Focus Break vs Hardcore Focus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focus Break
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Focus. Fly. Land. Recover. Focus Break helps you stay in deep focus without running yourself into the ground. Start a session, follow the timer, and when it ends, choose a short guided break - eye reset, breathing, or a mini meditation. The space “flight of thought” theme makes the experience calm, satisfying, and easy to repeat daily. Built for real life Focus presets: choose the session length that matches your day. Optional wind‑down reminder: a gentle mid‑session nudge to start wrapping up (you control it). Guided break choices: practical, short routines you can do anywhere. Thought Fuel: a daily battery that helps you visualize how much focus capacity you have left today. Home Screen widget: see your remaining time at a glance and start/stop quickly. Space visuals: pleasant, lightweight motion designed to keep you calm - not distracted. Who it’s for Students, developers, designers, writers, founders - anyone who wants more focus with fewer crashes. Premium (one‑time unlock) Upgrade once to unlock extra control and a more immersive session: More focus presets Expanded break library Session soundscapes (white noise + deep space ambience) Different flight modes (including Hyperdrive) No subscriptions. No recurring fees. Privacy Focus Break doesn’t require an account. Your settings stay on your device.
Hardcore Focus
This app encourages focused work by having users commit to a single, meaningful task for a two-hour period. It blocks distractions and tracks your focus sessions, helping you accomplish real work instead of just managing tasks.
- Single daily task focus
- 2-hour deep work timer
- Distracting app blocking
- Distraction tracking
- Progress logging
- Streaks and achievements
- Widgets and Live Activities
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Less phone. More life. Hardcore Focus is an iPhone app blocker with Screen Time. Block the apps that steal your attention, do real deep work, and fill the time you get back with habits that stick. No to-do lists. No calendar. Three things: Shield, Focus, Habits. BLOCK THE NOISE Shield blocks your most distracting apps with Screen Time — on a schedule, during a focus session, or always on. You choose how hard it is to get back in: • No Bypass — locked is locked • 15-Minute Bypass — one short, deliberate exception DO DEEP WORK The Focus tab is a single button. Tap it and work for as long as you want — no countdown, just an open timer that runs until you’re done. Block distracting apps for the session, keep the screen awake, and watch your daily focus goal fill up. Pause and resume when you need to. BUILD HABITS THAT STICK Track daily habits and routines by time of day. Check them off, count reps, or run a timed habit. Some habits track themselves — link them to Apple Health or to time spent in apps you actually want to use. Keep the streak alive. ALSO • Apple Watch — start sessions and complete habits from your wrist • Siri & Shortcuts — “Start a focus session,” “Mark off my habit” • Widgets, Live Activities & Dynamic Island • Complete habits from the Lock Screen, Control Center, or a widget • On-device AI insights into your focus patterns • Apple Music focus playlists, inside the session • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch PRIVATE BY DESIGN Zero data collection. Insights run on-device with Apple Intelligence — your data never leaves your phone, and anything you sync stays in your own iCloud. SUBSCRIPTION Hardcore Focus requires a subscription. Start with a 7-day free trial, then pick Weekly (3.99), Monthly (8.99), or Annual ($49.99 — best value). Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Terms: https://www.hardcorefocus.com/terms Privacy: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdfla/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Hardcore Focus at every 2 months against Focus Break's every 7 months. Focus Break's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Focus Break sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hardcore Focus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Focus Break ships an update every 7 months, Hardcore Focus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Focus Break | Hardcore Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aleksei Gavrilov | Eric Kuhn |
In-app purchases
Focus Break
- Lifetime$2.99
Hardcore Focus
- Hardcore Focus Weekly$3.997 Days
- Hardcore Focus Pro Monthly$8.991 Month
- Hardcore Focus Pro Annual$49.991 Year









