Comparison

Focus Traveller vs Tempo

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

Head to head
About

Focus Traveller

This app helps users stay focused during work or study sessions by using a gamified timer. Users can collaborate with friends in real-time, track their progress, and enjoy immersive environments and curated audio to enhance concentration.

Highlights
  • Gamified focus timer
  • Collaborative study groups
  • Progress tracking
  • Customizable audio
  • Home screen widgets
  • Immersive environments
  • Multitask friendly mode
Features
Read full description

Do you struggle to stay concentrated when you’re working alone? Do you find yourself wishing for a study buddy to keep you motivated late at night? Focus Traveller is a productivity timer designed to help you find your flow. The longer you focus, the higher your traveller climb. Together, we get things done. Invite up to 10 friends to form a Focused Travel Group. Support one another, hold each other accountable, and reach new heights together. Key Features: Seamless Transitions: Effortlessly switch between focus sessions and rest periods. Flexible Modes: Choose between a traditional countdown or an open-ended stopwatch. Group Expeditions: Start a journey with friends and stay focused in real-time together. Curated Audio: Connect to Apple Music to play your personal focus tracks. Progress Tracking: Comprehensive daily logs to help you monitor your growth. Quick Access Widgets: Start a session directly from your Home Screen. Immersive Environments: Choose from various seasonal scenes to match your mood. Dark Mode: Increase your immersion and reduce eye strain with a sleek dark interface. Multitask Friendly: Use "General Focus Mode" to stay productive even when switching to other apps. Focus Status: Keep the Focus Traveller screen visible to let classmates or colleagues know you’re focusing Behind the Scenes The stunning animations, illustrations, and character designs are crafted by award-winning artist Kuan Hung Chen. Follow his work on Instagram @jimmykuang and stay updated with us @focustravellerco. Focus Traveller Pro features are available as a monthly subscription or as a one-time purchase. Your iTunes account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the billing period. You can go to your iTunes Account Settings to manage your subscription & turn off auto-renew. To restore all your previous purchases use the "Restore Purchased" button located at the bottom of the subscription button in the Pro popup page or go to the Focus Traveller Settings to tap on "Restore Purchased" Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tempo

This app transforms countdown timers into clear visual progress indicators, helping you stay focused on tasks like work, study, or cooking. It offers multiple visualization options and a distraction-free interface, working reliably offline without requiring an account.

Highlights
  • Multiple visualization options
  • Clean, distraction-free interface
  • Works offline
  • No account setup
  • Reliable background operation
  • Privacy-focused
Features
Read full description

If you have ever looked up and lost an hour, you do not need another number counting down. You need to see time move. Tempo turns time into something you can watch. A dandelion loses its seeds. An eclipse closes over. A snowman gives in to the sun. Glance at your phone from across the room and you know how much is left — no reading, no math. BUILT FOR TIME BLINDNESS Numbers are abstract. If your brain does not track elapsed time on its own, "20 minutes" means nothing until it is already gone. Tempo makes time spatial instead, so you feel it draining rather than having to calculate it. FROM ONE MINUTE TO ONE YEAR Most timers stop at an hour. Tempo has six scales: • MINUTE — a focus sprint or a short break • HOUR — the meeting, the work block • DAY — how much of today is actually left • MONTH — the deadline that still feels far away • SEASON (Pro) — the three months you keep meaning to use • YEAR — the one nobody shows you The longer scales run live against the real calendar. Open Tempo in October and the year is already most of the way gone. That is not a gimmick — for anyone who loses whole weeks, seeing it is the point. SEVEN VISUALIZATIONS Dandelion, Dots, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, and Thunderstorm. Pick the one your brain actually reads, and set it as your default. ON YOUR WRIST AND LOCK SCREEN An Apple Watch app and Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets keep your current scale in view without opening anything — so checking the time stops being the distraction. BUILT TO STAY QUIET • No account, no sign-up, no email • Works entirely offline • No streaks, no badges, no guilt mechanics • No ads, ever Tempo will not fix your relationship with time. It just makes time visible, so the hours stop disappearing without warning. Free: the Dots visualization and five of the six scales — MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, MONTH, and YEAR. A one-time Pro purchase adds Dandelion, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, Thunderstorm, and the SEASON scale. No subscription.

Screenshots

Focus Traveller4 screens
Tempo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Focus Traveller at 3.9K against Tempo's 2. Tempo's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus Traveller sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Focus Traveller against 5.0 for Tempo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus Traveller has 3.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Traveller ships an update every 2 months, Tempo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Focus Traveller versus Tempo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus TravellerTempo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (3.9K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.9K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size571 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWEI JEN CHENFoundry24 LLC

Customer experience

Focus Traveller

All ratings3,933 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews902 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative5.7%

Tempo

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Focus Traveller

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Random data resets
  • Inconsistent time tracking
  • Landscape mode issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add pomodoro timer functionality
  • Introduce more background options
  • Allow manual time entry/editing
  • Implement Lock Screen widget
  • Add ability to block distracting apps

Tempo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Focus Traveller

Subscriptions3
  • Focus Traveller Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Focus Traveller Pro Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
  • Focus Traveller Pro Yearly3 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time7
  • Seal$0.99
  • Fox$0.99
  • Corgi$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Bear$1.99
  • Tiger$1.99
  • Caty$1.99
  • Life Time Access$14.99
1 purchases

Tempo

One-time1
  • Tempo Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Focus Traveller free?
Focus Traveller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Focus Traveller or Tempo?
Tempo is rated higher. Focus Traveller averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Tempo averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Focus Traveller or Tempo have ads?
Neither Focus Traveller nor Tempo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Traveller or Tempo?
Focus Traveller ships an update every 2 months, and Tempo fortnightly. Most recently, Focus Traveller was updated on October 12, 2026 and Tempo on October 9, 2026.

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