, ratings) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  16. 16.Korea JoongAng Daily (2026-05-07) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  17. 17.Geek Culture: App of the Month (2026-06-18) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  18. 18.Newsis (2026-05-05) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  19. 19.iTunes Lookup API (South Korea ratings) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  20. 20.Google Play listing (rating, data safety, developer replies) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  21. 21.https://apps.apple.com/kr/app/setlog/id6587576438
  22. 22.https://apps.apple.com/vn/app/setlog/id6587576438

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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