J vs FOCUS//DECK
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
J
This app helps you organize thoughts, sketch ideas, and manage tasks with a beautiful, intuitive interface. It offers rich text editing, smart organization, and flexible views for a personalized experience. Keep your data private with local storage and no cloud sync.
- Text and drawing notes
- Rich text editing
- Smart organization (pinning, color-coding)
- Trash and recovery system
- Flexible display views
- Calendar and map integration
- Reminders and instant search
Read full descriptionHide full description
Notes that stay on your iPhone. Write them, sketch them, lock them behind Face ID, and put them on your Home Screen. No account, no cloud, no ads, no in-app purchases and nothing to subscribe to. WRITE IT, OR DRAW IT Type a note, or sketch one with pen, marker and pencil — Apple Pencil or your finger, with adjustable width and color. Start a drawing over a photo from your library or straight from the camera. Undo and redo sit under the keyboard while you write. Check items off inside the text: a checklist line is part of the note rather than a separate list, and the box responds wherever you tap it. EVERYTHING WHERE YOU LEFT IT • Pin the notes that matter to the top • Color-code them, tag them, and filter by a tag in one tap • Search titles, bodies and tags at once • Compact, standard or detailed rows, remembered between launches • Deleted notes wait 30 days in the trash, and can be opened before you decide • On iPad the list and the note sit side by side, through rotation and Split View alike REMINDERS THAT ARRIVE Set a date and time on any note and it comes back as a notification — as a banner even when the app is already open, and tapping it opens that note rather than the list. If iOS will not schedule it, the app says so instead of losing it quietly. Notes with reminders also line up in a calendar view, by the day they are due. NOTES THAT REMEMBER WHERE THEY WERE A note keeps the place it was written, and the map shows them all — notes made in the same spot share a pin. Useful for a trip, a viewing, a walk around a site, or anywhere the location is half of what you wrote down. LOCKED IS LOCKED • Lock any note behind Face ID or Touch ID • The notes file is unreadable while the device is locked • An unlocked note is covered before iOS takes its app-switcher snapshot • A locked note's reminder reaches the Lock Screen without its title or its text • Search does not look inside a locked note ON YOUR HOME SCREEN AND LOCK SCREEN Small, medium and large Home Screen widgets show your most recent notes, pinned first — and tapping one opens that note, not the list. All three Lock Screen shapes are there too: the newest note as a line, as a title with a line of text, or just how many notes there are. A locked note shows its padlock and nothing else, in every size. Ask Siri to create a note, or put it in a Shortcut. BUILT FOR EVERYONE Every icon-only control is labeled for VoiceOver, and a note's row is announced as one thing rather than as the seven pieces it is drawn from. A checklist line says whether it is checked. Text follows your Dynamic Type size, including the checkbox and the area you tap to check it. The unlock button shows the method your device actually offers. YOURS, AND ONLY YOURS • No ads • No in-app purchases, no subscription • No account, no sign-in, no cloud, no data collected • Works completely offline • Back up and restore everything as a single file • English and Czech • iPhone and iPad Just your notes. Nothing else.
FOCUS//DECK
Read full descriptionHide full description
Focus timer and app blocker in one. FOCUS//DECK helps you start, stay on task and finish, with Pomodoro sessions, distraction blocking and a companion that holds you accountable. One price, every feature. No subscription, no ads, no account. Your focus data stays on your iPhone. FOCUS MODES FOR HOW YOU WORK • Pomodoro: 25 minutes of focus, 5 minutes of rest. The classic study and work timer. • ADHD Sprint: 10 on, 3 off. Short bursts and frequent wins for busy brains. • Deep Work: 90 on, 15 off, with task lock for long, single-task sessions. • Or set your own session and break lengths. BLOCK DISTRACTING APPS Shields Up uses Apple's Screen Time to block every app except the ones you allow during Deep Work and Sprint sessions, so a quick check can't turn into an hour of scrolling. Pair it with a simple Shortcut and your AirPods switch to noise cancellation as the shields go up. PLAN AROUND YOUR CALENDAR • See today's events and the open time between them on Home. • Tap an open block or an event to start a session that fits, with the task filled in. • Pick any of today's events as your task in any timer. • Your calendar is read on this iPhone only. Nothing is uploaded or changed. STAY ACCOUNTABLE • Red Alert: leave the app mid-session and you come back to a full-screen alert. Locking your phone never counts against you. • BIT, your on-screen focus companion, reacts as you work: calm while you focus, agitated when you slip. Choose how pushy it gets: gentle, normal or angry. • Goals: set a daily, weekly or streak goal. Check-ins at 9am, 1pm and 8pm tell you whether you're on pace. SEE EVERY MINUTE COUNT • A visual timer where each minute fills a cell, with your current task pinned on screen. • Streaks and a 7-day log of your sessions. • A 30-day heatmap and Game Center achievements. • Share cards for finished sessions and streaks. LOCK SCREEN, WIDGETS AND SIRI • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. • Home Screen widgets for your streak and a one-tap start. • Siri and Shortcuts: start a session or raise shields hands-free. • A task queue, plus a "park a thought" inbox for ideas that pop up mid-session. MAKE IT YOURS • Five themes: Night City, Amber, Green, Cyan and Mono. • Adjustable atmosphere effects and UI sounds. Respects Reduce Motion. • A built-in command line for keyboard fans. EVERYTHING INCLUDED One purchase unlocks every mode, Shields Up app blocking, Goals with check-ins, custom durations, every stat and all five themes. No in-app purchases. No subscription. Buy once, keep it. PRIVACY FOCUS//DECK collects no data: no analytics, no tracking, no ads. Your sessions, tasks, goals and calendar stay on your device. Privacy policy: bleekvision.com/privacy Support: bleekvision.com/support Made by Bleek Vision LLC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: J at Free against FOCUS//DECK's $4.99. J also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ads, 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
J is free to download; FOCUS//DECK costs $4.99 up front. FOCUS//DECK sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. J asks for nothing beyond the download.
J ships an update fortnightly, FOCUS//DECK every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | J | FOCUS//DECK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Robert Libsansky | Bleek Vision LLC |
In-app purchases
J
No in-app purchases
FOCUS//DECK
- FOCUS//DECK Pro$9.99
Questions
Is J free?
Is FOCUS//DECK free?
Do J or FOCUS//DECK have ads?
Which is updated more often, J or FOCUS//DECK?
Other comparisons















