LockedIn vs NuKase: Lockable Phone Case Compared

Disclosure: LockedIn makes one of the products discussed here. We describe every option, ours included, from public sources and our own product, checked October 26, 2026. If anything is out of date, email hello@lockedinapp.co.

NuKase is a hard-shell lockable phone case from NuGerm (nugerm.com/nukase). Its page is titled "NuKase: The Smarter Alternative to Yondr Pouches." It is not NutKase, the Velcro phone pouch. LockedIn is software on the student’s own phone. Here is how the case and the app compare on cost, stations, emergencies, decoy phones, staff time, warranty, and setup.

How Each One Works

NuKase

NuKase describes a tamper-resistant, semi-transparent case. Students place a phone inside at the start of the day, the case locks, and NuKase says it can only be unlocked at a designated unlocking station. The technical specifications list a polycarbonate shell, 4.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches tall, 2.3 ounces, and "Magnetic unlocking stations only." The same page later calls the material NuPren. We could not reconcile those two names from the public pages.

NuKase says the case fits phones with or without a personal case, and that students carry it. A separate products page lists NuKase (a pin-free slider lock) and NuKase XL (a tap-button lock) for a phone plus earbuds or a watch. Both list a 3-year warranty. NuKase says students cannot open the case themselves. A February 2026 flyer on the site also says a magnetic detacher, handheld or station-based, unlocks the case.

LockedIn

Students install LockedIn on their own iPhone or Android phone and sign in with their school email. How it locks depends on how the school is set up:

• • Screen Time schools: when a phone is on campus during school hours, the apps the school blocks lock automatically and stay locked until the last bell. Calls home and the apps the school allows keep working. There is nothing for the student to tap.
• • Guided Access schools: students lock in with a triple-click (a tap on Android), and the phone stays on the LockedIn screen.

The admin dashboard flags a new device that hasn’t been approved (Fake Device), a phone that stops checking in (Possible Uninstall, after about two school days), location switched off or faked (Mock Location), and use of blocked apps (Using Blocked Apps).

Side by Side

NuKase figures below are from NuKase’s public pages, as of October 26, 2026. LockedIn has no public list price.

Cost

On the NuKase product page, cases are "as low as $11.95 per case," a one-time purchase, with "no subscriptions, no annual renewals," and volume discounts for larger orders. That line says the price includes a 3-year warranty, ID stickers, and the full implementation kit at no extra cost. The page does not say whether unlocking stations are included in the $11.95 price, and it does not publish the volume schedule. In-stock delivery is listed as 10 to 15 days.

The shop lists higher pack prices, and each pack includes stations. Checked October 26, 2026, the sale prices were:

• • Sample pack, $1,795 (list price $1,995): 50 NuKase cases, 50 NuKase XL cases, and 2 unlocking stations. Dividing the sale price by 100 cases is $17.95 per case, with the stations included in that pack price.
• • 150-pack, $2,999.99 (list price $3,299.99): 150 cases and 3 unlocking stations, limited to one order per school. That is just under $20 per case if the stations are not priced separately.
• • 300-pack, $5,999.99 (list price $6,299.99): 300 cases and 6 unlocking stations. That is also just under $20 per case on the same basis.

LockedIn is quoted per school or per district based on enrollment and the number of campuses, as a yearly subscription with no hardware to buy or replace. There is no public per-student price. Title I schools can apply for subsidized or fully covered access. Compare a written quote with the case prices above; we do not claim one is less expensive for every school.

Stations and Staff Time

The unlocking stations page describes one aluminum station for NuKase 4.0 cases. It can be screwed to a wall, attached with Velcro, or carried by the handle. NuKase says no renovation is required. The unlock it describes is the student placing the case on the magnetic point: "no staff assistance needed," and "under 3 seconds per student." The product page also says teachers are not left to confiscate phones.

Those pages do not publish how many stations a school needs, what one station costs on its own, or how many staff hours the lines take. Someone still has to put the stations where students will use them. LockedIn has no station line. Staff time is following up on students the dashboard flags.

Emergencies

With NuKase, the case stays locked until someone opens it at an unlocking station. The product-page FAQ says staff can unlock any case at a designated station, with a tap and no special tools. For students with medical needs, NuKase says it provides the NuKey, which it calls a semi-accessible case, free of charge. The pages do not explain how the NuKey opens. The February 2026 flyer also describes a handheld magnetic detacher, so a station is not the only unlock method the site mentions. With LockedIn, an administrator picks the emergency type (lockdown, evacuation, shelter in place or medical), adds a message, and one tap starts Emergency Mode on every phone on campus: students can call 911 and family, the school decides whether texting opens too, and each phone asks the student to tap I’m safe or I need help, and a help request reaches the admins with the student’s location. Students can always call home or 911 while phones are locked.

Decoy and Second Phones

NuKase says the frosted shell lets staff confirm a phone is inside and spot an empty case. That is what the public pages say about the empty-case problem. They do not describe a way to tell the student’s real phone from a second or old phone inside the case. With LockedIn there is no case to put a decoy in. A new device is flagged as Fake Device until an admin approves it. A separate phone that never had the app installed is invisible to both. NuKase’s public pages do not describe a dashboard or a per-student record.

Warranty and Replacement

The warranty page is a 3-year limited warranty from the date of purchase, for the original purchasing institution, and it is non-transferable. Coverage is repair or replacement for defects in materials and workmanship, consistent breakage patterns, and structural failures, on NuKase cases and locking mechanisms. Claims go to info@nugerm.com with photos; NuKase says it replies in 2 to 3 business days. Intentional damage, misuse, and abuse are excluded, as is normal wear and cosmetic damage that does not affect function. NuKase says it evaluates each claim individually. A replacement is covered for the rest of the original warranty period.

The product page also says the purchase has "no replacement cycles." The warranty page is the narrower statement: not every damaged case is covered. LockedIn has no cases to warranty or replace.

Setup

NuKase’s FAQ says most schools are fully operational within one week, and that it provides training materials and setup guidance. Its about page lists five steps: request a sample, evaluate it, get a quote, send a purchase order, then deploy with staff training materials, student communication templates, and unlocking-station placement guides. A sample request on the product page includes a NuKase, a NuKase XL, and an unlocking magnet, which is a different offer from the paid sample pack in the shop. LockedIn setup is about a day for the campus boundary, bell schedule, and roster, then students install the app. Schools are live within a week.

Which Is the Better Fit?

NuKase is likely the better fit if:

• • You want the phone physically inside a locked case, not only limited by an app
• • Many students do not have smartphones, or you cannot ask families to install an app
• • You can place unlocking stations where students arrive and leave, and a one-time hardware purchase fits the budget

LockedIn is likely the better fit if:

• • You do not want to hand out, unlock, or replace anything
• • You need a record of who is following the policy, by student name
• • Families want every student able to call home at once in an emergency

For the Velcro pouch with the similar name, read LockedIn vs NutKase. For magnetic pouches, read Yondr vs LockedIn. For the wider set, see phone pouches vs phone apps and all guides. Ready to talk numbers? Ask for a written quote.

Sources

1. NuGerm, NuKase product page (pricing, specifications, emergency FAQ, setup)
2. NuGerm, NuKase warranty
3. NuGerm, NuKase unlocking stations
4. NuGerm, NuKase and NuKase XL
5. NuGerm, NuKase shop, plus the sample pack, 150-pack, and 300-pack
6. NuGerm, About NuKase (sample, quote, and deploy steps)
7. NuGerm, NuKase 4.0 flyer (February 2026 PDF)

Researched and written by the LockedIn team (co-founders Brian Ohebshalom and Noah Fakheri). Sources checked October 26, 2026. Spot an error? Email hello@lockedinapp.co.