Comparison

Flow 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

Flow

Enhance your concentration and productivity with a scientifically proven method. This app divides your workflow into focused work intervals and scheduled breaks, helping you reduce stress and stay motivated. Ideal for work, study, or any task requiring deep focus.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro timer with work intervals and breaks
  • App and web blocking
  • Statistics tracking
  • Commitment mode
  • Inspirational quotes
  • Home & Lock Screen Widgets
Features
Read full description

Join hundreds of thousands of happy users who enjoy this simple way to stay focused and productive. Use Flow to get things done. Flow is a tiny but mighty app that helps you work on a task, study for school or simply stay focused without being distracted for a certain amount of time. Flow divides your workflow into sections with defined breaks, making it easy to stay focused. This method has been scientifically proven to be an effective way to increase your concentration and motivation while reducing your stress levels. The use of a Pomodoro timer can be a huge boost to your productivity. Use Flow to ... ... concentrate ... work on a task ... study for school ... code all night ... work from home Benefits of this technique • Improved focus and motivation • Increased productivity • Less stress and better health • Better management of interruptions Features • Pomodoro timer with work intervals and breaks • Statistics to keep track of your completed sessions • Notifications to remind you of short breaks • App and web blocking to combat distractions • Commitment mode for self-control • Inspirational quotes for motivation • Metronome for deep focus • Multiple duration options • Custom session title • Apple Calendar sync • Apple Health sync • iCloud sync of stats • Home & Lock Screen Widgets • Support for Live Activities & Dynamic Island YOU MATTER TO US We want to make Flow even better! Please give us your honest feedback in order to help us fix bugs and improve the app. We will regularly update Flow based on your feedback. Thank you! ABOUT US Yugen is a small independent developer studio based in Frankfurt, Germany. Our team is devoted to making great apps that we want to use ourselves. We strive to create products that help people in their everyday life with intuitive user experiences and minimalistic design. QUESTIONS? If you have any questions or problems, feel free to email us. We provide awesome support and love to help! www.flow.app support@flow.app Twitter: flow__app Facebook: flowapp.info Instagram: flowapp.info FLOW PRO Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period through your Apple account. For more information, see our Terms of Use at https://www.flow.app/legal and Apple's Terms of Use (EULA) at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

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

Flow4 screens
Focused Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focused Work at weekly against Flow's every 4 weeks. Focused Work also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Flow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Focused Work sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Flow against 4.7 for Focused Work. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 603 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Flow's written reviews are positive against 85% of Focused Work's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, Focused Work weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Flow versus Focused Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowFocused Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.8K ratings) — better4.7 (603 ratings)
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews — better84.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better603
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYugen GmbHMichael Tigas

Customer experience

Flow

All ratings1,755 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews589 reviews
Positive86.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative9.0%

Focused Work

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

User reviews

Flow

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Minimalist and uncluttered design
  • 💡 Customizable work and break durations
  • 🔒 No ads or unnecessary features
  • 🤖 Responsive and helpful developers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔇 Notification sound could be louder
  • 📊 Lack of detailed statistics and analytics
  • 🔀 Inability to pause or resume a flow session
  • 🖥️ Inability to minimize the timer window

Focused Work

From 603 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 GAME CHANGER
  • 👍 Good app
  • 👍 Good Product
  • 🚀 Phenomenal
  • 👍 Great productivity app!

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Shouldn't be a subscription
  • 🐛 Reminders are annoying
  • 🔒 Stop nagging people for reviews
  • 🔒 App for iwatch is still missing in 2025.
  • 🔒 Could be an amazing timer

Bugs and requests

Flow

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Live activity feature not working consistently
  • Timer not recording sessions accurately
  • App blocking functionality not working as expected
  • Crashes and freezes on certain macOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Allow custom work and break durations
  • Add option to pause and resume flow sessions
  • Implement real-time sync across devices
  • Provide more detailed productivity tracking and reporting
  • Include an Apple Watch app with complication support
Show 1 more
  • Add ability to block notifications from certain apps during flows

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

3 purchases

Flow

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan14 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro Access$39.99
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 Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focused Work free?
Focused Work is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flow or Focused Work?
Flow is rated higher. Flow averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Focused Work averages 4.7 from 603 ratings.
Do Flow or Focused Work have ads?
Neither Flow nor Focused Work shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flow or Focused Work?
Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, and Focused Work weekly. Most recently, Flow was updated on October 13, 2026 and Focused Work on October 7, 2026.

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