Scrap Paper vs Focus Dial
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scrap Paper
This app provides a single, persistent note for quick text storage and retrieval, ideal for copying snippets from online forms or jotting down fleeting thoughts. It also offers basic math calculation capabilities.
- Single persistent note
- Quick text storage
- Jot down random thoughts
- Copy text from online forms
- Local math problem solver
- Cross-device iCloud sync
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Sometimes you need a little bit of Scrap Paper while you are working on something. Maybe you are filling out online forms, and you want an app to copy bits of text from. Or you just want to jot down a random thought without creating a new note in your other notes app. Scrap Paper is a simple notes app with only one note. Scrap Paper is also available for macOS and features cross-device iCloud sync. P.S.: Scrap Paper can solve simple math problems. How it works: Type in a problem (e.g. "2+3*4"), highlight it, and click on the "Solve Math Problem" button in the context menu. Scrap Paper will append an equal symbol and the result (e.g. "=14"). Computation happens locally on your device.
Focus Dial
This app helps you improve focus with a simple, innovative timer. Track progress over time with customizable categories and interactive widgets. Sync data across devices with iCloud support.
- Innovative focus dial for time adjustment
- Timer counts up towards goal
- Track focus across weeks, months, years
- Interactive Home Screen widgets
- 10 customizable categories with colors/icons
- iCloud backup and sync
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Focus Dial is here to improve your ability to focus on the tasks and hobbies you care about! SIMPLE: Quickly adjust your goal time before each session using the innovative focus dial! POSITIVE: Timer counts up towards your goal. Focus on what you are doing and feel good about what you have done. Progress over perfection! POWERFUL: Track your focus across weeks, months, and years. Challenge yourself to become more intentional with your time and how you spend it. See your progress at a glance on your Home Screen with powerful and interactive widgets and live activities. CUSTOMIZABLE: Use up to 10 customizable categories with your favorite colors and icons for the tasks and hobbies you focus on. Automatically follow your devices dark or light theme, or specify which one you want to use in Focus Dial. SUPPORTS ICLOUD: Back up your data and sync across multiple iPhones and iPads. Start dialing in your focus today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Focus Dial at 5.0 against Scrap Paper's 4.8. Focus Dial also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Scrap Paper's advantage is ratings volume (35 vs 6) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). On review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Scrap Paper costs $1.99 and Focus Dial $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Focus Dial holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrap Paper has 35 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Scrap Paper's written reviews are positive against 100% of Focus Dial's.
Scrap Paper ships an update every 6 weeks, Focus Dial every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scrap Paper | Focus Dial |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (35 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Erik Wegener | Digital Wave Creative |
Customer experience
Scrap Paper
Focus Dial
Bugs and requests
Scrap Paper
Reported bugs
6 issues- Menu bar icon disappears after macOS updates
- iCloud sync stops working after macOS updates
- App fails to open (icon does nothing)
- Font configuration profiles not recognized on iOS/iPadOS
- Window size resets after reboot
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- Compatibility issues with older iPads running iPadOS 16.7.11
Requested features
11 requests- Multiple notes/pages or tabs functionality
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, bullet lists)
- Custom color picker beyond presets
- Remember window size on reboot
- Solid cursor option instead of blinking
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- Markdown support
- Image and audio file storage
- Clickable links functionality
- Menu bar icon click to close window
- Transparent text box option
- Evernote sharing capability
Focus Dial
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Scrap Paper
No in-app purchases
Focus Dial
No in-app purchases









