Comparison

Focus Tower vs Focus Stacks

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

Head to head
About

Focus Tower

This app helps you build productive habits and overcome distractions using the Pomodoro technique. Plan tasks, set focus timers, and build virtual towers to visualize your progress. Earn rewards and unlock new themes to stay motivated and get more done.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro technique timer
  • Task planning
  • Gamified tower building
  • Unlockable themes and rewards
  • Distraction blocking
  • Progress statistics
Features
Read full description

Most focus timers hand you a number at the end of the week. This one hands you a city. Set the timer and put the phone down. Every finished session lays another floor on your tower. Put a roof on it and the whole tower moves into a city you build — where it stands for good and pays you rent every day. BUILT ON THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE Work in one focused block, rest, repeat. Twenty-five minutes on, a short break, a longer one after four — the rhythm people have used since the 1980s, except here each block leaves a floor behind. BUILT FOR ATTENTION THAT WANDERS Starting is the hard part, so the app makes starting small: one block, 25 minutes, a reward you can see at the end of it. The shield takes the temptation off the table instead of asking you to out-argue it, and a session survives a locked screen — so a wobble costs you nothing. If you have ADHD, that is usually the combination that finally sticks. Focus comes from the rhythm, not from willpower. BLOCK WHAT PULLS YOU AWAY — FREE, ALWAYS • Shut selected apps for the length of a session, using Apple's own Screen Time • Keeps working with the screen locked and outside the app • No limit on how many, no paywall on blocking — ever THE TIMER • Pomodoro presets (10 / 25 / 45 min) or any length you like • Automatic cycles: focus → break → focus, a long break after four • Name the session — every floor remembers what you built it for • Lock your screen and the session keeps running. Nothing is lost. • Your floor rises on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island WHAT YOU KEEP • 6 towers to unlock, each with its own world and music • 6 lands to settle, 12 plots to a city • Finished towers pay daily rent in coins • 32 achievements, from your first floor to a city on every land • Daily streaks with streak protection • Towers, cities and history sync through your own iCloud PROOF YOU DID THE WORK • Export every session as a CSV spreadsheet — date, task, minutes, coins • Or as a printable PDF table, with your totals across the top • Export your city as a picture and show someone what a month of focus looks like • Your tower and streak on a home screen widget, your session on the Lock Screen Useful for a thesis log, for billable hours, or simply for proving to yourself that the week happened. FAIR AND PRIVATE • Free. One-time purchases only — no subscription • No ads. No accounts. No trackers. • We collect nothing. Your sessions stay on your device and in your iCloud. Put the phone down. Build something.

About

Focus Stacks

Organize your tasks and ideas with a visually appealing, card-based system. Capture everything, customize with colors, add detailed notes, and sync across devices. Never let a task or idea slip away again.

Highlights
  • Capture every task easily
  • Customize lists with colors
  • Attach detailed notes to tasks
  • Automatic iCloud syncing
  • Card-based design
Features
Read full description

Unleash the power of your productivity and never let another brilliant idea or must-do task slip through the cracks again! Imagine a world where every movie you've been dying to watch, every spark of inspiration for your next groundbreaking project, and every little to-do is neatly organized, not just in your mind, but right at your fingertips. Our app is crafted for the list-makers, the planners, the doers — those who thrive on keeping life seamlessly organized both at work and at home. Dive into a digital oasis of calm with our card-based design, where clutter is banished and your tasks come to life in a visually stunning, easy-to-navigate space. Say goodbye to mental overload and hello to clear, focused stacks that are as satisfying to use as they are effective. Here's what makes Focus Stacks a must-have: • Capture every task with ease, ensuring nothing important gets forgotten. • Customize your lists with a rainbow of colors to make your productivity system not only efficient but also uniquely yours. • Attach detailed notes to your tasks, from vital phone numbers to extended thoughts, making sure every piece of information is just a tap away. • With automatic, secure syncing with iCloud, your Stacks are always up-to-date across all your devices, safeguarding your progress and ideas wherever you go.

Screenshots

Focus Tower4 screens
Focus Stacks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Focus Tower at Free against Focus Stacks's $4.99. Focus Tower also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Focus Stacks's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.7). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Tower is free to download; Focus Stacks costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focus Stacks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Tower ships an update every 9 days, Focus Stacks weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Focus Tower versus Focus Stacks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus TowerFocus Stacks
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Vision Pro
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size156 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichal CilindzAndrew Despres

Customer experience

Focus Tower

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Focus Stacks

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Focus Tower

No in-app purchases

None

Focus Stacks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus Tower free?
Focus Tower is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus Stacks free?
Focus Stacks costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Focus Tower or Focus Stacks?
Focus Stacks is rated higher. Focus Tower averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Focus Stacks averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Focus Tower or Focus Stacks have ads?
Neither Focus Tower nor Focus Stacks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Tower or Focus Stacks?
Focus Tower ships an update every 9 days, and Focus Stacks weekly. Most recently, Focus Tower was updated on September 25, 2026 and Focus Stacks on September 20, 2026.

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