Comparison

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer vs Focus Lock

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

Head to head
About

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer

This app helps users improve focus and productivity by guiding them through timed work sessions and breaks. It blocks distracting websites and apps, mutes notifications, and automates workflow elements like Do Not Disturb and music playback. Users can also track their time and review their progress.

Highlights
  • Timed work and break sessions
  • Website and app blocking (Mac only)
  • Mute Slack notifications
  • Automated Do Not Disturb
  • Music playback automation
  • Apple Calendar sync
  • Session progress tracking
Features
Read full description

- Do you procrastinate and spend your time mindlessly? - have problem with focusing? - often get distracted while trying to focus? - maybe you are burned out because you worked too much and forget to take necessary break? - or, maybe have an ADHD? Session can help you with your focus problem. Trusted daily by tens of thousands of engineer in Silicon Valley, independent studios in Madrid, writers in Netherlands, and creative worker + freelancer all over the world. It helps you be more productive by guiding you to work in sessions, block distractions, track your time, and remind you to rest. GET INTO HABIT OF WORKING IN TIME BLOCK Inspired by Pomodoro technique, Session helps you block your time for focus. 25 minutes or 45 minutes is all you need to get closer to your goal KEEP YOUR FOCUS BY BLOCKING WEBSITES AND APPS THAT DISTRACT YOU (MAC ONLY) Session block distracting website and apps when you started a Session. It'll automatically restore your website when you are on rest / session has ended. BLOCK SLACK TEAM Session will automatically mute Slack team you choose when Session has started and open them up again when Session has stopped working. DON'T FORGET TO TAKE A REST Forcing yourself to work on long period of time is ineffective. Rest is as important as work / study. Why? Because rest is a crucial time where you: - store what you have learned in your head, and where - your brain solve difficult problem on the background. Notice that you usually get a new idea and solves problem when you're on walk and shower. Or anywhere where you're away from "work". AUTOMATE YOUR WORKFLOW (AUTOMATIC DO NOT DISTURB, PLAY MUSIC) Imagine having no distracting notifications while working on. It's possible by turning on Do Not Disturb. What if you can turn it on when you started your Session, and disable it after Session ends—all automatically? Or maybe change bulb color, play Apple music when Session has started? Different playlist on break? It's possible with Session. Automate it with AppleScript on MacOS and Apple Shortcut on iOS SEE YOUR SESSIONS ON APPLE CALENDAR WITH ONE WAY SYNC. See automatically create Sessions on Apple Calendar to review how your day has progressed. REVIEW YOUR SESSIONS Are you spending more time on a task than it's worth? Session keep you mindful by tracking your work and ask what you have learned after Session has ended. Session tracks what you have worked on, what have you learned, and for how long. Review your progress and journey that you have made. — Need support? Contact philip@stayinsession.com for assistance! — Learn about what Session can do here: https://www.stayinsession.com/learn — Join our Discord community channel here: https://discord.com/invite/5KASx2T4RU

— Terms: https://www.stayinsession.com/terms Privacy policy: https://www.stayinsession.com/privacy-policy

About

Focus Lock

This app helps you stay focused by automatically blocking distracting applications during designated work or study sessions. It's designed to eliminate willpower reliance, ensuring your chosen apps remain inaccessible until your session concludes. Track your progress and celebrate your focus achievements.

Highlights
  • Automatic app blocking during sessions
  • Customizable focus session durations
  • Streak system for consistency
  • Badge progression for motivation
  • Session celebrations and rewards
  • Daily and weekly focus statistics
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

FOCUS FIRST. EARN YOUR SCROLL. Focus Lock combines a Pomodoro timer with Screen Time app blocking. Choose your distracting apps, complete a focus session, and earn time to use them. Built by someone with ADHD who was tired of losing hours to doomscrolling. TWO WAYS TO FOCUS Lock In mode keeps your selected apps locked until you earn an unlock window by completing a focus session. Earned time is measured by actual app usage. Three five-minute emergency unlocks are available each day. Prefer session-based blocking? Turn off Lock In and block distractions only during focus sessions, with optional blocking during breaks. BUILT FOR IPHONE DUO On the inner display, the countdown and session controls sit on opposite sides of the fold. Half-folded on your desk, the timer stays visible above the controls. Open it like a book, fold it closed, or use Split View: your session keeps going. BUILD A FOCUS HABIT - Start with 25- or 45-minute focus sessions. - Tag your work and see where your focus time goes. - Track daily and weekly progress, streaks, and badges. - Share your focus cards and milestones. - Follow the timer with Live Activities and completion alerts. AlarmKit alarms are available on supported iOS versions with your permission. FREE AND PREMIUM Start free with up to three app or category selections for blocking. Premium adds unlimited selections, custom focus durations from 15 to 120 minutes, and custom tags. Optional subscriptions are available in the app; prices and trial availability are shown before purchase. Screen Time permission is required for app blocking. Privacy Policy: https://sleepybytes.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer4 screens
Focus Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Session Pomodoro Focus Timer at 364 against Focus Lock's 2. Session Pomodoro Focus Timer also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). Focus Lock's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Session Pomodoro Focus Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Focus Lock sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focus Lock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Session Pomodoro Focus Timer has 364 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Session Pomodoro Focus Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Focus Lock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer ships an update every 5 days, Focus Lock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Session Pomodoro Focus Timer versus Focus Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSession Pomodoro Focus TimerFocus Lock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (364 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings364 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTranslucent LLCSleepyBytes SIA

Customer experience

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer

All ratings364 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral0.8%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews633 reviews
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.5%

Focus Lock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Issues with editing past sessions
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Integrate with more productivity apps and to-do lists
  • Add Apple Watch app support
  • Expand customization options for themes and sounds
  • Improve documentation and onboarding for advanced features

Focus Lock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Session Pomodoro Focus Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Session monthly subscription$4.991 Month
  • Session yearly subscription$39.991 Year
5 purchases

Focus Lock

Subscriptions4
  • Focus Pro$1.997 Days
  • Focus Pro$4.991 Month
  • Focus Pro3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Plan1 Month trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focus Pro$17.99

Questions

Is Session Pomodoro Focus Timer free?
Session Pomodoro Focus Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Lock free?
Focus Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock?
Focus Lock is rated higher. Session Pomodoro Focus Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 364 ratings, while Focus Lock averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock have ads?
Neither Session Pomodoro Focus Timer nor Focus Lock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock?
Session Pomodoro Focus Timer ships an update every 5 days, and Focus Lock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Session Pomodoro Focus Timer was updated on November 3, 2026 and Focus Lock on October 30, 2026.

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