# Charcoal vs FocusFlow

The clearest difference is update cadence: FocusFlow at every 2 days against Charcoal's every 2 months. Charcoal's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, FocusFlow every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charcoal | FocusFlow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **144** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 29 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) | [Datachain Consulting Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885652613) |

## What reviewers say

### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


### FocusFlow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focusflow-deep-work-sessions/id6763964008)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charcoal free?

Charcoal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is FocusFlow free?

FocusFlow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Charcoal or FocusFlow have ads?

Neither Charcoal nor FocusFlow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charcoal or FocusFlow?

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, and FocusFlow every 2 days. Most recently, Charcoal was updated on October 17, 2026 and FocusFlow on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*