Comparison

Focus4 vs Simple Zen

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

Head to head
About

Focus4

Features
Read full description

β€œFocus for 4 Hours a Day, Achieve Your Biggest Goals.” What if you could get more done in 4 focused hours than an entire day of scattered effort? Inspired by productivity systems like "The 4-Hour Workweek", Focus4 helps you build unstoppable focus, complete tasks, and develop strong daily habits to achieve your dreams. Why 4 Hours? Research shows that the human brain can only maintain deep focus for a limited period. By dedicating just 4 hours of deep, undistracted focus each day, you’ll maximize productivity, accomplish meaningful work, and build streaks that matter. As Tim Ferriss said in "The 4-Hour Workweek": "Focus on being productive instead of busy." Focus4 brings this philosophy to lifeβ€”helping you create focus habits while keeping the process fun, rewarding, and effective. Key Features: Focus 4 Hours Daily on Your Goals - Commit to 4 hours of focused time every day. - Break free from distractions and achieve more with deep work sessions. AI-Powered Break Suggestions - Meet "Ticki", your AI bird companion! - After completing your focus hours, Ticki provides personalized activity suggestions tailored to your interests. - Stay refreshed and balanced while keeping productivity high. Build Habit Streaks & Track Progress - Stay motivated by completing daily 4-hour sessions. - View your progress on the calendar tracker. - Tap any completed day to see the fun activities suggested for your breaks. Earn Rewards & Have Fun - Earn "Seeds" (points) for completing focus sessions. - Use Seeds to feed Ticki or unlock more fun, AI-powered break suggestions. - Make productivity a game and enjoy building positive habits. Customize Your Experience - Ticki tailors its suggestions to align with your interests, keeping you motivated and inspired every day. How Focus4 Works: 1. Choose Your Interest: On first launch, select what you like to do on your free time. 2. Focus for 4 Hours: Complete a 4-hour session, broken into manageable chunks to suit your needs. 3. Get AI Break Suggestions: After finishing your session, Ticki rewards you with an activity suggestion to relax, recharge, or grow personally. 4. Track Your Streak: Build a habit streak by completing 4-hour sessions daily. Watch your progress grow! 5. Earn & Spend Seeds: Use your earned Seeds to feed Ticki and unlock more suggestions. Why Choose Focus4? Focus4 isn’t just another timer appβ€”it’s a full productivity system designed to: - Help you build lasting habits of focus and discipline. - Keep you motivated with rewards, progress tracking, and AI-powered fun. - Encourage balanced productivity with suggestions that relax and inspire you after focused work. Whether you're studying, working on personal goals, or simply trying to make the most of your time, Focus4 is your companion to unlock deep focus and achieve results. Start Today, Build Tomorrow Focus4 turns productivity into a habitβ€”and makes it fun along the way. Commit to 4 hours, break distractions, and see how much you can achieve with focused time and daily streaks. Terms & Conditions: https://www.focus4.kirlosyousef.com/terms_and_conditions.html Privacy Policy: https://www.focus4.kirlosyousef.com/privacy_policy.html

About

Simple Zen

Features
Read full description

Simple Zen turns your iPhone into a calm, intentional tool. Instead of endless app grids and dopamine-driven notifications, you get a minimalist text launcher that puts you back in control. YOUR PHONE, SIMPLIFIED Choose only the apps you actually need. Simple Zen replaces your home screen with a clean, monospaced list β€” no icons, no badges, no distractions. Just the essentials. MINDFUL FRICTION THAT WORKS Every time you reach for a distracting app, Simple Zen pauses you with a breathing exercise, a reflection prompt, or a simple countdown. This small moment is enough to break the autopilot habit. BLOCK APPS FOR REAL (Premium) With Screen Time access, a focus session doesn't just ask β€” it holds the apps you choose shut until the timer ends. iOS enforces it, so willpower isn't the plan. Which apps you pick never leaves your device. REAL LIFE TODAY See exactly how much of your day remains before bedtime. Track phone usage as a percentage of your waking hours. The less time on your phone, the more real life you have. SLEEP SCHEDULE Set your bedtime and wake time with an intuitive circular dial. Simple Zen uses this to calculate your real life remaining and track how much of your day goes to your phone. ADD ANY APP VIA SHORTCUTS With Premium, add any app to your launcher β€” even the one released yesterday. Browse 70+ popular apps or enter any app manually using Apple Shortcuts. Step-by-step guides walk you through setup. ZEN GARDEN (Premium) Earn zen stones for mindful behavior β€” surviving delays, maintaining streaks, and staying focused. Watch your garden grow as your relationship with your phone improves. VOICE REFLECTIONS (Premium) Record voice memos about your phone habits. On-device speech recognition and smart categorization help you spot patterns. Audio never leaves your phone. CONTEXTUAL BLOCKING Automatically increase delays or block apps when your calendar shows you're busy or when you're at your work location. FOUR DARK THEMES (Premium) OLED-optimized Zen Brush, Quill & Scroll, Typewriter, and Stone Tablet. FEATURES AT A GLANCE - Minimalist text-based app launcher - Mindful delay with breathing animation - Real app blocking during focus sessions (Screen Time) - Real Life countdown until bedtime - Phone usage percentage tracking - Sleep schedule with circular picker - Escalating delays per app - Custom reflection prompts - Time limits per app - Contextual blocking (calendar + location) - Focus profiles and focus timer - 4 dark themes + 1 light (Zen Pearl) theme - Home screen widgets (launcher, clock, quote) - NFC tap-to-focus - Live Activities / Dynamic Island - Siri and App Intents - Apple Health mindful minutes sync - Complete dumb phone setup guide - Privacy-first: no data leaves your device. No analytics. No accounts. Simple Zen is a one-time purchase. No subscriptions. Yours forever. Privacy Policy: https://williamjiamin.github.io/simple-zen-site/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Focus44 screens
Simple Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Simple Zen at every 2 weeks against Focus4's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Simple Zen sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus4 ships an update every 2 months, Simple Zen every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Focus4 versus Simple Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus4Simple Zen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.6 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size18 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKirlos Yousefη«‹ζ΄Ύ ζ±ͺ

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus4

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Membership (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Premium Membership3 Days trial$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Simple Zen

One-time2
  • Simple Zen Premium_$3.99
  • Simple Zen Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Focus4 free?
Focus4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Zen free?
Simple Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus4 or Simple Zen have ads?
Neither Focus4 nor Simple Zen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus4 or Simple Zen?
Focus4 ships an update every 2 months, and Simple Zen every 2 weeks. Most recently, Focus4 was updated on October 30, 2026 and Simple Zen on October 31, 2026.

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