Comparison

Eisenhower vs Focus Matrix

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

Head to head
About

Eisenhower

This app helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance using the Eisenhower matrix. Organize both business and personal tasks to reduce stress and boost productivity by focusing on what truly matters.

Highlights
  • Eisenhower Matrix prioritization
  • Task counter
  • Focus Mode timer
  • Schedule and delegate tasks
  • Cloud sync
Features
Read full description

Less collecting endless to-do lists. It's your time to decide, focus, finish, and move on! Some days the problem isn't too many tasks — it's that they all look equally important. EISENHOWER gives your work a simple shape: what to do now, what to schedule, what to delegate, and what to let go. Featuring the Eisenhower Matrix — the urgent vs. important prioritization principle Dwight used to run a country, and the method this app has been refining for iPhone and web since 2011. FOUR-QUADRANT MATRIX Sort every task by urgency and importance: Do First, Schedule, Delegate, Don't Do. Keep no more than eight per sheet so you stay focused — with room for unlimited tasks and notes when you need them. FOCUS MODE Pick one important task, start a clean timer (30 minutes, or whatever suits you), and stay with it until it's done. SCHEDULE & DELEGATE Turn a decision into action — drop a task into your calendar or hand it to a colleague without leaving the app. CLOUD SYNC Sign in once and your matrix stays in real-time sync with the web app at app.eisenhower.me, and back again. Work, study, side projects, or just a crowded day — EISENHOWER helps you see what deserves your attention next. Looking for a quick tutorial? www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix Questions or ideas? Write to us at feedback@eisenhower.me — we read every one.

About

Focus Matrix

Organize your tasks efficiently using a priority matrix based on urgency and importance. This app helps you focus on what truly matters by categorizing tasks and providing tools for scheduling, reminders, and detailed tracking. Sync across devices and export your lists for seamless productivity.

Highlights
  • Eisenhower Box priority matrix
  • Task categorization and sorting
  • Drag-and-drop task management
  • Due dates and reminders
  • Recurring tasks
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Task export to PDF
Features
Read full description

Focus Matrix is a smart personal organizer based on the so-called Eisenhower box, a personal productivity strategy created by Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. The principle uses a special priority matrix that helps break your tasks into several groups depending on their urgency and importance, and work your way through your daily agenda in the most efficient way possible. This app will help you focus on what really matters, and get rid of the things that can be painlessly delegated to others or postponed indefinitely until you have time for them. Task Organization • Two views: Matrix and List of Sections • “Unsorted” section to hold incoming tasks until you categorize them • Move tasks between sections using drag-and-drop • Maximize sections to focus on specific content Task Scheduling and Reminders • Assign due dates to tasks • Set “All day task” for whole-day planning • Create recurring tasks with customizable repeat options • Set reminders to never miss an important deadline Advanced Task Features • Automatically move a task to 'Urgent' as its deadline approaches, with timely notifications • Automatically move a task to 'Urgent' when a linked task is completed • Track task creation and completion dates for detailed management • Paste multiline text as individual tasks to speed up input Sorting, Filtering, and Tags • Sort tasks by title, due date, or manually • Use tags to organize tasks effectively • Filter tasks by tags and statuses (completed/uncompleted) • Save and quickly apply custom filter presets for easy navigation Synchronization and Integration • Sync data across all your devices • Sync tasks with Calendar • Integrate with Be Focused*: Sync tasks between apps and start timer in Be Focused directly from Focus Matrix Exporting and Reporting • Export task lists to PDF or print them for offline use • Configurable statistics and reports for completed tasks Security and Privacy • Password and Face ID protection for secure task management Platform Compatibility • Fully available for Mac and iOS Pro Version Features • Cross-device synchronization • Synchronization of tasks with Calendar • Integration with Be Focused*: Sync tasks between apps and start timer in Be Focused directly from Focus Matrix Focus Matrix is free to download and use forever. However, if you want to access the Pro features on all your iPhones, iPads, and Macs, you can upgrade to the Pro version. The Pro subscription comes in three different options: Monthly, Yearly with a 7-day trial, and Lifetime (one-time payment). Payment will be charged to your App Store account and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscription may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://xwavesoft.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://xwavesoft.com/terms-of-use.html * Be Focused helps you get things done by breaking up individual tasks among discrete intervals. It’s available for Mac and iOS devices in App Store. Integration with Be Focused requires the Pro version of Be Focused, sold separately.

Screenshots

Eisenhower4 screens
Focus Matrix4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Focus Matrix at Free against Eisenhower's $2.99. Focus Matrix also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 2) and review sentiment (82% vs 72%). Eisenhower's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Focus Matrix is free to download; Eisenhower costs $2.99 up front. Focus Matrix sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Eisenhower asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Eisenhower holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus Matrix has 1.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Eisenhower's written reviews are positive against 82% of Focus Matrix's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Eisenhower ships an update every 6 weeks, Focus Matrix every 7 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Eisenhower versus Focus Matrix: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEisenhowerFocus Matrix
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.6 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews71.9% of reviews82.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFTL3Denys Ievenko

Customer experience

Eisenhower

Written reviews178 reviews
Positive71.9%
Neutral6.2%
Negative21.9%

Focus Matrix

All ratings1,586 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews782 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral7.3%
Negative10.6%

User reviews

Eisenhower

From 2 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Simple and elegant design
  • 🎯 Effective task prioritization using Eisenhower matrix
  • ⏱️ Built-in Pomodoro timer for focus
  • 🔄 Easy drag-and-drop task management between quadrants
  • 📧 Quick email and calendar integration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • ❌ Limited to 8 tasks per quadrant
  • 📱 No iPad support (iPhone only)
  • 🔤 Language setting mismatch (claims German/Russian but English only)
  • ⚠️ No scroll functionality when tasks exceed screen

Focus Matrix

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Keeps me on track
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Helps prioritize tasks
  • 👍 Integrates well with calendar
  • 👍 Simple and effective

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues across devices
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Security concerns with sync
  • 💡 Need for more customization options
  • 💡 Lacking recurring tasks

Bugs and requests

Eisenhower

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes frequently, especially on iOS updates
  • Tasks duplicate themselves randomly
  • Tasks disappear without user action
  • Cannot scroll when tasks exceed screen size
  • Text truncation in task display
Show 8 more
  • Calendar integration not working on iOS 6+
  • Sync failures between web and mobile
  • Timer doesn't stay visible when phone sleeps
  • Focus mode timer becomes unusable after updates
  • App incompatible with newer iOS versions
  • Privacy settings prevent calendar access
  • Tasks cannot be moved between quadrants
  • No updates for extended periods causing compatibility issues

Requested features

17 requests
  • iPad and universal app support
  • Ability to add more than 8 tasks per quadrant
  • Task history and completion logging
  • Customizable timer duration (not just 30 minutes)
  • Ability to reorder and move tasks between quadrants
Show 12 more
  • Task details, notes, and descriptions
  • Reminder notifications and alerts
  • iCloud syncing between devices
  • Today widget for quick access
  • Task scheduling and due dates
  • Multiple task lists or projects
  • Export functionality (CSV, etc.)
  • Landscape mode support
  • Archive completed tasks
  • Turn off timer sound while keeping alerts
  • Ability to scroll task lists
  • Correct language localization

Focus Matrix

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync issues causing data loss
  • Frequent crashes
  • Inability to log in across devices
  • Calendar integration not working as expected

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to have multiple matrices (e.g. work, personal)
  • Recurring tasks
  • More export options (e.g. CSV)
  • Dark mode
  • Better sync reliability across devices
Show 2 more
  • Subtasks or nested tasks
  • Ability to archive completed tasks

In-app purchases

None

Eisenhower

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Focus Matrix

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Pro7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$34.99

Questions

Is Eisenhower free?
Eisenhower costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus Matrix free?
Focus Matrix is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Eisenhower or Focus Matrix?
Eisenhower is rated higher. Eisenhower averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Focus Matrix averages 4.6 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Eisenhower or Focus Matrix have ads?
Focus Matrix shows ads; Eisenhower does not.
Which is updated more often, Eisenhower or Focus Matrix?
Eisenhower ships an update every 6 weeks, and Focus Matrix every 7 months. Most recently, Eisenhower was updated on October 26, 2026 and Focus Matrix on October 26, 2026.

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