Productivity Tree vs Trace
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Productivity Tree
This app uses the Pomodoro Technique to help you manage your time and enhance focus. It breaks down work into timed intervals with short breaks in between, aiding productivity.
- Pomodoro Technique timer
- Work interval breakdown
- Short break intervals
- Focus enhancement
- Time management
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The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for 'tomato', after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.
Trace
A minimalist and private space for capturing thoughts, notes, lists, and memories. It offers a clean interface for free writing and quick searching, with optional Pro features for customization and enhanced security.
- Minimalist and calm interface
- Free writing and reflections
- Bullet and numbered lists
- Quick entry search
- Local-first private storage
- Customizable themes (Pro)
- App Lock with biometric support (Pro)
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Catch a thought in three seconds, by voice or text, then get on with your day. Private by design: no account, no servers, no tracking. Everything stays on your device. No subscription, ever. Pro is a one-time purchase. Trace is a home for passing thoughts: ideas, notes, reflections, lists, and the things you don't want to lose. Open it and write, or just talk. FAST CAPTURE - Open and write. No setup, no folders to choose first - On-device dictation, with optional on-device "Tidy my words" cleanup - "New Trace" control in Control Center (iOS 18) - Drafts save as you type, so a call or a crash can't take them - Bullet and numbered lists that continue as you type FIND IT LATER - Timeline grouped by day - Search everything you've ever written, including by date - Tags to group related thoughts - Reflections that link back to past entries - Traceback resurfaces a past entry every month, free YOURS, NOT OURS - Data Not Collected. Trace runs no servers of its own - Export everything as Markdown or JSON, anytime, free. Great with Obsidian - Deleted something by mistake? It waits 30 days in Recently Deleted BUILT FOR - Brain dumps and racing thoughts - The idea you had in the shower - Something someone said that stuck - The end of a long day TRACE PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION - Extra inks and themes: Cream, Sage, Midnight, Cocoa - Matching alternate app icons - App Lock with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode - iCloud sync through your own iCloud - Weekly Traceback review Paper and Slate inks, Markdown/JSON export, and monthly Traceback stay free for everyone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Productivity Tree at none against Trace's 1. Productivity Tree also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Trace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Productivity Tree asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Productivity Tree against 5.0 for Trace. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
| Parameter | Productivity Tree | Trace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | — | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 89 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jeffrey Leary | Pedro Gomes do Nascimento |
Customer experience
Productivity Tree
Trace
In-app purchases
Productivity Tree
No in-app purchases
Trace
- Trace Pro$4.99








