Comparison

BrainWave vs OmniFocus 4

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

Head to head
About

BrainWave

Enhance focus, memory, and problem-solving skills with advanced brainwave programs. This app combines binaural tones with ambient sounds and music to guide your mind into optimized mental states for learning and creativity. Customize your experience with adjustable settings and enjoy a unique approach to brainwave entrainment.

Highlights
  • 18 Advanced Brainwave Programs
  • Binaural Tones with Music/Audiobooks
  • Ambient Backgrounds & Alarm Sounds
  • Adjustable Brainwave Intensity
  • Customizable Timer
  • Progressive Brainwave Entrainment
Features
Read full description

18 Advanced Brainwave Programs in One App! Sharp Mind induces optimized mental states ideal for school, exam preparation, confidence, problem solving, memory, creativity, confidence and learning. Combine Binaural Tones with iTunes Music, Audiobooks, Spotify * Built-in iTunes Playlist Creator * 24 Soothing Ambient Backgrounds and 10 Gentle Alarm Sounds. * Universal App * iPhone and iPad UIs HD&SD * Headphones/Earbuds must be worn for Binaural Tones to be Effective. To combine Brainwaves and Ambience with Audio from Another App use Background Mode 'Ambience + Other App' in the Background Settings. To use just Brainwaves and Audio from Another App use the "No Background" option for the Background Source. Warning: These are powerful brainwave entrainment programs and should never be used while driving or operating machinery. BrainWave Sharp Mind is unlike any other brainwave entrainment application. Other brainwave and binaural beat applications use only a single brainwave frequency and carrier signal. The Sharp Mind Progressive Brainwave Entrainment algorithms use a series of brainwave programs, multiple frequencies and carrier waves to gently bring your brainwave frequencies to your desired state using a more natural and effective frequency progression. *** Advanced Features *** - Multiple Brainwave programs each specially designed to elevate you to a unique mental state. - Multiple ambient background sounds to choose from. - Adjustable Brainwave Intensity - The intensity of the brainwaves can be adjusted independently of the ambient background sound. This allows you to set the brainwave volume to your comfort level. The application will also save your preference for future use. - Adjustable ambient background volume. - Visual timer countdown indicator. - Automatic saving of preferred brainwave entrainment program and ambient background sounds. - Ability to create your own custom time option. *** Programs Included *** - Brain Energizer: Takes you through a series of brainwave programs and progressively elevates your level of alertness. - High Beta Concentration: Designed to put your mind into the ultimate state of focus and concentration. Ideal when you need to block out surrounding distractions and study. - Creative Brainstorming: A series of brainwave programs that elevates your mind to a state of open-mindedness and creativity. Perfect for when you're stuck on a problem or are having difficulty coming up with an idea. Sit back and plug into this program to completely open your mind. - Creative Problem Solving: The ultimate combination of focus and creativity achieved through a series of brainwave programs and frequency mixes. - Gamma Memory Boost: This program was designed to be used whenever you feel like taking a break and letting what you've just learned sink in. This will help you maximize memory recall. - Beta Confidence Boost: Designed to be taken before a test or presentation. The other programs help you prepare, solve problems, come up with ideas and remember what you've learned. Sharp Mind also includes: - Creative Thinking - Lateral Thinking - Convergent Thinking - Deductive Thinking - Centered Mind - Focus/Concentration - Gamma Creativity Boost - Evening Memory Boost - Full Beta Spectrum - Full Gamma Spectrum * How Binaural Brainwave Entrainment Works * This app uses advanced Binaural Brainwave Entrainment to stimulate brainwave frequencies associated with different states of mind. These brainwave frequencies are in most cases inaudible and therefore must be induced through the use of binaural tones. In this process two different tones are played, one for one ear, and one for the other (headphones or earbuds must be used). When processing these two different tones the human brain perceives the difference as a beat matching the target brainwave frequency. The listener’s brainwaves synchronize with this beat due to the brain’s frequency following response.

About

OmniFocus 4

This task management application helps busy professionals organize and prioritize their work. It offers a unified interface across multiple Apple devices, allowing users to create, organize, and focus on tasks efficiently. A free trial is available.

Highlights
  • Unified interface across Apple devices
  • Task creation and organization
  • Perspectives Bar for navigation
  • Focus mode for specific projects
  • Secure, end-to-end encrypted sync
  • Universal cross-platform purchase
Features
Read full description

OmniFocus is powerful task management software for busy professionals. With tools to help tame the chaos, you can focus on the right tasks at the right time. Two-week free trial! OmniFocus 4 introduces a modernized, unified interface across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Centered around your task outline, OmniFocus 4 brings a consistent experience, optimized for each device type, to all of your Apple devices. Easily create tasks anytime–from anywhere–and organize them with projects, tags, and dates. Quickly navigate OmniFocus on any device using the Perspectives Bar, Quick Open, and Back and Forward history. With Pro, use Focus to help focus your attention on specific projects or folders, and customize OmniFocus to only display the information most relevant to you. New to OmniFocus? The simple, efficient OmniFocus 4 interface will help you discover and implement a trusted system that works and grows with you. Upgrading from a previous version of OmniFocus? In OmniFocus 4, discover enhanced versions of all the powerful task management features you already rely on, along with new features that will level-up your workflow. Omni offers a free and secure sync service, protected with end-to-end encryption, ensuring only devices you authorize can access your data. And now, for the first time ever, OmniFocus is available as a universal cross-platform purchase: get full access to OmniFocus 4 on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro with a single license purchase. Accomplish more every day–anywhere you go–with OmniFocus 4.

Screenshots

BrainWave4 screens
OmniFocus 44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: OmniFocus 4 at Free against BrainWave's $4.99. OmniFocus 4 also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (5 vs 3). BrainWave's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (88% vs 53%). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

OmniFocus 4 is free to download; BrainWave costs $4.99 up front. OmniFocus 4 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. BrainWave asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BrainWave holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 343 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of BrainWave's written reviews are positive against 53% of OmniFocus 4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrainWave ships an update every 2 months, OmniFocus 4 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
BrainWave versus OmniFocus 4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainWaveOmniFocus 4
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better4.0 (343 ratings)
Positive reviews87.9% of reviews — better52.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K — better343
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBanzai LabsThe Omni Group

Customer experience

BrainWave

All ratings1,151 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral6.9%
Negative5.2%

OmniFocus 4

All ratings343 ratings
Positive70.6%
Neutral7.6%
Negative21.9%
Written reviews445 reviews
Positive52.6%
Neutral13.9%
Negative33.5%

User reviews

BrainWave

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps with focus and concentration
  • 👍 Effective for ADHD and TBI
  • 🧠 Improves cognitive abilities
  • 💤 Aids in sleep and relaxation
  • 🎨 Enhances creativity and problem-solving

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or audio issues
  • 🔇 Stops playing when notifications occur
  • 🔍 Cluttered interface could be simplified

OmniFocus 4

From 343 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Streamlined and better than ever
  • 🔒 End-to-end encrypted
  • 👍 Universal interface across devices
  • 🚀 Powerful task management features
  • 👍 Customizable perspectives

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, crashes, and laggy
  • 👎 Clunky and confusing user interface
  • 👎 Degraded user interface compared to previous version
  • 🐛 Sync issues and slow synchronization
  • 👎 Lacks important features like time-sensitive notifications

Bugs and requests

BrainWave

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Alarm clock not working properly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more background sound options
  • Allow customization of sound mixes
  • Enable background playback while device is locked

OmniFocus 4

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • View options button not working consistently
  • Custom perspectives not persisting in sidebar
  • App crashing on launch
  • Drag and drop functionality issues
  • Incorrect task completion when adding new tasks
Show 1 more
  • Inconsistent behavior when changing due dates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Markdown support in notes
  • Gantt view for projects
  • Ability to reorder perspectives in the sidebar
  • Print to PDF with due dates and completed dates
  • Natural language processing for task creation
Show 1 more
  • Board view for projects

In-app purchases

None

BrainWave

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

OmniFocus 4

Subscriptions2
  • Legacy Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Legacy Subscription$99.991 Year
One-time8
  • Upgrade to v4 from v1-v3$37.49
  • Upgrade v4 to Pro from v1-v3$37.49
  • Unlock Standard (Mac Promo)$56.00
Show 5 more
  • Unlock Standard$74.99
  • Upgrade from Standard to Pro$74.99
  • Upgrade to v4 Pro from v1-v3$74.99
  • Unlock Pro (Mac Promo)$111.99
  • Unlock Pro$149.99

Questions

Is BrainWave free?
BrainWave costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is OmniFocus 4 free?
OmniFocus 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BrainWave or OmniFocus 4?
BrainWave is rated higher. BrainWave averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while OmniFocus 4 averages 4.0 from 343 ratings.
Do BrainWave or OmniFocus 4 have ads?
Neither BrainWave nor OmniFocus 4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BrainWave or OmniFocus 4?
BrainWave ships an update every 2 months, and OmniFocus 4 every 3 weeks. Most recently, BrainWave was updated on October 14, 2026 and OmniFocus 4 on October 13, 2026.

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