Comparison

Timer with Sections vs Focus Dots

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

Head to head
About

Timer with Sections

This app helps you manage time during performances by dividing it into customizable sections. It visually displays elapsed and remaining time for both individual sections and the entire event, with options to adjust timing on the fly.

Highlights
  • Structure time into sections
  • Intuitive time visualization
  • Adjust schedule during performance
  • Pause, skip, or reset sections
  • Alarm option for section ends
  • Log finished performance data
Features
Read full description

The 'Timer with Sections' supports you during your performance (e.g., a talk or keynote speech, a seminar or lecture, a workout) by providing intuitively visualized timing information. It allows you to structure time into 'sections'. [ Demo video available at: http://tinyurl.com/iphonetimer ] During your performance, you can easily adjust the schedule by moving time across sections, with a swipe gesture (e.g., when feedback from the audience requires you to skip or intensify a section of your performance) or by pressing the pause button (e.g., when answering a question from the audience requires some extra time). Features: Structuring a Performance: Available time can be divided into sections. Visualization of Time: The performance assistant view intuitively visualizes the remaining and elapsed time, both for the current section and the whole performance. Elapsed time is depicted in red, remaining time in green. An inner disc represents the used and remaining time for the current section. The section title is displayed in the center. An outer ring represents the used and remaining time for the whole performance. The segments of the ring represent the individual sections. Paused time (see below on the concept of pause) will is depicted in dark red. Extra time obtained by skipping parts of a section (see below on the concept of skipping) will be depicted in dark green. Alarm Option: Optionally, you can set an alarm at the end of each section. If set a short tick sound will signal the end of a section. Note: The iPhone will vibrate if you have configured "vibrate" in its sound setup. Managing Time during a Performance: Except for the stop-button you cannot interrupt, pause, extend or shorten a running performance. However, there are advanced possibilities to flexibly adjust the length of a section during a running performance, by moving time among sections. For example, your performance could have a section containing additional results which you might want to shorten or skip in favour of extending another section. There are three ways of altering the planned schedule during a running performance: * Pausing: Holding time for the current section, by shortening a later one. * Skipping: Skipping remaining time of the current section, by extending a later section. * Resetting: Setting elapsed time to zero for the current section, by shortening a later section. Leaving the Application: If you leave the performance assistant view or even the application, then the timer continues to count down. If you return to the performance assistant view, it will recover its previous state, including the elapsed time. If the performance assistant view is interrupted by pressing the home button or an incoming call, then a running performance is automatically switched to 'pause'. Logging a Finished Performance: Upon finishing a performance, you are asked if you like to log that performance. If you log the performance, then data as the actual time run or skipped is stored for each section. This allows you to analyse your performance and hence adjust and improve your schedule. A log of a performance can be viewed at any later time. It can be exported via email. Tips: Rehearsal: If you are creating a new performance, you should use Performance Assistant in a rehearsal. Then analysing your time requirements by checking the log file. Buffer Time: Consider adding a shrinkable section with optional topics or just a general discussion sections towards the end of your performance such that it can serve as a buffer. Note that you can pause a section only if such a buffer exits.

About

Focus Dots

Features
Read full description

Focus Dots is a simple focus timer. Set a duration. Press start. Focus on one thing. There are no streaks to maintain. No productivity analytics. No pressure to optimize yourself. Finish a session and earn a dot. Over time, those dots become quiet records of the moments you chose to focus. Use it for study sessions, deep work, reading, writing, or any task that needs your full attention. Whether you’re working, studying, or just trying to stay distraction-free, Focus Dots helps you stay present.  I built this because I kept getting distracted by focus tools that tried to do too much. This one does less.

Screenshots

Timer with Sections4 screens
Focus Dots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Focus Dots at Free against Timer with Sections's $1.99. Timer with Sections's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.2). On update cadence, 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

Focus Dots is free to download; Timer with Sections costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Timer with Sections ships an update every 2 weeks, Focus Dots every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Timer with Sections versus Focus Dots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimer with SectionsFocus Dots
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (20 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings20 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian FriesDAVID SZELL

In-app purchases

None

Timer with Sections

No in-app purchases

None

Focus Dots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Timer with Sections free?
Timer with Sections costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus Dots free?
Focus Dots is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Timer with Sections or Focus Dots have ads?
Neither Timer with Sections nor Focus Dots shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timer with Sections or Focus Dots?
Timer with Sections ships an update every 2 weeks, and Focus Dots every 8 days. Most recently, Timer with Sections was updated on October 6, 2026 and Focus Dots on September 27, 2026.

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