# Session vs Focused Work

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Session at none against Focused Work's 14. Session also leads on iOS requirement (13.2 vs 16.0). Focused Work's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (85% vs 77%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Session against 4.7 for Focused Work. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 937 and 603 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Session's written reviews are positive against 85% of Focused Work's.

Session ships an update every 4 months, Focused Work weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Session | Focused Work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (937 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/session-activity-timer/id1493474157/reviews) | [4.7 (603 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focused-work-pomodoro-timer/id1523968394/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **937** | 603 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | **84.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 155 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.2** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Glasshouse Studio, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1493474156) | [Michael Tigas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1364337001) |

## What reviewers say

### Session

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/session-activity-timer/id1493474157)

Track your progress towards mastering skills by logging dedicated practice time. Manually log sessions or use the automatic timer to record your efforts. Start making measurable progress on your goals today.

**Highlights:** Create custom activities, Manual session logging, Automatic timer, Track progress towards goals, Skill mastery tracking

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Aesthetically pleasing
- ⏱️ Helpful for time management
- 💻 Simple and easy to use
- 🧠 Motivating for productivity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when trying to edit activities
- 🔍 Lack of customization options (e.g. color, icon, order)
- 🗑️ No ability to delete activities
- ⏱️ Timer issues (stops unexpectedly, doesn't continue in background)

**Reported bugs**

- Timer inconsistencies when exiting the app
- Inability to add time manually (only minutes, not hours)
- App crashes when trying to add a session manually

**Requested features**

- Add delete and rename session functions
- Implement activity editing (color, icon, name, description)
- Provide activity reordering capability
- Include activity time tracking by day/week/month/year
- Add Pomodoro timer functionality


### Focused Work

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focused-work-pomodoro-timer/id1523968394)

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:** Safari Extension, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Focused Work Pro (1 month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Focused Work Pro - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Focused Work Pro (1 month) | $6.99 | per month |
| Focused Work Pro (1 year) | $19.99 | per year |
| Focused Work Pro - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Focused Work Pro (1 year) | $39.99 | per year |
| Little Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Massive Tip | $19.99 | one-time |
| Focused Work Pro Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |
| Focused Work Pro Lifetime | $89.99 | one-time |
| Focused Work Pro Lifetime | $119.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Need iwatch app
- Calendar integration?
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Session free?

Session 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, Session or Focused Work?

Session and Focused Work are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 937 and 603 ratings respectively.

### Do Session or Focused Work have ads?

Neither Session nor Focused Work shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Session or Focused Work?

Session ships an update every 4 months, and Focused Work weekly. Most recently, Session was updated on October 3, 2026 and Focused Work 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.*