Note vs Focus Dial
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Note
This minimalist notes app helps you focus on what matters most. Create up to 8 infinite pages with beautiful typefaces and customizable line formatting. Save notes as plain text files to iCloud Drive or locally, and access them via widgets and shortcuts.
- Minimalist interface
- Up to 8 infinite pages
- Customizable line formatting (color, italics)
- Plain text file export
- iCloud Drive sync
- Home/Lock Screen widgets
- Apple Watch app
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Keep notes you really care about in focus with this mini note app & widget. It’s like a pinned note in its own app. The app feels like just 1 note, but you can create up to 8 infinite pages. It features beautiful typefaces. There is extra spacing between lines. You can mark lines with color, italics, or both. Pages can also be given custom names. Each page is saved as a plain text file, either in iCloud Drive or only on your iPhone or iPad. Text and links can be added to a page in the app from within other apps using the Share button. You can add a sticky note widget to your Home Screen and Lock Screen that shows the last line you selected in the app or the line you pinned in the Home Screen widget. A control lets you open the app directly from Control Center or your Lock Screen. You can also assign this control to your iPhone’s Action button. An Apple Watch app and widget show the last line you selected in the app on your paired iPhone or the line you pinned in the app on your watch. App Privacy: There is no sign-in and no data is collected. Your files are encrypted on your device using your passcode when it’s locked or turned off. If iCloud Backup is turned on for the app in the Settings app > [Your Name] > iCloud > Storage > Backups > [Your Device], your app data is uploaded to iCloud. If you want your files in iCloud Drive to be end-to-end encrypted, please turn on Advanced Data Protection in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection. If you have Share Analytics turned on in Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements, we receive app analytics from Apple. This does not contain your app data or personally identify you. Other Features: To add a new line, pull down when you are at the top of a page. Easily move lines up ↑ or down ↓. Quickly undo or redo changes above the keyboard. Tap the ⋯ button above the keyboard for more actions, such as adding the date or inserting a line break. Link or move lines to another page using the Quick Actions menu. List markers (like ‘•’) and spaces you type at the start of a line automatically get added to a new line below it. A URL scheme allows you to go directly to a page or to a specific line on a page. Support for Apple’s Writing Tools on compatible devices. Supports multiple windows on iPad. Fully accessible with VoiceOver. Gestures: Swipe left or right on a page while editing to move the insertion point from word to word. To move the insertion point, touch and hold the Space bar on the onscreen keyboard with one finger, then slide your finger around the keyboard. Swipe left with three fingers to undo or right to redo. Tap on a page with three fingers to show a menu with undo, cut, copy, paste, and redo. The use of this app is subject to your agreement to: Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Apple’s Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/ If you use iCloud with the app, iCloud’s Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/
Focus Dial
This app helps you improve focus with a simple, innovative timer. Track progress over time with customizable categories and interactive widgets. Sync data across devices with iCloud support.
- Innovative focus dial for time adjustment
- Timer counts up towards goal
- Track focus across weeks, months, years
- Interactive Home Screen widgets
- 10 customizable categories with colors/icons
- iCloud backup and sync
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Focus Dial is here to improve your ability to focus on the tasks and hobbies you care about! SIMPLE: Quickly adjust your goal time before each session using the innovative focus dial! POSITIVE: Timer counts up towards your goal. Focus on what you are doing and feel good about what you have done. Progress over perfection! POWERFUL: Track your focus across weeks, months, and years. Challenge yourself to become more intentional with your time and how you spend it. See your progress at a glance on your Home Screen with powerful and interactive widgets and live activities. CUSTOMIZABLE: Use up to 10 customizable categories with your favorite colors and icons for the tasks and hobbies you focus on. Automatically follow your devices dark or light theme, or specify which one you want to use in Focus Dial. SUPPORTS ICLOUD: Back up your data and sync across multiple iPhones and iPads. Start dialing in your focus today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Note at every 8 days against Focus Dial's every 3 weeks. Note also leads on iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). Focus Dial's advantage is chart position (#190 vs unranked) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Note costs $4.99 and Focus Dial $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Note against 5.0 for Focus Dial. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Note ships an update every 8 days, Focus Dial every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Note | Focus Dial |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #190 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | nonzerosumness | Digital Wave Creative |
Customer experience
Note
Focus Dial
In-app purchases
Note
No in-app purchases
Focus Dial
No in-app purchases









