Comparison

Pokus vs Spoon Manager

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

Head to head
About

Pokus

This app provides persistent interval timers designed to ensure you take necessary breaks. It offers customizable focus and rest cycles with reminders that repeat until acknowledged, aiding in energy management and preventing burnout. Ideal for individuals with chronic conditions, ADHD, or anyone who struggles with time blindness.

Highlights
  • Persistent reminders until acknowledged
  • Lock screen and Dynamic Island visibility
  • Activity pacing for energy management
  • 20-20-20 eye strain prevention
  • Time blindness support
  • Customizable focus and rest intervals
  • Activity pattern tracking
Features
Read full description

Pokus is the interval timer that keeps reminding you until you actually take your break. Set your focus and rest cycles, and Pokus will persistently alert you when it's time to stop — no more pushing through when you should rest. Dismiss a notification? Another one comes. Still going? It keeps reminding you. Pokus stays on your lock screen and Dynamic Island so you can't pretend you didn't see it. PERSISTENT REMINDERS THAT WORK - Alerts repeat until you respond — not just once - Live Activity on your lock screen — always visible - Dynamic Island shows time remaining - Can't dismiss, can't ignore, can't forget ACTIVITY PACING & ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Structure activity and rest to stay within your energy envelope - Prevent post-exertional malaise with timed rest periods - Ideal for ME/CFS, Long COVID, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain - Gentle but persistent — no more boom and bust cycles SCREEN BREAKS & EYE CARE - 20-20-20 rule for eye strain prevention - Ergonomic break reminders for desk workers - Microbreak intervals for long screen sessions BUILT FOR TIME BLINDNESS - Nagging reminders you genuinely cannot ignore - Simple interface — no complex planning, just start - Visual and haptic cues that cut through hyperfocus - Brain fog friendly ALWAYS IN VIEW - Lock screen widget stays visible - Dynamic Island countdown - Apple Watch support - No need to open the app FLEXIBLE INTERVALS - Classic 25/5 or fully custom cycles - Any focus and rest duration you want - Session time limits to prevent overwork - One tap to start your break SET GOALS & STAY ON TRACK - Set weekly or monthly time targets for any timer or tag - Track minimum, maximum, or range-based goals - Get warned before starting a session that would exceed a limit - See daily progress with charts and pace indicators ORGANIZE WITH TAGS - Group timers with color-coded tags - Link goals to tags for automatic tracking across timers - Filter sessions and analytics by tag TRACK YOUR PATTERNS - Visual charts of focus vs rest time - Daily, weekly, monthly insights - See your productivity rhythms and goal progress - Filter by specific timers or tags SYNCED EVERYWHERE - iCloud sync across devices - Custom timer icons and colors - Unlimited timers and tags - Automatic session history Perfect for: - Anyone with a chronic illness who needs activity pacing - People with ADHD and time blindness - Remote workers who skip breaks - Students in long study sessions - Desk workers needing ergonomic reminders - Anyone who dismisses regular alarms Try free, then unlock unlimited with a one-time purchase.

About

Spoon Manager

Track your daily energy levels and activities to understand patterns and plan your day. Features include mood check-ins, task management, habit tracking, and calendar integration. Designed for individuals managing chronic illness or fatigue.

Highlights
  • Daily energy check-ins
  • Task and habit tracking
  • Mood and gratitude journaling
  • Calendar integration
  • Customizable dashboard widgets
  • Pattern analysis charts
Features
Read full description

Spoon Manager is an easy-to-use energy tracker based on Spoon Theory. Check in on your energy each morning and night, record what you do, spot your patterns, and plan your day with confidence. Whether you're managing chronic illness, chronic pain, fatigue, ME/CFS, autism, ADHD, or anything else that affects your energy, Spoon Manager helps you stay in control. It's a calm, native app for iPhone and iPad — no accounts, no ads, no tracking. Everything stays on your device. WHAT'S INSIDE • Morning & night check-ins. Each morning, log how many spoons you're starting with; each night, log what's left. See how your days really go instead of guessing — and catch a low patch before it becomes a crash. • An optional pulse reading. Rest a fingertip on the camera for a wearable-free resting heart-rate check-in — a wellness reading, not a medical measurement. No watch or band required. • To-dos that meet your brain halfway. Break a big task into small steps, name the first move, jot why it matters, add a reward, and estimate the time — with dates, reminders, and repeats. • Habits, your way. Count-based or simple, shown as a visual heatmap with streaks that forgive a rest day. • Routines. Run a morning or wind-down routine step by step, at your own pace. • A daily journal. A calm space to reflect, with a one-tap mood check-in, "what shaped today" factors, gratitude, and a morning intention. • Calendar. Day, week, and month views with your Apple Calendar — and, if you like, your Google Calendar — shown right alongside your day. • Goals. Link the to-dos and habits that move a goal and watch its progress bar fill. • See your patterns. Charts bring your energy, mood, and habits together so you can spot what helps and what drains you. • Build-your-own home. Arrange and resize a dashboard of widgets, plus home-screen and lock-screen widgets for your spoons and your week. • Make it yours. Color themes with light and dark mode, an optional Face ID lock, and journal export anytime. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Spoon Manager is built to need none of your data. There are no accounts, no server, no ads, and no analytics or tracking SDKs. Everything you create stays on your device. The one time Spoon Manager goes online is if you choose to connect Google Calendar — a read-only link that shows your events in the app and never sends your data to us. Made by a small independent developer.

Screenshots

Pokus4 screens
Spoon Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spoon Manager at none against Pokus's 1. Spoon Manager also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Pokus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spoon Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pokus against 5.0 for Spoon Manager. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pokus ships an update weekly, Spoon Manager every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Pokus versus Spoon Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokusSpoon Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB7 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperALISTER ALAGON PINEDAJohn Traugott

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pokus

One-time1
  • Pro - Lifetime$9.99
None

Spoon Manager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pokus free?
Pokus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spoon Manager free?
Spoon Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pokus or Spoon Manager?
Pokus and Spoon Manager are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Pokus or Spoon Manager have ads?
Neither Pokus nor Spoon Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pokus or Spoon Manager?
Pokus ships an update weekly, and Spoon Manager every 5 days. Most recently, Pokus was updated on October 30, 2026 and Spoon Manager on November 5, 2026.

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