Comparison

Focus timer vs Garden

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

Head to head
About

Focus timer

Features
Read full description

Transform your work sessions into a delightful and focused experience with Pomokitten! This adorable pomodoro timer app combines the proven productivity technique with the irresistible charm of cute cats. Set your customizable work and break intervals (our default is 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break) and dive into distraction-free focus. During your work sessions, all you'll see is the timer, helping you stay on task.   The real fun begins when you complete a pomodoro! Each successful session rewards you with a new, unique cat to add to your collection. Track your progress throughout the week and see how many furry friends you can gather before the collection resets. Detailed statistics provide valuable insights into your focus habits, helping you optimize your productivity over time. How Pomokitten Works: - Set Your Timer: Choose your desired work and break durations. - Distraction-Free Focus: Enjoy uninterrupted work with only the timer in view. - Collect New Cats: Earn adorable feline companions with each completed pomodoro. - Download Pomokitten now and discover a fun, effective, and heartwarming way to stay productive! But Pomokitten is more than just a productivity app – it's a way to make a difference. We donate 10% of all proceeds to local cat shelters, so every focused session you complete helps cats in need find loving homes. Pomokitten offers auto-renewing subscriptions. After free trial, the total amount for the subscription will be charged to your App Store Account. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal at the total subscription price within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewals may be managed or canceled via your App Store Account settings. Any unused portion of free trial is forfeited after purchase. Special introductory offers only apply to first billing term. Read more about our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy here: Terms of Service: https://www.notion.so/sabumbi/Terms-of-Service-6a1ced92ec1249d0ba39cf48229337b9 Privacy Policy: https://www.notion.so/sabumbi/Sabumbi-Privacy-Policy-5da36cc59e8a4912b219fedf574756fd

About

Garden

This app offers a minimalist approach to note-taking and mindfulness. It features quick note capture, a single daily task reminder, and a calming visual experience to encourage presence and reduce digital distraction.

Highlights
  • Quick-capture notes with custom categories
  • Single daily task checkbox with confetti reward
  • Calming wheat field visualization
  • No notifications or streaks
  • Offline note storage
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Markdown export
Features
Read full description

Garden is a quiet iPhone app for presence and clarity. It does three things, and only three things: — Quick-capture notes, organized by the categories you create. A grocery list, a half-formed thought, a thing your kid said, an idea for a side project. Pick a category, type, hit add. — A single daily checkbox: "I did the one thing today." When you check it, you get a small burst of confetti, a soft haptic, and permission to put your phone down. — A wheat field on the Calm tab. Eighty blades, gently swaying. Watch it for ten seconds and remember why any of this matters. That is the whole app. What Garden won't do • No notifications. Garden never asks for your attention. • No streaks. No "you're on a 7-day roll." Streaks are anxiety machines dressed as motivation. • No badges, red dots, or "come back" prompts. • No social features. Garden is yours. Nothing leaves your phone unless you choose to share it. • No accounts, no tracking, no telemetry. Sign in to iCloud and that's it. Where your notes live • On your iPhone, in a real local database — works offline, persists through restarts. • In your iCloud, synced automatically across your signed-in Apple devices. • Available as a markdown file you can export anytime, to anywhere — Files, iCloud Drive, email, AirDrop. A portable copy you own outright. Three layers, each protecting against a different way you might lose them. None of them ours. Designed for fewer minutes, not more Garden is built on the belief that the best phone app is the one you can put down. The aesthetic is calm: cream paper, sage ink, an Instrument Serif word here and there. Spring animations that feel hand-tuned. Haptics on the moments that matter. No dopamine loops. If you check the one thing and close the app, Garden has done its job. Privacy Garden does not collect, transmit, or sell any data. Your notes sync only through your own iCloud account. Garden has no servers, no analytics, and no third-party SDKs. The privacy nutrition label says "Data Not Collected" because nothing is collected. Read more in the Settings tab and at the privacy URL below. For who Garden is a personal tool. It was built for one person and is shared with friends. Made with care, on iPhone, with SwiftUI and SwiftData.

Screenshots

Focus timer4 screens
Garden1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Garden at none against Focus timer's 3. Garden also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Focus timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Garden asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus timer ships an update monthly, Garden weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Focus timer versus Garden: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus timerGarden
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.617.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSabumbi AppsChad Stewart

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Focus timer

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Annual$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$19.99
None

Garden

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus timer free?
Focus timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Garden free?
Garden is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Focus timer or Garden have ads?
Neither Focus timer nor Garden shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus timer or Garden?
Focus timer ships an update monthly, and Garden weekly. Most recently, Focus timer was updated on October 28, 2026 and Garden on October 31, 2026.

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