Escape rooms & treasure hunts
Example: Find the pirate treasure
One lock. One link.
They have to
crack the code.
Create a virtual lock in under 2 minutes, dress it for the occasion, share the link, and reveal the surprise when they find the answer.
No app. No player account.
Chain several locks later if you want.
Try it now
Crack the captain's code
In what year did Columbus reach the Americas?
Not that year. Try again.
Gifts & personal surprises
Example: Birthday surprise
Classes & training
Example: Quiz challenge
Business
Example: Team icebreaker
From idea to a lock they can play.
1
Create your lock
Write the clue, set the code (or a password, a pattern), add the reveal it guards, then share the link.
Count the rings painted on the trunk. Three digits.
Head for the bench facing the water.
2
Send the link or QR
Drop it in a chat, or tape the QR to a wall for them to scan. No app, no player account.
🙂Alexonline
I made a challenge for you! Can you crack it? 🎁10:24 ✓✓
Lock Challenge
Treasure huntCount the rings painted on the trunk. Three digits.
lockchallenge.com/l/PK7x3bp10:24 ✓✓On it. Give me a minute 🔍10:25
3
They crack it, the reveal opens
They type the answer on any phone. The object opens and your message, photo or video is theirs.
An automatic hint can be ready, so nobody stays stuck.
Designed down to the last detail
Every pixel of the lock is yours to style.
Nothing on the screen is fixed. Pick from dozens of looks, choose the object that opens or upload your own pictures, set the typeface and size, and end on your own reveal. Your players see exactly the screen you designed.
Look
49 looks, solid colours and gradients. Each one repaints the whole page behind the lock.
Solid colours
Gradients
Object
31 drawn objects, shut while the lock holds, open once it gives way.
Typeface and size
10 typefaces and 6 text sizes, from a phone in hand to a screen across the room.
Text size
Or your own two pictures
Upload a closed and an open picture: the parcel as wrapped, then what was inside. Included with the Event Pass and Pro.
Happy birthday, Léa
How many candles this year? Twice fifteen.
Unlock to reveal the reward
7 looks and 13 drawn objects are free. The premium looks, the other objects, your own pictures, the animations, typefaces and text sizes come with the Event Pass or Pro.
Build yours →- 49
- looks
- 31
- objects that open
- 10
- typefaces
- 8
- unlock animations
- 12
- lock types
- 5
- player languages
No account required
Players open and play. That's it.
Works on any phone
No app. No downloads. It just works.
Player interface in 5 languages
English, Spanish, French, Catalan, Portuguese.
Impossible to cheat
The answer is checked on our server. It never reaches the page, so nobody can read it in the code.
Built for professional use
A virtual lock creator built for real events.
Run paid escape games, client events, classroom trails or brand giveaways. Pro lifts every limit on locks and steps, adds commercial use and iframe embedding, and gives you the tools for the day itself: a live board, a clock the server keeps and the results afterwards.
- Live board
- Every player's step, attempts and hints on one screen, refreshed every ten seconds while the game runs.
- A clock the server keeps
- Timed play, one run per device, and guesses that come too fast flagged for you to judge.
- Printable QR pack
- One A4 PDF with a page per step, sharp at any size, ready to tape to the walls.
- Results you can export
- Who played, how many tries and which hints, then every result as CSV.
Privacy and security
The challenge is visible. The answer is not.
Discrete answers and access codes are stored as bcrypt hashes and compared on the server, so the correct answer never reaches the player's browser. Guessing is throttled per address, and player pages stay out of search results.
- No player account
- They open the link or scan the QR code and play. No app, no sign-up.
- Answers stay on the server
- The page holds a field, never the solution, so there is nothing to find in the source.
- Guessing is throttled
- Thirty tries a minute per address, and a timed lock adds a growing pause after five misses.
- Noindex by default
- A photo, an announcement or a client document stays out of Google unless you list it.
Try some locks.
A bit tricky on purpose. The hint makes each one easy.
The sunken galleon
The galleon went down in the only leap year between 1701 and 1707.
The cell door
The masked swordsman left his signature carved on the cell door. Trace it.
Draw your pattern
The champagne crate
The crank on the lid turns like a clock, a quarter turn at a time, all the way round.
•
Choose a sequence of 4 directions
The notebookPro
The last page is a mini sudoku with six gaps. Fill it and the notebook opens.
Tap a cell, then a digit. Fill every cell.
The suitcaseProWordle
A Wordle on the luggage tag: guess the five-letter city whose iron tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.
Guess the 5-letter word.
The music box
It plays the first three notes any child sings when learning the scale. Listen, then play them back.
Listen first, then start the challenge.
Play a sequence of 3 notes
Simple pricing. Big impact.
Pay once for one event, or subscribe to Pro and cancel any time. No per-player fee.
Free
$0forever
Build a real lock, single or multi-step, and let people play it. No time limit.
See what is included
- 3 locks
- 1 multi-step lock of up to 3 steps
- Text, link, image, button and promo code reveals
- Basic statistics
- Lock Challenge branding on the player page
- Personal and educational use
Event Pass
$9.90once
One event, dressed properly. Every look, animation and typeface, and your experience live for 30 days. It closes when the pass ends and reopens the moment you pay again. Running sessions, the results and the timer stay with Pro.
See what is included
- Everything in Free, for one event
- No Lock Challenge branding
- Your own accent colour on multi-step locks
- 42 premium looks and 18 more drawn objects
- Your own before/after pictures
- 8 unlock animations to choose from
- 22 dressed scenarios, ready to run
- Audio, video and file reveals
- Sudoku locks, generated in three difficulties
- Wordle locks, with coloured guesses
- Text size and font
- Email invitations, up to 200 at once, tracked person by person
- 10 locks and an 8-step trail
- One payment. Your event runs for 30 days.
Best value
Pro
$14.90per month
See what is included
- Everything in the Event Pass, all year
- Unlimited locks, multi-step locks and steps
- Printable QR pack
- Live dashboard and leaderboard
- Scheduling
- Detailed results and CSV export
- Player emails, collected at the reveal and exported
- Timed challenges: a clock the server keeps, per game and per step, one play per device
- A cap on how many people win, with a sold-out message
- Access code, player and attempt caps, single use
- An event date, with a reminder the day before and a report the morning after
- Choose whether players can look back at the steps they solved
- Your logo on the lock
- Duplicate a whole multi-step lock in one click
- Bulk step creation
- Iframe embedding
- A "challenge a friend" button under your reveal
- Commercial use
- Cancel any time
Every plan: 12 free lock formats, unlimited players and attempts, 7 looks and 13 before/after picture pairs, QR code and short link.
Compare the plans
Every plan: 12 free lock formats, unlimited players and attempts, 7 looks and 13 before/after picture pairs, QR code and short link.
| Feature | Free | Event Pass | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limits | |||
| How long your experiences stay openHow long players can open what you publish. A pass covers one event for 30 days, Pro keeps everything open while you subscribe. | Forever | 30 days | While subscribed |
| LocksSingle locks you can have published at the same time. | 3 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Multi-step locksGames that chain several locks, one room after another. | 1 | 1 | Unlimited |
| Steps per multi-step lockHow many locks one multi-step game can chain. | 3 | 8 | Unlimited |
| Look and brand | |||
| Branding removedNo "Powered by Lock Challenge" on the player page: the screen shows only your experience. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Premium looksThe richest backgrounds: gold, galaxy, velvet and saturated colours. | · | 42 | 42 |
| Drawn objectsThe drawn object that opens with the right code: a gift box, a chest, a safe and more. | 13 | 31 | 31 |
| Your own before/after picturesUpload a closed and an open picture: the wrapped present, then what was inside. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlock animationsWhat plays when the lock opens: confetti, fireworks, hearts, balloons and more. | None | 8 | 8 |
| Text size and fontChange the typeface and text size, from a phone in hand to a screen across the room. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accent colour on multi-step locksYour own colour on the buttons and details of a multi-step lock. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Premium scenariosReady-made scenarios with the look, object and mechanic already set: change the answer and play. | · | 22 | 22 |
| Your logo on the lockYour logo on the lock, as a signature, a repeating pattern or an engraved plate. | · | · | ✓ |
| Game and rules | |||
| Sudoku locksA sudoku generated for you in three difficulties: solving it opens the lock. | · | 3 difficulties | 3 difficulties |
| Wordle locksFind the five-letter word, with coloured hints after each guess. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Timed challenges, one play per deviceA clock kept by the server, for the whole game and per step, with one play per device and too-fast answers flagged. | · | · | ✓ |
| SchedulingThe link opens and closes by itself on the dates you set, in your time zone. | · | · | ✓ |
| Access code, player and attempt capsA code to type before playing, a cap on players or attempts, or a single use. | · | · | ✓ |
| Event date, reminder and next-day reportSay when your event happens: a reminder the day before and a report of how it went the morning after. | · | · | ✓ |
| Hide solved steps from playersIn a multi-step lock, choose whether players can look back at the steps they already solved. | · | · | ✓ |
| Duplicate multi-step locksCopy a whole multi-step game in one click to run it again. | · | · | ✓ |
| Bulk step creationPaste many steps at once: a question, an answer and a hint per line. | · | · | ✓ |
| Reward and reveal | |||
| Audio, video and file revealsReveal a video, a voice message, a PDF or a file to download. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cap on winnersHand out 10, 50 or 100 prizes and never one more, with a live counter and a sold-out message. | · | · | ✓ |
| Player emailsAsk for an email before the reveal, optional or required, then export the list. | · | · | ✓ |
| "Challenge a friend" buttonA button under the reveal so players can send the same lock to someone else. | · | · | ✓ |
| Running and data | |||
| Email invitationsSend the lock by email to up to 200 people at once, and see who played. | · | ✓ | ✓ |
| Saved contact groupsSave lists such as a class or a team to invite the same people again. | · | · | ✓ |
| Live dashboard and leaderboardFollow players in real time and show who finished first. | · | · | ✓ |
| Detailed resultsWhere players drop off, how long each step takes and how often hints are used. | · | · | ✓ |
| CSV exportDownload sessions and results as a spreadsheet. | · | · | ✓ |
| Printable QR packOne printable PDF with the QR code of every step, ready to place around a venue. | · | · | ✓ |
| Iframe embeddingPut the lock inside your own website or page. | · | · | ✓ |
| Licence and billing | |||
| Commercial useUse your locks for clients, paid events or a business. | · | · | ✓ |
| Cancel any timeStop Pro whenever you want: it stays active until the end of the period already paid. | No payment | 30 days | ✓ |
FAQ
Questions, answered clearly.
Everything creators and players need to know before building a virtual lock.
See allWhat is a virtual lock?
A virtual lock is an interactive web challenge that protects hidden content. The creator chooses a lock, defines the correct answer and adds content to reveal. Players open a link or QR code, solve the challenge and unlock the content in their browser.
Do players need an account or an app?
No. Players open the shared link on a phone, tablet or computer and solve the lock directly in their browser. Only the creator needs an account, and only to save and publish.
Can I build one without signing up?
Yes. You can pick a lock, set the answer, add the reveal and test the whole thing before creating an account. The draft stays on your device, and an account is only needed to save it, publish it and get its link.
What can I hide behind a lock?
On every plan: text, a link, an image, a promo code, an action button, sanitised HTML or the next clue in a chain. An Event Pass or Pro adds files, PDFs, downloads, audio, video and several items in one reveal.
Is the free plan limited by how many people play?
No. Players and attempts are unlimited on every plan, free included. The free plan is bounded by what you can build: 3 locks and 1 multi-step lock of up to 3 steps. Everything you publish keeps working for as many players as you send to it.
What happens when I reach the free plan's limits?
Nothing you built stops working. When you try to create a fourth lock or add a step past the ceiling, the app offers the Event Pass, $9.90 once for 10 locks and a 8-step trail over 30 days, or Pro, with no limit. Your existing locks, single or multi-step, and their links are untouched either way.