Comparison

Focus Traveller vs Burn After Read

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

Burn After Read

Create private, self-destructing notes that disappear after being read. Secure your messages with a password and set an expiration time. Share them via a secure link or QR code for ultimate privacy.

Highlights
  • Password-protected notes
  • Automatic expiry
  • Burn-after-reading
  • Secure link sharing
  • QR code sharing
  • Local privacy controls
Features
Read full description

Burn After Read lets you create private notes that disappear after they are read. Write a message, protect it with a password, choose an expiration time, and share it with a secure link or QR code. Once opened, the note is permanently destroyed. Features: • Password-protected notes • Automatic expiry and burn-after-reading • Share securely by link or QR code • Optional location and weather conditions • Local privacy controls

Screenshots

Focus Traveller4 screens
Burn After Read3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Burn After Read at none against Focus Traveller's 11. Burn After Read also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). Focus Traveller's advantage is ratings volume (3.9K vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Burn After Read asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 Burn After Read. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus Traveller has 3.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Focus Traveller's written reviews are positive against 100% of Burn After Read's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Traveller ships an update every 2 months, Burn After Read every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Focus Traveller versus Burn After Read: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus TravellerBurn After Read
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (3.9K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.9K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size571 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWEI JEN CHEN波 孙

Customer experience

Focus Traveller

All ratings3,933 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews904 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative5.6%

Burn After Read

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Burn After Read

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
None

Burn After Read

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus Traveller free?
Focus Traveller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Burn After Read free?
Burn After Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Focus Traveller or Burn After Read?
Burn After Read is rated higher. Focus Traveller averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Burn After Read averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Focus Traveller or Burn After Read have ads?
Neither Focus Traveller nor Burn After Read shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Traveller or Burn After Read?
Focus Traveller ships an update every 2 months, and Burn After Read every 9 days. Most recently, Focus Traveller was updated on October 19, 2026 and Burn After Read on October 12, 2026.

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