# Pomodoro Focus Timer vs Garden

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Garden at none against Pomodoro Focus Timer's 6. Garden also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and review sentiment (100% vs 82%). Pomodoro Focus Timer's advantage is ratings volume (294 vs 1) and device support (6 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pomodoro Focus Timer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Garden asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pomodoro Focus Timer against 5.0 for Garden. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pomodoro Focus Timer has 294 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Pomodoro Focus Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Garden's.

Pomodoro Focus Timer ships an update monthly, Garden weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pomodoro Focus Timer | Garden |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (294 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pomodoro-focus-timer/id1504867122/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garden-notes-and-calm/id6763959626/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **294** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 82.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 60 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pawanpreet Singh](https://appshunter.io/developer/872471196) | [Chad Stewart](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895574914) |

## What reviewers say

### Pomodoro Focus Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pomodoro-focus-timer/id1504867122)

This app combines a minimalist timer with a to-do list to enhance focus and productivity. It utilizes the Pomodoro Technique to help users manage tasks and work sessions effectively, offering customizable breaks and session lengths. Real-time syncing ensures your progress is available across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Customizable focus and break sessions, Integrated to-do list with task pinning, Apple Watch app with complications, Home Screen & Lock Screen widgets, Live Activity and Dynamic Island support, Real-time iCloud sync, Focus session statistics and heatmap

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pomodoro Pro (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Pomodoro Pro (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Snack-Sized Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lunch-sized Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pizza-sized Tip | $14.99 | one-time |
| Pomodoro Pro - Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Clean, minimalist design
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💰 Completely free with no ads
- ⏱️ Effective focus and productivity tool
- 🎯 Core Pomodoro functionality works well

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Notification sound too quiet/similar to other alerts
- 🐛 Timer stops when screen locks
- ⌚ Apple Watch notifications unreliable
- 🎨 No dark theme option
- 🔋 Battery drain concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Timer doesn't work when screen is off or app is in background
- Apple Watch notifications don't arrive until app is reopened
- Pause/resume function doesn't actually pause the timer
- App crashes occasionally
- Tasks with similar names don't create properly

**Requested features**

- Dark theme/dark mode
- Vibration option on timer completion
- Horizontal/landscape mode support
- Background sound options (rain, ocean waves, etc.)
- Customizable notification sounds and volume


### Garden

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garden-notes-and-calm/id6763959626)

This app offers a minimalist approach to note-taking and mindfulness. It features quick note capture, a single daily task reminder, and a calming visual experience to encourage presence and reduce digital distraction.

**Highlights:** Quick-capture notes with custom categories, Single daily task checkbox with confetti reward, Calming wheat field visualization, No notifications or streaks, Offline note storage, iCloud sync across Apple devices, Markdown export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pomodoro Focus Timer free?

Pomodoro Focus Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Garden free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pomodoro Focus Timer or Garden?

Garden is rated higher. Pomodoro Focus Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 294 ratings, while Garden averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pomodoro Focus Timer or Garden have ads?

Neither Pomodoro Focus Timer nor Garden shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pomodoro Focus Timer or Garden?

Pomodoro Focus Timer ships an update monthly, and Garden weekly. Most recently, Pomodoro Focus Timer was updated on October 27, 2026 and Garden on October 15, 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.*