Comparison

Flow vs Shadow Work

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

Head to head
About

Flow

Features
Read full description

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get overwhelmed by distractions and lose focus. Flow: Focus Training is your personal brain trainer, designed to help you sharpen your focus, clear your mind, and enhance your concentration skills. GET ALERT AND FOCUSED Engage in fast-paced exercises that demand your full attention and quick reflexes. It's like a high-intensity workout for your brain, helping you get into an alert and focused state. CLEAR YOUR MIND When you have too much on your mind, it can be difficult to concentrate. Flow: Focus Training offers a collection of exercises that help you declutter your mind and prepare for work or studies. TRAIN YOUR FOCUS Treat your mind like a muscle and train it to focus better with Flow. With regular use, Flow: Focus Training can help you improve your overall ability to focus and concentrate. You'll find yourself able to stay on task, resist distractions, and achieve your goals more efficiently. KEY FEATURES Enhance your focus and concentration with four engaging brain training games. Choose your preferred exercise duration from 30 seconds to 5 minutes in each game. Track your progress and challenge yourself with the top 25 list of scores in each game. Enjoy the app in light mode or dark mode! WHO IS IT FOR? Flow: Focus Training is designed for anyone who wants to improve their focus, concentration, and productivity. Whether you're a knowledge worker who needs to stay focused on complex tasks, a student who needs to concentrate during exams, an athlete who needs to be mentally sharp during competitions, or a gamer who wants to enhance their reaction time, Flow can help you achieve your goals. ENJOY FLOW EITHOUT ADS Flow offers flexible plans to suit your needs, whether you're a student, a professional, or anyone seeking to enhance their focus. Sign up is not required, and all games are free to play. You may encounter occasional ads before starting exercises. For a seamless and ad-free experience, consider upgrading to Flow+. A single payment without recurring fees grants you lifetime access to Flow+.

About

Shadow Work

This app offers a structured journaling experience based on Jungian psychology to explore hidden aspects of yourself. It guides you through stages of self-discovery, integration, and self-actualization with written prompts and body awareness exercises. All your entries are stored privately on your device.

Highlights
  • 25 structured sessions across 3 stages
  • Shadow Archetype and Exile reveal
  • Trigger & Glimmer tracker
  • The Mirror reflection tool
  • Grounding breathwork and body check-ins
  • Private, device-only journaling
  • Progress tracking and daily streaks
Features
Read full description

Shadow Forge is a structured shadow work journal built on Jungian psychology. Not a mood tracker. Not a gratitude log. A guided descent into the parts of yourself you've been ignoring, judging, or hiding from the world. HOW IT WORKS Shadow Forge divides your inner work into 3 stages and 25 sessions: Stage 1 - Shadow: 7 sessions Meet the parts you cast away. Explore your projections, your triggers, and the qualities you deny in yourself. Ends with your Shadow Archetype reveal - and the Exile it has been protecting. Stage 2 - Integration: 10 sessions Stop fighting what you found. Learn to own the shadow instead of being owned by it. Stage 3 - Self: 8 sessions The work becomes who you are. Live from a more complete version of yourself. WHAT EACH SESSION INCLUDES - A grounding ritual to prepare the container - 3 written prompts designed to surface what hides beneath the surface - A body check-in to locate emotion as sensation - Everything stored privately on your device THE FIRST STAGE IS FREE Complete all 7 sessions of Stage 1 at no cost. Unlock Stage 2 and Stage 3 with a monthly or annual subscription. YOUR JOURNAL. NO ONE READS IT BUT YOU. Every response is stored locally on your device. No account. No cloud. No server ever receives your entries. FEATURES - 25 structured sessions across 3 stages - Shadow Archetype reveal, plus an Exile card - the wound your Archetype has been protecting - Trigger & Glimmer tracker - log what drains you and what lifts you, see the pattern over 14 days - The Mirror - a 5-question reflection that reveals your relationship pattern, synthesized with your Shadow Archetype - Grounding breathwork before each session - Body awareness check-in - Private journal - device only, no cloud - Progress tracking across all sessions - Daily streak - Grounding exercise available anytime - 11 languages supported Privacy Policy: https://enginaytekin.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flow4 screens
Shadow Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Shadow Work at none against Flow's shown. Shadow Work also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Flow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Shadow Work sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update every 9 months, Shadow Work fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Flow versus Shadow Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowShadow Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB55 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperNano Digital Helsinki OyEngin Aytekin

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Flow

Subscriptions2
  • Flow+ Subscription One Month$2.991 Month
  • Flow+ Subscription One Year$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Flow+ Lifetime$9.99
2 purchases

Shadow Work

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow Work free?
Shadow Work is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Flow or Shadow Work have ads?
Flow shows ads; Shadow Work does not.
Which is updated more often, Flow or Shadow Work?
Flow ships an update every 9 months, and Shadow Work fortnightly. Most recently, Flow was updated on October 11, 2026 and Shadow Work on October 13, 2026.

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