Focus Matrix vs 4i Author
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focus Matrix
Organize your tasks efficiently using a priority matrix based on urgency and importance. This app helps you focus on what truly matters by categorizing tasks and providing tools for scheduling, reminders, and detailed tracking. Sync across devices and export your lists for seamless productivity.
- Eisenhower Box priority matrix
- Task categorization and sorting
- Drag-and-drop task management
- Due dates and reminders
- Recurring tasks
- Cross-device synchronization
- Task export to PDF
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Focus Matrix is a smart personal organizer based on the so-called Eisenhower box, a personal productivity strategy created by Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. The principle uses a special priority matrix that helps break your tasks into several groups depending on their urgency and importance, and work your way through your daily agenda in the most efficient way possible. This app will help you focus on what really matters, and get rid of the things that can be painlessly delegated to others or postponed indefinitely until you have time for them. Task Organization • Two views: Matrix and List of Sections • “Unsorted” section to hold incoming tasks until you categorize them • Move tasks between sections using drag-and-drop • Maximize sections to focus on specific content Task Scheduling and Reminders • Assign due dates to tasks • Set “All day task” for whole-day planning • Create recurring tasks with customizable repeat options • Set reminders to never miss an important deadline Advanced Task Features • Automatically move a task to 'Urgent' as its deadline approaches, with timely notifications • Automatically move a task to 'Urgent' when a linked task is completed • Track task creation and completion dates for detailed management • Paste multiline text as individual tasks to speed up input Sorting, Filtering, and Tags • Sort tasks by title, due date, or manually • Use tags to organize tasks effectively • Filter tasks by tags and statuses (completed/uncompleted) • Save and quickly apply custom filter presets for easy navigation Synchronization and Integration • Sync data across all your devices • Sync tasks with Calendar • Integrate with Be Focused*: Sync tasks between apps and start timer in Be Focused directly from Focus Matrix Exporting and Reporting • Export task lists to PDF or print them for offline use • Configurable statistics and reports for completed tasks Security and Privacy • Password and Face ID protection for secure task management Platform Compatibility • Fully available for Mac and iOS Pro Version Features • Cross-device synchronization • Synchronization of tasks with Calendar • Integration with Be Focused*: Sync tasks between apps and start timer in Be Focused directly from Focus Matrix Focus Matrix is free to download and use forever. However, if you want to access the Pro features on all your iPhones, iPads, and Macs, you can upgrade to the Pro version. The Pro subscription comes in three different options: Monthly, Yearly with a 7-day trial, and Lifetime (one-time payment). Payment will be charged to your App Store account and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscription may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://xwavesoft.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://xwavesoft.com/terms-of-use.html * Be Focused helps you get things done by breaking up individual tasks among discrete intervals. It’s available for Mac and iOS devices in App Store. Integration with Be Focused requires the Pro version of Be Focused, sold separately.
4i Author
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Story Writer writes long fiction with you, one prompt at a time. You say what happens next; it writes the chapter — and it keeps writing, chapter after chapter, without losing track of who your characters are or what has already happened. HOW IT WORKS Set up a story with a background and a style guide. Past tense, close third, no em-dashes — whatever you want held to. Both are sent with every turn, so a change is felt from the next prompt onwards. Then write a prompt. The chapter arrives a paragraph at a time as it is written, so you can read it as it lands or put the phone down and come back to it finished. WHILE IT IS WRITING • Steer — add an instruction to the turn already running. • Stop — everything written so far is kept. • Queue — write your next prompts without waiting. They run in the order you put them in, you can reorder them, and nothing is ever discarded on your behalf. KEEPING A LONG STORY STRAIGHT • Facts — names, places and what is already true, carried into every turn. • Review — a pass that reads the whole story and reports contradictions in names, timeline and detail, then rewrites the parts you approve. • Chapters — jump anywhere in the story, with a running word count. ALSO • Attach photos to a prompt and have them placed in the story. • Brainstorm — give it a handful of words and it sketches three ways in. • Share the whole story as a text file whenever you want it out of the app. • A warm paper theme and a dark one, or follow the system. WHAT IT COSTS Five turns every day are free. After that a turn costs 0.001 credits and a whole-story review costs 0.02, so the smallest credit pack — 3.5 credits, about 3,500 turns — is probably enough for at least ten full stories of fifty chapters each, including the reviews and rewrites along the way. Credits never expire and there is no subscription. They belong to your 4i account rather than to this app, so they also work in the other 4i apps, and credits bought elsewhere are already here. THE ACCOUNT The writing runs on 4i's servers, so a free 4i account is needed and your stories live on it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: 4i Author at none against Focus Matrix's shown. On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Focus Matrix sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and 4i Author sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Focus Matrix | 4i Author |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.6K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Denys Ievenko | Niels Brinch |
Bugs and requests
Focus Matrix
Reported bugs
4 issues- Sync issues causing data loss
- Frequent crashes
- Inability to log in across devices
- Calendar integration not working as expected
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to have multiple matrices (e.g. work, personal)
- Recurring tasks
- More export options (e.g. CSV)
- Dark mode
- Better sync reliability across devices
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- Subtasks or nested tasks
- Ability to archive completed tasks
4i Author
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Focus Matrix
- Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
- Yearly Pro7 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro$34.99
4i Author
- 3.5 credits$4.99
- 12 credits$14.99
- 26 credits$29.99







