ScreenZen vs FocusLapse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ScreenZen
This app offers multiple strategies to help you reduce screen time and control app usage. Features include delayed app opening, timed scrolling interruptions, and customizable app limits. It also provides options for strict blocking, settings protection, and encourages mindful breaks.
- Delayed app opening
- Scrolling interruption
- Set app goals and limits
- Configurable daily schedules
- Strict app blocking
- Screen time tracking for distracting apps
- Settings protection locks
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Multiple strategies to reduce your screentime 1. Delay before opening your app: A bit of time before choosing if you need to open your distracting app. You can have the wait time increase each time you open your app. 2. Interrupt your scrolling: Check your distracting apps for short periods of time so you don't get sucked in. 3. Set an app goal and optionally block when you reach your limit. 4. Configurable for different days of the week and time by app. 5. Messages like "Is this important" before opening your app. 6. See your screen time for only your distracting apps. Don't worry about Google Maps bloating up your time. 7. Strict block your apps: Either for time ranges, after a certain number of opens or ScreenTime. 8. Locks on Settings to prevent you from changing your settings when you want to open an app. 9. Breathing and other activities to encourage you not to need to open the app while waiting for it to unlock. 10. Streaks to encourage you not to exceed your limits or override your settings.
FocusLapse
Record your study or work sessions as time-lapse videos. This app helps reduce phone distractions and provides a visual log of your effort. Review your progress with animated overlays and history tracking.
- Record study/work sessions as time-lapse videos
- Animated analog clock overlay
- Front and rear camera support
- Adjustable video speed
- Focus history and progress graphs
- Home screen widgets
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FocusLapse turns your study, work and reading sessions into time-lapse videos and a personal focus log. Set down your phone and start focusing. Recording yourself at work can help you stay with the task in front of you. Turn a long session into a short video, then look back and see the effort you put in. Features • Record time-lapse videos while you focus • Review your focus time in charts • Add a rating and a note to each session • Delete unwanted sessions and remove their time from your totals • Switch between front and rear cameras • Choose video orientation, clock design and study-time display before recording • Combine multiple time-lapse videos into one highlight video • Save finished videos to Photos • Check your focus time in a widget Keep a visual record of your study or work routine. You can share your finished videos through your usual social apps. Free to use, with no ads or account required. Videos, focus records, ratings and notes stay on your device and are not sent to the developer's servers. Available in Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian and French. The app follows your device's preferred languages.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FocusLapse at none against ScreenZen's 4. ScreenZen's advantage is ratings volume (53K vs 8) and chart position (#164 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. ScreenZen sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. FocusLapse asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ScreenZen against 5.0 for FocusLapse. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScreenZen has 53K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of ScreenZen's written reviews are positive against 100% of FocusLapse's.
ScreenZen ships an update every 3 weeks, FocusLapse fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScreenZen | FocusLapse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (53K ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 53K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #164 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 159 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ScreenZen LLC | cocon Godo Kaisha |
Customer experience
ScreenZen
FocusLapse
Bugs and requests
ScreenZen
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unlock button not working as expected
- App stops working after some time
- Compatibility issues with iOS 16 update
Requested features
4 requests- Add more customization options
- Integrate with productivity/to-do apps
- Add more pause/break options
- Improve website blocking functionality
FocusLapse
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ScreenZen
- Kind Tip$5.00
- Generous Tip$10.00
- Amazing Tip$20.00
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- Fantastic Tip$40.00
FocusLapse
No in-app purchases









