Focus Friend vs Paro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focus Friend
This app guides you through breathwork exercises to help you relax, focus, and improve your mood. It offers a multi-sensory experience designed to center your awareness and promote a sense of calm and energy.
- Guided breathwork exercises
- Multi-sensory experience
- Mood enhancement
- Stress and anxiety relief
- Improved focus
- Better sleep
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What if you had a tool that is so powerful that it could change your mood within moments? It could relax your muscles, and bring you more energy. What if the same tool could help you sleep better? Good news! You have access to this tool and it is your breath. Focus Friend provides a multi-sensory experience that guides you to use your breath to center your awareness, helping you to feel calm and focused once again. The next time you feel stressed or anxious, or if you just want to feel good really fast, try Focus Friend.
Paro
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Starting is the hardest part. You know what you need to do. You've been meaning to do it. But something about sitting down alone and beginning — that part is harder than it sounds. If that feels familiar, you're not broken. You just might work better with someone nearby. That's body doubling. And that's what Paro is. Body doubling is a focus technique used by people with ADHD and executive function challenges: working in the presence of another person makes starting — and staying with a task — significantly easier. Research shows that up to 85% of neurodivergent people report meaningful improvement in task completion when working alongside someone else. The problem with most body doubling tools: they require a camera, a scheduled time slot, and a stranger you've never met. For many people, that creates more friction than the task itself. Paro is different. Open the app whenever you're ready. No booking. No camera. No strangers. Tell your buddy what you're working on, set how long you want to focus, and begin. Your buddy sits with you the whole time — checking in at the halfway point, celebrating when you finish. HOW IT WORKS When you open Paro, your buddy greets you. You tell them what you're working on — even just a rough idea is enough. You choose how long you'd like to focus: anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours. Then you start. While you work, ambient sound plays softly in the background — the kind of gentle, realistic sounds that signal "someone else is here." At the halfway point, your buddy checks in. When you're done, they acknowledge that you showed up and did the thing. That's it. No complexity. Just a quiet companion who's always available. YOUR BUDDY Paro gives you a named AI buddy to work alongside. Your buddy doesn't lecture you, track your habits, or tell you what you should be doing. They're just there — warm, non-judgmental, ready whenever you are. Pick a name that feels right. Pick a voice that feels comfortable. Make them yours. WHAT YOU GET WITH PARO FREE - Up to three focused stretches per day - Up to 25 minutes per stretch - One ambient sound environment - Buddy check-in at the halfway point - Streak tracking so you can see how far you've come - Full history of every stretch you've completed PARO PRO - Unlimited stretches, any length — no daily cap - Five ambient spaces: coffee shop, library, rain, forest, white noise - Your buddy, your way — pick a name, pick a voice - Weekly focus summary - Home screen widget - Apple Health mindful minutes integration WHO PARO IS FOR Paro is for anyone who finds starting hard. People with ADHD who already know body doubling works but can't always schedule a session with another person. Students who want company while studying but not conversation. Remote workers who miss the ambient presence of an office. Anyone who works better when they don't feel completely alone. No diagnosis required. No sign-up. No camera. Just open it when you need it. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Paro works entirely on your device. No account is required. No data is sent to external servers. Your focus history, your buddy name, your preferences — all of it stays on your phone. The only optional connection is to Apple Health, and only if you choose to enable it. Paro does not collect personal information. Paro does not share data with third parties. Paro does not require an internet connection to function. A QUIET TOOL FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO GET THINGS DONE Paro isn't trying to be your therapist, your coach, or your productivity system. It's a small, reliable tool that makes starting a little easier. That's all it needs to be. https://paro-web.vercel.app/privacy https://paro-web.vercel.app/terms https://paro-web.vercel.app/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Focus Friend at none against Paro's 2. Focus Friend also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). 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. Paro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Focus Friend asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Focus Friend | Paro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Azim Pradhan | Asif Safarov |
In-app purchases
Focus Friend
No in-app purchases
Paro
- Paro Pro Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Paro Pro Yearly$39.991 Year









