Comparison

DayNinja vs Focused Work

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DayNinja

This app helps you boost productivity by integrating proven time management methods like Pomodoro and GTD. Track your focused work, plan tasks with calendar integration, and set daily goals to achieve more.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro & GTD integration
  • Calendar integration for task planning
  • Daily performance tracking and metrics
  • Drag-and-drop task prioritization
  • Customizable focus and break durations
  • Task tagging for project organization
  • Focus state tracking
Features
Read full description

DayNinja combines the best productivity methods in the world: Pomodoro technique ™ by Francesco Cirillo, GTD by David Allen, Deep work, timeboxing and more all in one FREE app. Backed by scientifically proven time management methods this free pomodoro focus timer app will help you to be more productive. Some features include: - Day View: Integrates with your calendar. See your focus tasks planned out between appointments. - New Day: DayNinja cleans up old tasks and resets your timers ready for you to re-prioritise focus goals each day. - KPI Performance streaks: Measure your focus each day and compare with daily performance charts. - Metrics: Learn how many hours you spend doing focused work, breaks and the time you will finish your workday based on your goals and appointments. - To-do: prioritise your days’ tasks by drag & drop. - Target block count & estimates: keep motivated with focus goals, set your personal daily targets. - Optimised user interface: Quick swipe actions to keep you in flow throughout your day. - Customise your block & break durations as you grow your ability to focus. - Tags let you see at a glance related tasks and projects in your todo list. - Satisfying sounds keep your day light and a smile on your face as you slash through tasks. - Flow state friendly: keep working when you get in the zone and your focus time is still tracked. - Focus time summary: receive a report of your total focus time each week. The ideal productivity tool for founders, professional freelancers, designers and coders. --- From the author: "Do you know how many hours of your day are actually productive, focused time? Whether it be phone calls, emails, your smartphone or well-meaning colleagues tapping you on the shoulder for a “Do you have a minute?” kind of chat, our days are bombarded with interruptions. Before we know it, the day is over and we are left feeling rather down and thinking "Eek!? ...Is that all I got done today?" Now let’s just assume that it is possible to work in a quiet place away from external interruptions. Our own minds are an even bigger source of distraction, with a new thought entering our minds every 3 minutes! Unless we have a system, a method, a process - whatever you want to call it, the outcome is likely to be the same day after day: stressful mess bouncing between other people’s agendas and not getting your most important work done. Sound familiar? This app has been inspired by proven productivity techniques: Pomodoro timer: The idea is to work in predetermined blocks of time. To do this, simply break a task up into 25-minute segments without stopping or getting distracted. Getting Things Done®: Begin with a to-do list for the day and classify tasks according to priority. --- You have allocated tasks, time, all under your own terms, you have achieved your goals, performed every task with a sense of quality and you finish every day satisfied. It sounds simple, and it is… in concept, but don’t expect to master this technique right away. It takes weeks of practicing the method day in and day out. It takes discipline. I have strayed at times when overwhelmed, I have reached the end of the week and wondered, “Where did I achieve this week”. It is those weeks when I have failed to be disciplined and failed to use the app. I have let other people’s agendas overrun my own. Researchers have proven that self-control is one of the key determinants of success. When you exercise self-control and self-discipline through a good part of your day, it cannot help but spill over into other areas of your life... How you eat, sleep and your health and happiness. Stick with it, and you too will be a DayNinja. Nathan Challen theDayNinja.com Want to learn more? read: “Zen and the art of getting Sh*t done” & Medium or subscribe for more productivity tips. Psst! Looking to induce the flow state more easily? get free training at https://theDayNinja.com

About

Focused Work

This app helps users improve focus and productivity through structured timed sessions. It offers customizable timers, goal setting, and distraction blocking to build healthy work habits.

Highlights
  • Customizable focus sessions
  • Pomodoro and Flowmodoro templates
  • Distraction blocking
  • Reflection and goal tracking
  • Statistics and charts
  • Live Activities and widgets
Features
Read full description

## Featured by App Store in 150+ Countries & Regions # Hot This Week # Apps We Love Right Now # Big Apps From Small Teams # New Apps, Features, and Content ## What People Are Saying "A simple, but valuable utility for creating timed focus sessions of productivity." - MacStories "Focused Work helps you stay on track better than ever" - iMore "Focused Work makes it easy to create and manage Focused Sessions." - 9to5Mac "A tool that helps overcome that first step." - Knapsack Focused Work is a powerful timer that helps you focus and be productive. It's purpose-built for people who want to focus for long periods and struggle with this. Add structure to your day with "Focus Sessions" that encourage you to complete goals, tasks, and help you divide your time into Focus, Break, and Prepare stages. Pick from a selection of templates, including a simple timer, Pomodoro - inspired by the Pomodoro Technique, Flowmodoro - inspired by the Flowtime Technique, and other various sessions. You can also create repeatable sessions specifically tailored to your needs. Add stages, set time limits, and much more. Ultimately, Focused Work helps you be more accountable by reminding you to focus, reflect, and build healthy productivity habits by completing various daily goals. **Core Features** · A simple, powerful timer that keeps you on-task Choose what to focus on. Start the timer. Get stuff done! · Curated Basic Sessions to get started Run a Pomodoro session, Flowmodoro session, or even just a simple timer · Create Focus Sessions Tailor them to your needs with a plethora of configurable options · Reminders Be reminded to stay focused, when to take breaks, and also to start a focus session! · Reflection Track what went well for you during your focus session and what you can improve upon · Scratch Pad Jot down thoughts that come to mind during your session and return to them after · Daily Goals Completing your daily focus goals earns you a streak and helps you form healthy productivity habits · Statistics & Charts Review recent productivity across the past week, month, and year · Block Distractions Select apps and websites you want to restrict access to during a session · In-app Shortcuts Automation Automatically perform actions as you progress through your session, such as turning on Focus · Link with Toggl Track Explore advanced time tracking by linking with Toggl to create time entries, assign projects and tags · Productivity Export Export completed sessions in CSV format **iOS & iPadOS Features** Focused Work is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with extensive support for each platform; · Live Activities Control your session from the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island · Interactive Widgets Control your session, view daily goals, and start a session from the Home Screen · Control Center Widgets Start a session or access the Scratch Pad with Control Widgets · StandBy Interact with your session while iPhone is in StandBy · Spotlight Search Quick start and interact with sessions from search · Focus Filters Filter which sessions can be viewed & started based on the active Focus · App Shortcuts & Siri Start and interact with a session via various shortcuts that can also be linked together · Picture-in-Picture Show a floating timer above other apps with Picture-in-Picture mode · Session Alerts on all devices Start a session on one device and receive update alerts on others with Focused Work installed · iCloud Syncing Sync productivity stats & created sessions between devices · Privacy Focused Your data is securely stored and managed via iCloud. No account registration. · And much more Mac Support, Share Sheet controls, App Icons, Keyboard Shortcuts, VoiceOver, Split View & Slide Over, Low Power Mode, Drag & Drop, Dark Mode, URL Schemes If you have any questions, please reach out to focusedworkapp@michaeltigas.com.au Privacy Policy: https://focusedwork.app/privacypolicy/ Terms of Use: https://focusedwork.app/terms/

Screenshots

DayNinja4 screens
Focused Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Focused Work at 4.7 against DayNinja's 4.0. Focused Work also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (603 vs 4). DayNinja's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Focused Work sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. DayNinja asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focused Work holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focused Work has 603 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of DayNinja's written reviews are positive against 85% of Focused Work's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DayNinja ships an update every 2 months, Focused Work weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DayNinja versus Focused Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDayNinjaFocused Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.7 (603 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better84.9% of reviews
Number of ratings4603 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEnvisage AppsMichael Tigas

Customer experience

DayNinja

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Focused Work

All ratings603 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative10.8%

Bugs and requests

DayNinja

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Focused Work

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Stuck on a session: Gap time
  • Desktop doesn't sync with phone

Requested features

4 requests
  • Need iwatch app
  • Calendar integration?
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

None

DayNinja

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

Focused Work

Subscriptions6
  • Focused Work Pro (1 month)$2.991 Month
  • Focused Work Pro - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Focused Work Pro (1 month)$6.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Focused Work Pro (1 year)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Focused Work Pro - Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Focused Work Pro (1 year)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time8
  • Little Tip$0.99
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Large Tip$9.99
  • Massive Tip$19.99
  • Focused Work Pro Lifetime$59.99
  • Focused Work Pro Lifetime$89.99
  • Focused Work Pro Lifetime$119.99

Questions

Is DayNinja free?
DayNinja is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focused Work free?
Focused Work is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DayNinja or Focused Work?
Focused Work is rated higher. DayNinja averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Focused Work averages 4.7 from 603 ratings.
Do DayNinja or Focused Work have ads?
Neither DayNinja nor Focused Work shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DayNinja or Focused Work?
DayNinja ships an update every 2 months, and Focused Work weekly. Most recently, DayNinja was updated on September 29, 2026 and Focused Work on October 7, 2026.

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