Comparison

Focus Tower vs Focus City

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 City

Features
Read full description

Focus City turns your focus time into a city on the real world map. Pick a spot anywhere on earth. Start a focus session. While you work, your territory grows around it. Finish the session and the land is yours. Lose focus and quit early? Your progress stops. Skip too many days and your territory starts shrinking. Stay consistent and your city keeps growing. Earn coins with every session and spend them on skyscrapers, landmarks, roads, parks and decorations to turn your territory into a city that is truly yours. HOW IT WORKS Choose your starting location, anywhere in the world Start a focus session when you want to get things done Watch your zone expand on the map while you stay focused Earn coins and spend them on buildings, roads and parks Come back daily to protect and grow your territory WHY FOCUS CITY WORKS Your progress is visible. Instead of an abstract streak counter, you see your focus time as real territory on a real map. Every session leaves something behind. Missing a day has consequences you can see: your city is at stake. FEATURES - Focus timer designed for deep work and study sessions - Your territory grows live on the map while you focus - Build your city with skyscrapers, landmarks, roads, parks and more - Customize your city colors and make it recognizable - Tag sessions (work, study, deep work, meditate) and see where your time goes - Statistics: daily and weekly focus time, streaks, level and area - Global, country and city leaderboards - Explore the map and discover cities built by others - No GPS needed: pick any spot in the world, your real location stays private - No account or sign-up required to start WHO IT IS FOR Students preparing for exams, professionals doing deep work, and anyone who wants to spend less time on their phone and more time on what matters. If streaks and forests stopped motivating you, defending a city might not. Your focus builds something. Start your city today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.focuscity.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.focuscity.app/privacy

Screenshots

Focus Tower4 screens
Focus City4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Focus Tower at none against Focus City's 8. On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. Focus City sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Focus Tower asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Focus Tower versus Focus City: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus TowerFocus City
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size156 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichal CilindzThomas Timmerman

In-app purchases

None

Focus Tower

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Focus City

Subscriptions2
  • Focus City Premium$2.991 Month
  • Focus City Premium$24.991 Year
One-time6
  • 100 Coins$0.99
  • 300 Coins$1.99
  • 1300 Coins$4.99
Show 3 more
  • 3300 Coins$9.99
  • 8000 Coins$19.99
  • 23000 Coins$49.99

Questions

Is Focus Tower free?
Focus Tower is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus City free?
Focus City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Tower or Focus City have ads?
Neither Focus Tower nor Focus City shows ads.

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