Focus Traveller vs Tempo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Gamified focus timer
- Collaborative study groups
- Progress tracking
- Customizable audio
- Home screen widgets
- Immersive environments
- Multitask friendly mode
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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/
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.
- Multiple visualization options
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Works offline
- No account setup
- Reliable background operation
- Privacy-focused
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Focus Traveller ships an update every 2 months, Tempo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Focus Traveller | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (3.9K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 571 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | WEI JEN CHEN | Foundry24 LLC |
Customer experience
Focus Traveller
Tempo
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
Focus Traveller
- 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
- Seal$0.99
- Fox$0.99
- Corgi$0.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Bear$1.99
- Tiger$1.99
- Caty$1.99
- Life Time Access$14.99
Tempo
- Tempo Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Focus Traveller free?
Is Tempo free?
Which has better reviews, Focus Traveller or Tempo?
Do Focus Traveller or Tempo have ads?
Which is updated more often, Focus Traveller or Tempo?
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