one sec | screen time + focus vs Hardest Focus App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
one sec | screen time + focus
This app introduces a brief pause before opening distracting applications, encouraging mindful choices about attention. It scientifically helps reduce screen time by an average of 57% by adding friction to habitual app usage.
- Delayed app access instead of blocking
- Reduces screen time by 57% on average
- Doom Scroll Emergency Brake (Re-Intervention)
- Works with any app, including social media and games
- Safari extension for website interruptions
- Integrates with Structured and LENGO
- Mindful moments via HealthKit
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Stop opening social media on autopilot. one sec adds a short pause before distracting apps so you can choose what deserves your attention. This principle works really well: we have gained scientific evidence in numerous research studies with the Max-Planck Institute, with the German and Danish government, and in dozens more scientific collaborations: one sec has incredible effects on your screen time: app usage drops by 57% on average! …just read our App Store reviews or try it for yourself if you don’t believe me (…you should really try it)! How is one sec different from Screen Time limits or app blockers? - one sec DELAYS access to distracting apps instead of blocking apps completely – that’s an important difference psychologically. - This way, we solve the screen time problem at its roots: long-term & sustainably! - one sec is always on, and makes using social media just slightly more annoying…so you’ll end up using it only when you actually have a reason! Which apps can I use with one sec? - You can set up one sec with any app you’d like to use less / more intentional. - Most popular use-cases are: social media, games, video streaming, dating, stock/coin trading, adult content. - Using one sec with one app of your choice is completely free, for more you’ll need to purchase one sec pro (we also need to finance development of our app!). What if I get stuck scrolling? - No worries, one sec offers a Doom Scroll Emergency Brake: We call it Re-Intervention. - After a set time (e.g. 5 minutes) you’ll be kicked out of social media, and you’ll have to go through an intervention again to unlock more time. Where can I learn more about the scientific background of one sec? → https://one-sec.app/research Can I use one sec to interrupt access to websites as well? → Yes, one sec offers a free Safari extension as well. How does one sec work technically? - one sec uses Shortcuts Automation to toggle a deep breath animation whenever you open one of the configured apps (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube…). - This breaks unconscious social media habits short-term (literally, as soon as you have set it up) and even helps long-term by adding more friction when opening these apps. Integrations: - Structured: one sec blocks apps during unfinished tasks. - LENGO: learn vocabulary to unlock social media. I developed one sec for myself in 2020…and it worked so well I decided to upload it to the App Store. Especially for people with ADHD one sec is a great tool to gain back control for incredible focus and concentration. – Frederik Legal information: Available Subscription Options: one sec pro (annual / monthly / lifetime unlock) one sec can contribute mindful moments to the Health App via HealthKit. one sec is covered by U.S. Patent 12,468,828 B2. Terms (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://one-sec.app/privacy/
Hardest Focus App
This app acts as a personal defense system against digital distractions. It enforces focus by requiring physical disengagement with your phone, punishing failure with progress erasure and loud alarms. It's designed for those seeking a rigorous approach to discipline.
- Physical phone disengagement triggers focus
- Progress erasure upon distraction
- Loud alarm and parental disappointment simulation
- Double back tap gesture to initiate focus
- Allows answering calls during focus sessions
- Subscription-based access
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Your phone is a graveyard of to-do lists with tasks from 2022 and your dreams in a forgotten notes app you didn’t care to open again. You're a collector of good intentions you'll abandon by lunchtime. You've been coddled by an industry that profits from your failure by selling you toys instead of real tools. Enough. This is not a cute focus app. this is your personal defense system against a multi-trillion dollar industry designed to steal every second of your attention. THE PROTOCOL IS NOT OPTIONAL: It doesn’t have a start button because your life has already started, and you're wasting it. Focus starts only when you physically disengage with the devil of distraction (phone) itself, in whatever form your pathetic lack of self-discipline requires: - Face down on a desk, ghosting it like it’s your crazy ex. - In your pocket, because we don’t let the demons out. - Or Just locked. The act of disengagement is the trigger. No Buttons. No Coddling, Just Real Focus. And the consequence is just as real. The moment your twitchy little dopamine-starved hand picks up the phone, a 5-second warning siren begins. It will scream a sound so loud it will break you, while your parents express their disappointment in their own life choices. Fail to put it back, and it will erase your progress with cold indifference to your feelings. It punishes failure to build discipline. When you're deeply possessed by the algorithm, you may summon the focus gods by tapping twice on your phone's back (We hijacked your iPhone's Double Back Tap gesture), and the focus gods will instantly open pocket and lock you out of the phone and start focus. It's a panic button for your own pathetic impulses. Hardest focus app is the digital exorcist you never knew you needed. And because we're not complete monsters, during focus, if your phone is locked and your mom calls, you can still answer and tell her you're still pathetic, The pact is broken only when you unlock the device. THIS IS NOT A FREE APP. This is the hardest focus app and requires a subscription purchase. The price of your distraction is your entire future. Also the price of this app is a filter designed to keep out the tourists and the excuse-makers. If you still think that's expensive, I mean is your focus even worth protecting..? You may hate this app. Your dopamine receptors may hate this app. Your excuses will want to write angry 1-star reviews about this app. But this will be the most honest and most effective focus app for those who haven’t sold their soul yet, or you can always go back to pretending : ) Enough Excuses. All your cute focus apps lied to you, let me father you properly. Yours Honestly, The Hardest Focus App. FAQ - https://hardestfocusapp.com/faq Terms of Use - https://hardestfocusapp.com/terms Privacy Policy - https://hardestfocusapp.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: one sec | screen time + focus at free with in-app purchases against Hardest Focus App's subscription. one sec | screen time + focus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (24K vs 1). Hardest Focus App's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 76%). On price, rating, update cadence 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. one sec | screen time + focus sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Hardest Focus App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.00 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hardest Focus App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: one sec | screen time + focus has 24K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of one sec | screen time + focus's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hardest Focus App's.
one sec | screen time + focus ships an update fortnightly, Hardest Focus App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | one sec | screen time + focus | Hardest Focus App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (24K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 413 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | riedel.wtf apps S.L. | Dhikshith Reddy |
Customer experience
one sec | screen time + focus
Hardest Focus App
Bugs and requests
one sec | screen time + focus
Reported bugs
4 issues- App switching issues
- Interventions not triggering properly
- Inconsistent behavior with shortcuts
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to block more apps for free
- Customizable intervention timers
- Scheduled app blocking/access
- Passcode protection for settings
- Sync settings across devices
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- More intervention types (e.g. games)
Hardest Focus App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
one sec | screen time + focus
- one sec pro (1 Month)$6.991 Month
- one sec pro | Family Plan (1 Month)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- one sec pro (1 Year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
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- one sec pro | Family Plan (1 Year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- one sec pro | Lifetime$99.99
- one sec pro | Family Lifetime$149.00
Hardest Focus App
- Pocket Unlimited$12.007 Days
- Pocket Unlimited$30.001 Month
- Pocket Unlimited3 Days trial$39.991 Year
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- Pocket Unlimited$49.991 Year
Questions
Is one sec | screen time + focus free?
Is Hardest Focus App free?
Which has better reviews, one sec | screen time + focus or Hardest Focus App?
Do one sec | screen time + focus or Hardest Focus App have ads?
Which is updated more often, one sec | screen time + focus or Hardest Focus App?
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