Comparison

Refocus vs Squares

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

Head to head
About

Refocus

This app helps you regain control of your digital life by blocking distracting apps and websites. It offers various methods to limit screen time, set schedules, and track your usage, promoting better focus and productivity.

Highlights
  • Block any app or website
  • Strict Mode with multiple unblocking challenges
  • Set app timers and time limits
  • Schedule blocking for specific times
  • Location-based blocking
  • Screen time analytics
  • macOS app available
Features
Read full description

Refocus is an app blocker & website blocker that helps you limit screen time on apps! Refocus is easy to use, yet has powerful screen time control features: ▶ Various ways to restrict or lock apps and block websites. Choose what helps you focus! Block any app or site — from social media and games to messaging and news. ▶ "Strict Mode" feature prevents you from unblocking. Set a passcode, or use an NFC tag, or wait a duration (ex. 30 seconds), or do a copy text challenge, or utilize Pomodoro (limit unblocking to 5 times per day, for 25 minutes each, with a 5-minute cooldown between each unblock). ▶ Block for a specific duration (ex. app timer for 30 minutes). ▶ Block at specific times (ex. every weekday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). ▶ Set app limits (ex. after 10 minutes of using Instagram, block it). Set an app time limit! ▶ Hide Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts in Safari. ▶ Block at the location you pick — whether it be home, work or school. ▶ View your daily, weekly and monthly Screen Time analytics. Use Refocus as a screen time tracker! ▶ Mac app that also lets you block apps and websites on macOS. ▶ And more! --- Visit www.refocusapp.co for more information. Terms of Use: - https://refocusapp.co/terms-of-use

About

Squares

Read full description

You know the GitHub contribution graph. Those little green squares that show every day you wrote code. Squares is that, but for your entire working life. Most people have no idea where their hours actually go. Squares shows them. HOW IT WORKS Every 30 minutes, Squares asks one question: what did you just do? You answer in a few words. One tap. One slot fills in. That is it. No timers to start. No sessions to forget. No friction. Just a quiet prompt and a green square that grows on your grid. Tag your entries as Deep Work, Coding, Meetings, Design, or anything you create yourself. Link them to projects when it matters. Skip the ones that do not. THE GRID Your annual heatmap shows every day of the year at a glance. The darker the green, the more you worked. Intense weeks, slow weeks, streaks, gaps, every shape of your year, visible in one screen. Open any past day to fill in entries you missed. Filter the entire grid by tag or by project to see exactly where your hours went. WIDGETS Home screen and lock screen widgets in three sizes keep your heatmap visible all day without opening the app. They refresh automatically as you log entries. WHY IT WORKS Your total blocks, current streak, and best streak are always visible. As the grid fills, the streak becomes something worth protecting. The visual record of your work becomes its own motivation. After a year, you have a complete map of every hour worked. The intense days. The slow ones. The patterns you never noticed. DESIGNED FOR iPhone Native SwiftUI app. iCloud sync across your devices. Export your data as CSV anytime. No account required to start. Your data stays yours. Terms of Use: https://squares.day/terms Privacy Policy: https://squares.day/privacy

Screenshots

Refocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Refocus at Free against Squares's $2.99. Refocus also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Squares's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17).

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

Refocus is free to download; Squares costs $2.99 up front. Refocus sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Squares asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Refocus versus Squares: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefocusSquares
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.8 (12K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsYes—
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone — better—
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLabi, LLCAmaury Gau

Bugs and requests

Refocus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blocking issues after phone restart
  • Inconsistent behavior when pausing/unpausing sessions
  • Crashing when trying to block apps in certain categories

Requested features

5 requests
  • Passcode or biometric lock to prevent bypassing
  • More advanced blocking options (e.g., math problems to unblock)
  • Ability to purchase a one-time license instead of subscription
  • Notification warnings before blocking sessions end
  • Search function to find apps to block more easily

Squares

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Refocus

Subscriptions9
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro3 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Refocus Pro (Family)7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Refocus Pro$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro1 Month trial2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Refocus Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time4
  • Reset Strict Mode$1.00
  • Reset Strict Mode$5.00
  • Reset Strict Mode$10.00
Show 1 more
  • Reset Strict Mode$50.00
None

Squares

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Refocus free?
Refocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Squares free?
Squares costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

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