Comparison

Focus@Will vs RescueTime

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

Head to head
About

Focus@Will

This app offers personalized music scientifically designed to enhance focus and productivity. It uses a proprietary AI engine and a vast brain database to tailor audio experiences to your specific brain type, helping you filter distractions and achieve deep work sessions.

Highlights
  • Personalized music channels
  • Brain type assessment
  • Customizable background images
  • Focus timer with work/break intervals
  • Offline listening mode
  • Productivity tracking
Features
Read full description

Customize for your specific brain type! Take the quiz to select the channel, select background images, session start sound and timer length...and BOOM get productive... Our mission is to help you focus. We're the pioneers in the focus music space. We started Focus@Will in 2011, our founder is a platinum selling song writer with over 30 years in the music industry, who knows a lot about music entertainment, but we wanted to try something radically new. So we built a team; hand selected neuroscientists, musicians, and engineers to produce a unique new product. Music for productivity. Over the last 10 years we've helped over 2,000,000 people focus by tailoring brain music specifically to their brain type. Our proprietary AI engine is linked with the world's largest brain database, and our music is created by musicians specifically for productivity. The music you find on Focus@Will cannot be found anywhere else; we remaster, re-edit, and re-produce each track to remove all distracting elements so you can stay productive and focused What’s the value -- to your job, your success, your self-image -- of just one intensely-focused session where you filter out distractions and produce more work in two hours than you typically do in a day? Now, what if you multiplied that value over the course of a month, a year? That's what Focus@Will helps you achieve. This app gives you a 7-day full-feature free trial. Just install and run. Then do your best work session ever. On-demand. How do I know if this will work for me? Our in-app assessment agent uses data from the biggest brain database in the world combined with our own data of over 10 years of music brain research to prescribe which specific music type and energy level will work best for you. If it doesn't, no worries we offer a full 30 day money back guarantee! Can I listen offline? Yes! We have offline mode. Can I track my productivity? Yes! We have a built in productivity tracker. Is there a focus timer? Yes! We encourage you to use the focus timer as a pomodoro timer, create work sessions and break times countless times a day. Can I change the session start/end sound? Yes! Or turn them off completely. Our subscribers are entrepreneurs, freelancers, writers, students, and include people that work in large corporations like; Google, Tesla, Apple, SpaceX and Microsoft. Who we are: We're an independent neuroscience company based in Los Angeles, California. Our mission is to empower you to be the best version of yourself; have a healthy work/life balance; and create fulfillment and happiness in your life. What sets us apart: We love Calm, Headspace, Brain.fm, Endel and the rest, but we offer an individualized music-for-work solution based on our connection to the biggest brain database in the world. Every audio mix is different for every user, and all the sounds and music we deliver are unique to our system. Our system manages the ratio between your endogenous attention (ie the task you are focusing on) and your exogenous attention (ie your reptile brain looking for potentially dangerous 'fight or flight' external stimuli). Every human is different, the type of music that helps calm this response is highly individual. (Fun fact: the more easily distracted you are, the more energy you need to help you focus. Now you'll know why our ADHD channel is the way it is!) Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, etc., we're big fans - but not when we're trying to be productive! The focus playlists found in these streaming services is usually someone's vague idea of what worked for them. When you want to get stuff done Focus@Will is the only option that was created specifically for productivity needs. Terms of Service: https://www.focusatwill.com/app/pages/terms-of-service

About

RescueTime

Understand and manage your time automatically. This app helps you block distractions, track activities on your mobile and desktop, and set productivity goals. Gain insights into your workday and improve focus.

Highlights
  • Automatic time tracking
  • Distraction blocking (Focus Sessions)
  • Activity categorization
  • Task timers
  • Offline activity logging
  • Home screen widgets
  • Productivity goals and alerts
Read full description

RescueTime helps you track time, block distractions, manage goals, and understand your full workday across phone and desktop. Together this gives you a clear view of your habits and the tools to improve them. Understand where your time goes, stay focused when it matters, and build better workdays without extra effort. One subscription works across all your devices, syncing your data to give you a complete picture of your time on mobile and desktop. **Created For iOS** RescueTime for iOS brings powerful, simple focus tools to your phone: • Automatic app tracking: see app activity with productivity ratings and daily and weekly summaries (optional Screen Time permission). • Focus Sessions with optional app blocking: stay on task with time-boxing, optionally grant permission to block distractions in real time. • Project tracking: log time to specific projects and track progress across sessions and timers. • Offline time: add meetings, calls, and other offline activities to complete your day. • Reporting: View and manage your time across all your devices in the app. • Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian. **Focus Sessions** Start a Focus Session when you need uninterrupted time to work. RescueTime blocks distractions, tracks your progress, and delivers a summary when you're done. Use timers for time boxing or to track open-ended tasks. Sessions and timers can be linked to projects, so your focused time always counts toward something meaningful. **Full Workday Perspective** Install RescueTime on your desktop to see the full picture. Your activity, focus sessions, and progress sync seamlessly across devices. Please note that RescueTime for desktop is only available in English. **Goals And Insights** Set daily goals for focused work, screen-free time, or better online habits. RescueTime tracks your progress automatically and shows how your behavior aligns with your goals. Weekly summaries highlight trends over time, so you can see what's working and what's not. **Permissions** Several optional features require elevated permissions. Reporting: tracking phone app activity requires Screen Time permission, and you can choose to use this feature or not. Focus Sessions: using the optional app blocking part of sessions requires Screen Time permission in order to offer real-time intervention. **Plans** Solo Focus includes automatic tracking with full history, Focus Sessions with real-time app blocking, offline activity logging, goals with daily targets, alerts and automations, advanced filtering, and integrations. Solo+ includes everything in Solo Focus, plus automated project and task tracking with RescueTime Timesheets. Link activities and timers to projects to automatically generate timesheets or track progress across work and personal goals. Free includes automatic basic tracking, daily and weekly reports, the Productivity Pulse, and two weeks of activity history. Offline time logging, project tracking, and distraction blocking require a subscription. **For Teams** RescueTime also offers team plans with shared projects, team dashboards, manager insights, and centralized settings. Team plans are only available at rescuetime.com. **Privacy** RescueTime does not record keystrokes, capture screenshots, or read message and website content. You control what is tracked, can pause tracking at any time, and can export or delete your data whenever you choose.

Screenshots

Focus@Will4 screens
RescueTime4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Focus@Will at 657 against RescueTime's 4. Focus@Will also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 21%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.4). On price, rating, update cadence and 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

Both are free to download. Focus@Will sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and RescueTime sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RescueTime holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus@Will has 657 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Focus@Will's written reviews are positive against 21% of RescueTime's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus@Will ships an update every 3 weeks, RescueTime monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Focus@Will versus RescueTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus@WillRescueTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (657 ratings)4.3 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.7% of reviews — better21.4% of reviews
Number of ratings657 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB61 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperDulcettaRescueTime

Customer experience

Focus@Will

All ratings656 ratings
Positive77.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews223 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral10.8%
Negative43.5%

RescueTime

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive21.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

Focus@Will

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes on startup
  • Music playback issues and interruptions
  • Subscription management problems
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode for music playback
  • More diverse music selection
  • Improved app stability and performance
  • Volume controls and pause/resume functionality
  • Productivity tracking and analytics

RescueTime

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Focus@Will

Subscriptions10
  • focus@will legacy pricing$4.991 Month
  • focus@will legacy pricing$5.991 Month
  • focus@will legacy pricing$8.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • focus@will7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • focus@will legacy pricing$11.991 Month
  • focus@will legacy pricing14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Focus@Will7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • focus@will legacy pricing$44.991 Year
  • focus@will7 Days trial$52.991 Year
  • focus@will$69.991 Year
4 purchases

RescueTime

Subscriptions4
  • Solo Monthly14 Days trial$9.001 Month
  • Solo+ Monthly14 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • Solo Yearly14 Days trial$84.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Solo+ Yearly14 Days trial$143.991 Year

Questions

Is Focus@Will free?
Focus@Will is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RescueTime free?
RescueTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Focus@Will or RescueTime?
RescueTime is rated higher. Focus@Will averages 4.1 out of 5 from 657 ratings, while RescueTime averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Focus@Will or RescueTime have ads?
Neither Focus@Will nor RescueTime shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus@Will or RescueTime?
Focus@Will ships an update every 3 weeks, and RescueTime monthly. Most recently, Focus@Will was updated on October 23, 2026 and RescueTime on October 20, 2026.

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