Comparison

Willow Focus vs Nerve

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

Head to head
About

Willow Focus

Features
Read full description

Transform your handwritten ideas into powerful digital actions effortlessly. Designed for those who cherish pen and paper but thrive in a connected world, Willow Focus allows you to slow down, think clearly, and then seamlessly bring your ideas to life digitally. Simply snap a picture of your notes, tag them with actions like #Notion, and watch them sync instantly to your digital ecosystem. Whether you're battling digital distractions, managing productivity, or simply love the tactile feel of writing, Willow Focus ensures your analog creativity meets digital efficiency. Why you'll love Willow Focus: - Instantly convert handwritten notes into digital actions - Tag notes with specific integrations (e.g., #Notion, #Evernote, #Todoist) - Achieve clarity and mindfulness away from digital distractions - Capture thoughts naturally with paper and effortlessly digitize - Stay connected and productive across all your devices - Organize, archive, and access your ideas anytime, anywhere - Ideal for deep thinkers, planners, creative professionals, students, and productivity enthusiasts Unlock the best of both worlds: Keep your mindful moments intact while harnessing the endless possibilities of the digital world. Get Willow Focus now and redefine your productivity.

About

Nerve

Transform unproductive app usage into a brain-training challenge. Answer logic puzzles and brainteasers to earn back access to blocked apps, with higher difficulty offering greater rewards and risk.

Highlights
  • App blocking via Apple Screen Time
  • 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards
  • Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet modes
  • Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic
  • 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions
  • ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking
  • Daily quests and achievements
Features
Read full description

Nerve turns screen time into a game of brains and risk. Block the apps you waste time on, then answer brainteaser questions to earn your screen time back. Harder questions unlock more time — if you have the nerve to try them. HOW IT WORKS Pick the apps you want to block. When you try to open one, Nerve challenges you with a brainteaser. Answer correctly and the app unlocks. Answer wrong and you're locked out on a cooldown. It's that simple. PICK YOUR RISK Choose from 6 difficulty tiers — Gimme, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, and Genius. Gimme questions earn you a few minutes. Genius questions earn you hours. But if you get it wrong, harder questions have shorter cooldowns while easier ones make you wait longer. Risk and reward, every time. DOUBLE OR NOTHING Got it right? Gamble your winnings on a harder question for double the screen time. Keep going until you cash out or lose it all. THE GAUNTLET Think you can go all the way? Start at Gimme and climb through all 6 tiers. Every correct answer adds time. One wrong answer and you stop — but you keep what you've earned. Complete all 6 for the ultimate payout. 1000 BRAINTEASER QUESTIONS Logic puzzles, lateral thinking, pattern recognition, wordplay, math tricks, spatial reasoning, number sense, sequencing, deduction, and visual puzzles. These aren't trivia — they're brainteasers designed to make you think. BRAIN SCORE Track your intellectual growth with an ELO-inspired rating system. Start at 1000 and climb through 7 ranks: Novice, Student, Scholar, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, and Genius. See your strengths and weaknesses across 10 question categories. DAILY QUESTS & ACHIEVEMENTS Three new quests every day to keep you on track. Earn streak multipliers for consecutive days. Unlock 20+ achievements as you progress. The more you play, the more screen time you earn per question. FEATURES - Block any app using Apple Screen Time - 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards - Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet challenge modes - Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic - 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions - 10 question categories - ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking - Daily quests with bonus rewards - 20+ unlockable achievements - Streak tracking with time multipliers - Per-category performance analytics - Weekly progress reports - Cooldown skip packs - Works entirely on-device — no account required SUBSCRIPTION Nerve requires a subscription. Plans: - Monthly: $7.99/month - Yearly: $34.99/year (save 63%, includes 3-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/terms.html Support: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/support.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Willow Focus2 screens
Nerve4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Willow Focus at none against Nerve's 5. Willow Focus also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nerve sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Willow Focus asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Willow Focus versus Nerve: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWillow FocusNerve
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.9 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—15 — better
Update frequency—Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYavuz UyarBest Day Labs, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Willow Focus

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Nerve

Subscriptions3
  • Nerve Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Nerve Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Nerve Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Cooldown Skip Pack$0.99
  • Nerve Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Willow Focus free?
Willow Focus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nerve free?
Nerve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Willow Focus or Nerve have ads?
Neither Willow Focus nor Nerve shows ads.

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