Comparison

focusedOS vs Cairn

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

Head to head
About

focusedOS

This app helps you manage digital distractions and boost productivity across your devices. Create custom environments to adjust device behavior for work, study, or breaks, with powerful blocking and ambient sound features.

Highlights
  • Supercharge productivity with one tap
  • Create custom work/study environments
  • Block distracting apps and websites
  • Play ambient sounds for concentration
  • Automate environments with Shortcuts
  • Sync environments between iPhone and Mac
Features
Read full description

Welcome to focusedOS, a super-utility that transforms your devices for productivity. focusedOS helps you manage digital distractions across your devices during a busy work day. Create environments that adjust how your device behaves if you need to work, study, or take a short mental break, and enable it with one tap. Key features: • Supercharge Productivity with one tap Simply flick the switch when you need to get stuff done. • Adjust your device for work - with Environments Adjust your iPhone to suit how you want to work. With focusedOS for Mac you can temporarily change macOS behavior, such as; dimming inactive apps to reduce visual clutter, restricting how many apps can be displayed on-screen, hiding the wallpaper, and more. • Powerful Blocking Easily block access to distracting apps & websites. • Play Ambient Sounds Fade out noisy surroundings with a selection of high-quality ambient sounds that improve concentration. Listen to the sound of light rain falling around you, the cosiness of a campfire, make it feel like you're working from a cafe, or experiment with binaural sounds. • Automate your Environment with Shortcuts (with focusedOS for Mac) Automatically run shortcuts in response to starting or stopping an environment, such as turning on Do Not Disturb. • Link Your Devices Seamlessly sync environments in real-time between iPhone and Mac. Download focusedOS today and supercharge your productivity. View our Privacy & Terms at: https://focusedOS.com/privacy-policy https://focusedOS.com/terms

About

Cairn

Features
Read full description

Cairn is a second brain for every random thought. The idea in the shower. The thing you promised to do. The name of that book. Dump it into Cairn in seconds and let your head go quiet. Cairn keeps it, understands it, and brings it back when it matters. No account. No cloud AI. Your thoughts never leave your iPhone. Use it however your brain works: ideas, plans, reminders, to-dos, things to remember, or the occasional 2am thought. No folders, no formatting, no rules. DUMP IT • Type, dictate or take a photo. Voice is transcribed on your device • Add a reminder that rings like an alarm, or pin the place you were • Home Screen widget, Siri Shortcuts and the Share sheet, so nothing slips away • Your own filters for ideas, plans, a morning to-do, anything FIND IT BY MEANING, NOT EXACT WORDS • Type "trouble sleeping" and find "can't sleep again" • Search by date: "last March", "June 2024", "this week" • Photos are searchable too. Cairn reads the text in them and knows what they show • Search with your voice • Optional: find your thoughts from iPhone Search CAIRN REMEMBERS, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO • Echoes: write something you thought months ago, and Cairn shows you the first time • Open loops: plans you wrote down and never closed, brought back gently • On this day: what was on your mind a year ago today • One card a day, never more. Tap "Not useful" and you'll see less of it SEE YOUR MIND • List or Sky: every thought is a star, and related thoughts connect on their own • Today: build a cairn, a stone for every day you dump a thought • Your thinking archetype and the themes that keep coming back • A calendar of your days. Go back to any date in one tap • With Apple Intelligence, themes get names and answers read naturally, always from your own words, never made up PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Everything runs on your device: understanding, search, transcription, photo reading • No account, no sign-in, no ads, no tracking. Your thoughts stay on your device, and backups go only to your own iCloud • Face ID app lock • Free encrypted backup to your own iCloud Drive, and an encrypted export you keep • Nothing is ever deleted on a timer FREE, AND CAIRN+ ONCE Capture, search, the Sky, photos, voice, reminders, On this day and backup are free forever. Cairn+ adds Echoes, Open loops, insights and your archetype, your own filters and extra themes. Every new user gets all of Cairn+ free for 14 days, no card, nothing to cancel. After that, Cairn+ is one payment, yours for good. No subscription. Works on iPhone and iPad. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://shreypinnada.github.io/cairn-legal/privacy-policy-ios.html

Screenshots

focusedOS4 screens
Cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: focusedOS at every 2 days against Cairn's every 3 days. focusedOS also leads on iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. focusedOS sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Cairn sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

focusedOS ships an update every 2 days, Cairn every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
focusedOS versus Cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterfocusedOSCairn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (32 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael TigasShrey Pinnada

In-app purchases

6 purchases

focusedOS

Subscriptions6
  • focusedOS Pro (1 month)$3.991 Month
  • focusedOS Pro (1 month)$5.991 Month
  • focusedOS Pro (1 month)$7.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • focusedOS Pro (1 year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • focusedOS Pro (1 year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • focusedOS Pro (1 year)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Cairn

One-time1
  • Cairn+ Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is focusedOS free?
focusedOS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cairn free?
Cairn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do focusedOS or Cairn have ads?
Neither focusedOS nor Cairn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, focusedOS or Cairn?
focusedOS ships an update every 2 days, and Cairn every 3 days. Most recently, focusedOS was updated on October 30, 2026 and Cairn on October 31, 2026.

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