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.
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.
- 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
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- 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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Session Pomodoro Focus Timer | Focus Lock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (364 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 364 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 107 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Translucent LLC | SleepyBytes SIA |
Customer experience
Session Pomodoro Focus Timer
Focus Lock
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
Session Pomodoro Focus Timer
- Session monthly subscription$4.991 Month
- Session yearly subscription$39.991 Year
Focus Lock
- Focus Pro$1.997 Days
- Focus Pro$4.991 Month
- Focus Pro3 Days trial$19.991 Year
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- Yearly Plan1 Month trial$19.991 Year
- Focus Pro$17.99
Questions
Is Session Pomodoro Focus Timer free?
Is Focus Lock free?
Which has better reviews, Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock?
Do Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Session Pomodoro Focus Timer or Focus Lock?
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