Comparison

StartWatch vs Focus

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

Head to head
About

StartWatch

This app allows you to start a stopwatch instantly and then convert it into a timer. You can run multiple timers and stopwatches simultaneously, with options to customize display and track past events. It offers advanced features like markers and live activities for efficient time management.

Highlights
  • Instant stopwatch start
  • Convert stopwatch to timer
  • Run multiple timers/stopwatches
  • Customize display units
  • History and undo functionality
  • Markers for elapsed time
  • Live Activities with Dynamic Island
Features
Read full description

Start the stopwatch instantly, then turn it into a timer. Most timers are inaccurate because it takes 5 to 30 seconds to set the timer while time slips away. With StartWatch, you start the timer like a stopwatch, then you can take as much time as you need to set the alarm. Features Include: Run multiple stopwatches and timers. Convert a stopwatch to a timer and back to a stopwatch. Stopwatch continues to count after the timer is finished. Set a timer based on the time the stopwatch began, or the current time. Change a timer without losing the start time. Customize how the StartWatch is displayed. For example you can choose to show in weeks, days, or years. History - Undo an accidentally stopped StartWatch or change the start time of any event. Markers - Mark a moment in time on a running StartWatch. View how much time has elapsed from the previous Marker. Icon Badges - View how many StartWatches are running at a glance. Live Activities with support for Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro Watch Features: Complications for timers and stopwatches. Run timers and stopwatches in the background.

About

Focus

Read full description

Focus turns the dates you care about into widgets you actually see. Countdowns, habit trackers and counters — on your Home Screen and Lock Screen, where a number does more than a reminder buried inside an app. THREE KINDS OF WIDGET • Countdown — in days, or down to the second. When the day finally arrives, the widget says so instead of counting into the negative. • Habit tracker — tick today straight from the Home Screen, without opening anything. A month grid, your current streak, your best run, and badges at 7, 30, 100 and 365 days. • Counter — glasses of water, books read, cigarettes not smoked. One tap adds one, from the widget itself. MADE TO LOOK LIKE YOURS Eight themes, free colour choice, gradient backgrounds, your own photo behind the widget with blur and dimming, five typefaces, and control over every text colour. BADGES YOU KEEP Streak badges are earned on your best run ever — never on the current one. Losing a streak already stings; it should not take a badge with it. NOTIFICATIONS, WITHOUT THE NAGGING Three moments, all of them your own doing: a countdown arriving, a badge earned, a counter filled. Free, off until you ask for them, and nothing that begs you to come back. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE No account. No sign-up. No server. Everything is stored on your device, and the whole app works offline. FREE Unlimited countdowns, one habit tracker, one counter, two themes and the small widget — and the very first widget you make keeps every Pro option, for good. It is the only honest way to show what Pro looks like before asking. FOCUS PRO — ONE PAYMENT, NO SUBSCRIPTION • Unlimited habit trackers and counters • All eight themes • Any colour, gradients, and your own photos • Five typefaces • Medium and Lock Screen widgets • Goals of your own — any number of days, not just 7, 30 or 100 Available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.

Screenshots

StartWatch4 screens
Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StartWatch at none against Focus's 1. StartWatch also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). Focus's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price and ads 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. Focus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StartWatch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StartWatch ships an update every 6 days, Focus every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
StartWatch versus Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStartWatchFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (49 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings49 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApostol & HallDavid Calonne

In-app purchases

None

StartWatch

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Focus

One-time1
  • Focus Premium$3.99

Questions

Is StartWatch free?
StartWatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StartWatch or Focus have ads?
Neither StartWatch nor Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StartWatch or Focus?
StartWatch ships an update every 6 days, and Focus every 3 weeks. Most recently, StartWatch was updated on October 12, 2026 and Focus on October 9, 2026.

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