# Focus Tree vs Cogni

The clearest difference is ads: Cogni at none against Focus Tree's shown. Focus Tree's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 36%) and ratings volume (5.7K vs 1.7K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Focus Tree sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Cogni sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Focus Tree against 4.7 for Cogni. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.7K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Focus Tree's written reviews are positive against 36% of Cogni's.

Focus Tree ships an update every 2 weeks, Cogni every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Focus Tree | Cogni |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-tree-timer-and-flashcards/id1631305261/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogni-ai-flashcards-and-notes/id6737768905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.7K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **68.0% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 90 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Focus Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1631305263) | [COGNIFLY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1808620132) |

## What reviewers say

### Focus Tree

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-tree-timer-and-flashcards/id1631305261)

This app helps students stay focused during study sessions by blocking distractions and offering timed work intervals. It also includes flashcards with spaced repetition and a unique social feature where users grow a virtual garden together as they achieve focus goals.

**Highlights:** Distraction blocking during focus sessions, Pomodoro and study timers, Spaced repetition flashcards, Shared virtual garden for accountability, Progress tracking and streak monitoring, Collaborative study with friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Focus Tree Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Focus Tree Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Coin Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack ($9.99) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack ($19.99) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack ($49.99) | $49.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack ($99.99) | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helps with focus and productivity
- 👍 Cute and motivating design
- 🔒 Blocks distracting apps
- 💡 Competitive aspect with friends
- 🌱 Fun to build a garden

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes or gets stuck
- 🔒 Overly restrictive app blocking
- 💰 Lack of customization options
- 🎁 Limited rewards for study sessions

**Reported bugs**

- App gets stuck on loading screen
- Notifications not working as expected
- Account recovery issues when changing devices
- Screen time feature not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Allow pausing of study sessions
- Provide more tiles/rewards for longer study sessions
- Add option to choose different tile designs
- Improve compatibility with larger devices like iPads


### Cogni

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogni-ai-flashcards-and-notes/id6737768905)

Create and study flashcards using an AI-enhanced spaced repetition algorithm to optimize learning. Access a vast library of pre-made decks and track your progress with detailed statistics. Study offline with media-supported flashcards.

**Highlights:** AI-enhanced spaced repetition, Create and review flashcards, Library of pre-made decks, Detailed statistics and progress tracking, Offline access with media support, Customizable flashcard creation

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $69.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for memorizing and growing recall skills
- 🚀 Lifesaver for challenging, memory-heavy subjects like med school
- 👍 Sleek and user-friendly interface, no distractions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Locked up referring to an upgrade page, couldn't continue using the app
- 🐛 Not easy to use, inaccurate for Spanish language
- 🐛 Desktop flashcards deck won't sync with mobile, forcing duplicate work

**Reported bugs**

- App no longer available after paying for annual subscription
- Occasional crashes

**Requested features**

- Integrate ChatGPT or Claude for automatic card creation
- Add sub-decks for larger decks that need more review
- Improve algorithm for hard/again ratings to better target struggling cards
- Add subsections for decks to study different sections separately


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Focus Tree free?

Focus Tree is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cogni free?

Cogni is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Focus Tree or Cogni?

Cogni is rated higher. Focus Tree averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.7K ratings, while Cogni averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Focus Tree or Cogni have ads?

Focus Tree shows ads; Cogni does not.

### Which is updated more often, Focus Tree or Cogni?

Focus Tree ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cogni every 9 days. Most recently, Focus Tree was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cogni on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*