Comparison

Flow vs This One Thing

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

Head to head
About

Flow

Enhance concentration and productivity with a scientifically proven method that divides work into timed intervals with breaks. Block distractions, track progress, and sync with calendars for a more focused workflow.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro timer with work/break intervals
  • App and web blocking
  • Statistics tracking
  • Calendar and Health sync
  • Customizable durations
  • Inspirational quotes
  • Metronome
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

This One Thing

Features
Read full description

The productivity problem you've never heard of: Every todo app shows you everything. Your brain sees the list and freezes. Psychologists call it "choice paralysis." We call it Tuesday. This One Thing: Single Task; ADHD Focus Todo Productivity solves the opposite problem: not how to organize your tasks, but how to hide them. Here's how it works: Add unlimited tasks (your brain needs to capture everything) See exactly ONE task at a time (your eyes need to focus on THIS ONE THING) Complete it to reveal the next (no peeking, no planning, no paralysis) Skip if you must (but it goes to the back of the line) What you won't find here: Priority levels (everything's a priority, which means nothing is) Due dates (artificial urgency is still anxiety) Categories (organizing is procrastinating with extra steps) Collaboration (focus is a solo sport) Gamification (you're not a rat in a maze) What you will find: One task. One screen. One decision. A timer that shows focus time (what you measure, you value) Statistics that matter (streak days, completion count) Design that looks expensive (because restraint is luxury) The behavioral economics: Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy, says the best solutions solve the problem backwards. Instead of "how do I get more done?" ask "what stops me from starting?" The answer: seeing everything stops you from doing anything. THIS ONE THING makes the limitation into the feature. You can't see task #2 until task #1 is done. Not because we're mean, but because your brain works better that way. Who this is for: People with 50+ tasks who complete zero Anyone who reorganizes their todo list instead of doing it Humans who overthink, overplan, and underexecute Those who know that "just start" works but can't make themselves start Who this isn't for: People who need to see the big picture (this app deliberately hides it) Teams (there's no sharing, no sync, no collaboration) Planners (there's no calendar, no projects, no someday/maybe) This app makes your life harder in exactly one way: you can't avoid the next task by looking at other tasks. No escaping into "planning." No comfort of "I'll do that other thing first." Just you and THIS. Every time. Most apps try to make work easier. This one makes avoidance harder. That's worth $4.99. Privacy: Your tasks live on your device. No account, no cloud, no tracking. We don't know what you're doing, and we don't want to. RESOURCES: • Privacy Policy: https://pragmathema.com/#this • Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flow4 screens
This One Thing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Flow at Free against This One Thing's $4.99. Flow also leads on device support (5 vs 2). This One Thing's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Flow is free to download; This One Thing costs $4.99 up front. Flow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. This One Thing asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, This One Thing every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Flow versus This One Thing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowThis One Thing
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYugen GmbHNikola Knezevic

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

This One Thing

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

This One Thing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is This One Thing free?
This One Thing costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Flow or This One Thing have ads?
Neither Flow nor This One Thing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flow or This One Thing?
Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, and This One Thing every 6 weeks. Most recently, Flow was updated on November 6, 2026 and This One Thing on October 30, 2026.

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