Focus Timer vs Terrible Focus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focus Timer
Read full descriptionHide full description
Are you a squirrel feeling overwhelmed by scattered acorns and distractions? Do you long for a fellow squirrel to join you on your acorn-gathering adventures? PiduGo is the app for you! Imagine yourself as a nimble squirrel exploring a vast, green forest. Together with your squirrel buddies, you'll embark on exciting quests to find the most delicious acorns. The longer you stay focused on your mission, the higher you'll climb the oak trees. Key features of PiduGo: Seamless Focus and Play: Easily switch between gathering acorns and enjoying a quick nap in a cozy hollow. Flexible Time: Choose between unlimited acorn-gathering sessions or set a specific goal. Group Adventures: Explore the forest with your squirrel friends, sharing the joy of discovery and supporting each other. Personalized Music: Create your own focus soundtrack with nature sounds and chirping birds. Daily Tracking: Keep track of your acorn collection and progress. Quick Access: Place the PiduGo widget on your homescreen for easy access. Immersive Environments: Experience different forest seasons, from the vibrant spring to the snowy winter. Dark Mode: Enhance your focus with a soothing, low-light setting. Multi-Task Focus: Work on various tasks simultaneously without losing sight of your acorn-gathering goals. Visual Cue: Display the PiduGo screen to signal your focus to other squirrels. PiduGo Premium Features: Upgrade to PiduGo Premium for additional features and benefits. Enjoy a monthly or a year subscription. Your iTunes account will be charged upon confirmation. Subscription Management: To manage your subscription or turn off auto-renew, visit your iTunes Account Settings. You can also restore previous purchases by tapping the "Restore Purchased" button in the Premium popup or PiduGo Settings. Join the PiduGo adventure today and discover the power of focused exploration! Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Terrible Focus
This app uses a unique approach to focus by locking your phone while a virtual potato companion builds a home. Your focus directly contributes to their progress, creating a sense of shared accomplishment without pressure or punishment. It offers a gentle, human-made experience designed to reduce phone-related anxiety.
- Phone locking focus timer
- Virtual companion progress
- Hand-drawn art and animations
- Pause sessions without penalty
- Dynamic, evolving environment
- No streaks or user comparison
Read full descriptionHide full description
Every app wants something from you. The potato just wants to build a home. They've found a clearing in the forest and need your help. How It Works The potato suggests two tasks. Do you want to "Build the Bed" or "Water the Garden"? Pick one. Set your timer anywhere from 5 to 120 minutes. Your phone locks. While you focus on whatever you actually need to do, the potato works on what you picked. Every minute you focus is a minute they work. When you come back, you see what was built. The potato tries out the new bed. Sits in the chair you made together. Uses the workbench. The Potato Doesn't Die Take a week off? The potato's fine. They don't get sad. They don't punish you. They're just there when you get back, wandering around, reading by the water, living their life. Need to pause mid-session? Tap "Give me a minute." The potato takes a break too. Your life is allowed to exist. The potato doesn't track streaks or compare you to other users. Coming back after a break feels like reuniting with a friend, not admitting defeat. A World That Actually Lives The potato wakes up with the sun. Works on projects. Gets tired. Sleeps at night. You can start a focus session at 2 AM and they'll wake up, ready to work. The clearing changes too. Nature slowly reclaims the edges. Things get a bit messy and need tidying. It becomes more lived-in over time, not frozen in place. This isn't a pet begging for attention. It's a companion who has their own thing going on but genuinely can't build without your focus. Hand-Drawn, All of It Every sprite, every animation, every element was drawn by hand. Hours at a drawing tablet, trying to make something that felt real. You can tell a person made this. The roughness is intentional. What Happens When You Finish After a couple weeks of regular sessions, you'll finish the Home Pack. The clearing becomes a cozy, complete home. The last thing you build is a bridge that reveals a path leading somewhere else. Want to see what's beyond? You can buy the next pack. Want to stay in the clearing? The home is complete. You can keep it tidy, spend time with the potato, or just be in the space you built together. Who This Is For You're tired of fighting your phone. Other focus apps feel like punishment. You want something wholesome that doesn't make you feel worse. Streaks give you anxiety. You need a tool that gets that you're human. What This Isn't This isn't a productivity tracker. Not a habit app. Not a virtual pet demanding you check in daily or it dies. Not gamification pretending to make focus fun. It's just a place where putting your phone down feels like helping someone who needs you. Apps want your attention, your data, your engagement. The potato just wants to finish the table.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Terrible Focus at none against Focus Timer's 2. Terrible Focus also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Focus Timer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Focus Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Terrible Focus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Focus Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, Terrible Focus weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Focus Timer | Terrible Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Truong Pham Quang | Verena Ortlieb |
In-app purchases
Focus Timer
- Premium 1 Month$0.991 Month
- Premium 1 Year$4.991 Year
Terrible Focus
No in-app purchases









