Comparison

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers vs Readbase

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

Head to head
About

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers

This app provides structure and tools to improve focus and build habits. It offers distraction blocking across devices, real-time habit guidance, and structured routines designed for individuals with ADHD and ASD.

Highlights
  • Distraction blocking across devices
  • Real-time habit guidance
  • Morning routine builder
  • Productivity-boosting breaks
  • Structure for neurodivergent brains
Features
Read full description

Focus Bear blocks the apps that eat your day, right on your phone, and walks you through your routine one step at a time. Built by a team with ADHD and autism, for anyone whose brain does not run on willpower. BLOCK DISTRACTIONS ON YOUR PHONE - Block distracting apps and sites during focus sessions and routines - Soft blocking adds a gentle pause instead of a hard wall, so you can still get through when you genuinely need to - Choose which apps stay allowed during a specific habit BUILD ROUTINES THAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN - Morning and evening routines that guide you habit by habit, so starting is not the hard part - Custom routines, scheduled or on demand - Movement and break reminders so you are not welded to the chair - Streaks and completion animations, because the dopamine has to come from somewhere GET STARTED WHEN STARTING IS HARD - Smart to-do list that prioritises for you, so you are not paralysed by the list itself - Add tasks by voice or by screenshot - Late No More: escalating reminders, visual then spoken, so meetings stop sneaking up on you THEN CLOSE THE SIDE DOOR Most blockers only cover one device. Focus Bear also runs on Mac and Windows, using the same account, so the hour you saved on your phone does not quietly reappear on your laptop. On desktop it can check whether a site is actually relevant to what you are working on right now, rather than relying on one fixed blocklist. BUILT ON LIVED EXPERIENCE Focus Bear was started by a late-diagnosed AuDHDer who got tired of hiding his laptop in a cupboard to stop himself checking email. The team is largely neurodivergent, and the approach draws on formal research with university partners. Free to download, with an optional subscription for full access. Terms Of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Extended Terms Of Use: https://www.focusbear.io/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.focusbear.io/privacy-policy

About

Readbase

Features
Read full description

Readbase is the inbox that's just for newsletters. Get your own private @readbase.io address, move your Substack and other subscriptions there, and every newsletter arrives with an AI summary. Get the point in seconds instead of reading every word, and save 4+ hours every month. Free to start. No credit card required. YOUR PRIVATE NEWSLETTER INBOX • Your own @readbase.io address, just for newsletters. • Subscribe once and keep newsletters completely out of Gmail, Outlook and your work email. • Moving from Substack takes one email change, and every subscription follows. • Substack's own notification emails stay out by default, so you only see the posts. AI SUMMARIES FOR EVERY NEWSLETTER • Every newsletter arrives with a summary crafted for long-form writing. Get the key ideas before you even open it. • Daily Recap: start each morning with one AI summary of your unread newsletters, so you know what's worth reading at a glance. • Ask AI: ask anything about a newsletter, or select a passage to have it explained. (Premium) Skim the summary, ask AI for the rest, and read in full only what is worth it. READ ANYWHERE • Offline Mode: everything stays available on flights and commutes. • iPhone and web: read in the app or at readbase.io, always in sync. • Siri & Shortcuts: ask Siri for your latest summary, or mark a subscription as read, hands-free. STAY IN CONTROL • 1-Click Unsubscribe: drop the newsletters you stopped reading in seconds. • Bookmarks: keep the newsletters you want to come back to. • Reading Stats: see what you actually read and build better reading habits. (Premium) WORKS WITH EVERY NEWSLETTER Read newsletters from Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, Kit (ConvertKit), Medium, Buttondown, Mailchimp and any other provider that sends by email. One app for all your newsletter subscriptions, from daily briefings to long-form essays. PRIVACY-FIRST Your newsletters are yours. Readbase doesn't sell your data, and newsletter content is only used to power features like summaries and offline reading. FREE AND PREMIUM Readbase Free: your private @readbase.io inbox, AI summaries for every newsletter, Daily Recap, 1-click unsubscribe, bookmarks and offline reading. Readbase Premium adds Ask AI, the latest AI models for your summaries, Reading Stats with monthly insights, smart unsubscribe suggestions and push notifications for new newsletters. Billed monthly or annually. Cancel anytime. If newsletters are getting lost in your email, Readbase gives them a calm home of their own: just newsletters, summarised and ready to read. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readbase.io/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers4 screens
Readbase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Readbase at every 9 days against Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers's every 3 weeks. Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Readbase sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers ships an update every 3 weeks, Readbase every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers versus Readbase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus Bear. Built for AuDHDersReadbase
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews96.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB22 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperFocus Bear Pty LtdLlingas LTD

Bugs and requests

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers

Requested features

1 request
  • Easier editing of routines (e.g., drag-and-drop to reorder tasks)

Readbase

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers

Subscriptions2
  • Student Monthly Plan$1.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
4 purchases

Readbase

Subscriptions4
  • Readbase Premium - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Readbase Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Readbase Premium - Annual$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Readbase Premium - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers free?
Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Readbase free?
Readbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers or Readbase have ads?
Neither Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers nor Readbase shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers or Readbase?
Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers ships an update every 3 weeks, and Readbase every 9 days. Most recently, Focus Bear. Built for AuDHDers was updated on November 7, 2026 and Readbase on November 9, 2026.

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