Comparison

Mind the Focus vs The Shift

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

Head to head
About

Mind the Focus

This app helps you stay focused by automatically activating desired focus modes based on your calendar events. You can customize activation times, mute irrelevant events, and ignore specific calendars to ensure you're always in the right mindset for your commitments.

Highlights
  • Calendar synchronization
  • Automatic focus activation
  • Customizable focus timing
  • Mute irrelevant events
  • Ignore specific calendars
Features
Read full description

Feel awkward after missing important parts during a work meeting? Regret prioritizing your phone over your friends while out? Stay focused effortlessly based on your calendar with Mind the Focus! Mind the Focus synchronizes with your calendar, prompting you just at the right time to activate the desired focus for your next event. To stay focused, the app allows you to: • Decide the focus you want to have for your next event • Customize the time at which a focus is (de)activated before and after your events • Mute events that you do not require a focus for • Ignore calendars that are not relevant to you With Mind the Focus, you will never find yourself at an event without the right focus! Start focusing on what matters to you now!

About

The Shift

Easily view your work schedule without opening your work app. Upload a screenshot of your shifts, and get instant updates via home screen widgets or export to your personal calendar. Never miss a shift again.

Highlights
  • Smart schedule import from screenshots
  • Live countdown widget for next shift
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Direct calendar export
  • Local data processing and storage
Features
Read full description

Stop logging in just to see your schedule. Screenshot it once. The Shift reads your schedule and pulls out the exact start and end times for each shift. Your next shift is right on your Lock Screen, and your whole schedule shows up in your calendar. No typing. No picking dates. No entering shifts one by one. A screenshot is all it takes. ―――――――――― SOUND FAMILIAR? It's 10 PM and you just want to know tomorrow's shift. So you unlock your phone, open your work app, wait for it to load, log in (again), find the schedule menu, scroll… Or the app is down. The night before a 5 AM opening. And even when it works, your shifts still live in your work app — not in your calendar, next to the rest of your life. That's why you already screenshot your schedule. The Shift does the rest. HOW IT WORKS 1. Screenshot your schedule from your scheduling app, or snap a photo of a posted schedule. 2. The Shift reads the dates and times for every shift. 3. Done. Your shifts are on your calendar, your Home Screen, and your Lock Screen. The Shift doesn't just find the dates — it captures each shift's exact times. That's the whole point. WHAT YOU GET - Your work schedule, added to your calendar from one screenshot — no manual entry, ever - Lock Screen widgets — your next shift and a live countdown, without unlocking your phone - Home Screen widgets — today, this week, or the next two weeks at a glance - Weekly hour totals — know your hours before payroll does - Days off clearly shown — plan your life, not just your work - Works offline — no Wi-Fi, no problem "AM I EVEN ALLOWED TO USE THIS?" Fair question. Here's what The Shift does — and doesn't do: - The Shift never connects to your employer's systems. It only reads a schedule screenshot you provide. - No account. No sign-up. No email. - Your schedule stays on your device. It isn't uploaded, shared, or sold. - Delete the app, and your local schedule data goes with it. Your schedule is yours. We built The Shift so it stays that way. BUILT BY A SHIFT WORKER The Shift was built by a barista who was tired of checking the work app just to see a schedule. Word spread among baristas, and The Shift reached 1,000+ downloads in its first month, mostly through coworkers sharing it. Now it works for shift workers everywhere: baristas, servers, nurses, retail and warehouse teams, grocery crews — anyone whose week never looks the same twice. If your schedule doesn't import correctly, let us know in the app — we usually add support within 24 hours. SCREENSHOT YOUR NEXT SCHEDULE Download The Shift, take one screenshot, and see your whole week — on your Lock Screen, Home Screen, and calendar. You'll never log in just to check a shift again.

Screenshots

Mind the Focus4 screens
The Shift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Shift at 92% against Mind the Focus's 25%. The Shift also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (5.0 vs 3.3). Mind the Focus's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 1). On ratings volume, in-app purchases 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

The Shift is free to download; Mind the Focus costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Shift holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Mind the Focus's written reviews are positive against 92% of The Shift's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mind the Focus ships an update fortnightly, The Shift every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mind the Focus versus The Shift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMind the FocusThe Shift
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.3 (3 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel FuerstJeeyun Lee

Customer experience

Mind the Focus

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%

The Shift

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

In-app purchases

None

Mind the Focus

No in-app purchases

None

The Shift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mind the Focus free?
Mind the Focus costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Shift free?
The Shift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mind the Focus or The Shift?
The Shift is rated higher. Mind the Focus averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while The Shift averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Mind the Focus or The Shift have ads?
The Shift shows ads; Mind the Focus does not.
Which is updated more often, Mind the Focus or The Shift?
Mind the Focus ships an update fortnightly, and The Shift every 3 days. Most recently, Mind the Focus was updated on October 16, 2026 and The Shift on October 9, 2026.

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