Comparison

start walking vs Focus Blocks

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

Head to head
About

start walking

This app helps you reduce phone usage and build healthy habits by blocking distracting apps until you meet your daily step goals. It integrates with health tracking to encourage physical activity and improve focus.

Highlights
  • Smart App Blocking
  • Automatic Step Tracking
  • Personalized Goals
  • Usage Analytics
  • Streak Tracking
  • Premium Design
Read full description

Transform your relationship with your phone by turning every step into digital freedom. Start Walking blocks distracting apps until you reach your daily step goal, helping you break phone addiction while building healthy habits that stick. **As of June 2025, Start Walking users have walked over 2 million steps while breaking their scrolling habits.** Many wellness enthusiasts and productivity professionals trust Start Walking to help them build better phone habits. You can too. "Start Walking helped me reduce my Instagram time by 3 hours daily while getting my 10K steps" – Sarah, Wellness Coach "This app changed everything. I used to scroll for hours, now I take evening walks instead." – Michael, Software Engineer "Finally, an app that makes healthy habits rewarding instead of restrictive!" – Emma, Marketing Director "Game-changer for phone addiction. My screen time dropped 40% in the first week." – David, Teacher BENEFITS: Walk an average of 2,847 more steps per day while reducing mindless scrolling by 1 hour and 37 minutes. * 96% of Start Walking users report feeling more in control of their phone habits * 93% say they're more physically active throughout the day * 90% experience reduced anxiety from constant notifications * 91% discover new hobbies and interests outside their phone Added benefits: - Break the cycle of endless scrolling and phone addiction - Increase daily physical activity naturally - Improve focus and productivity at work - Better sleep quality from reduced evening screen time - Stronger real-world connections and relationships - Enhanced mental clarity and reduced digital overwhelm - Build sustainable, long-term healthy habits - Feel accomplished and motivated every single day FEATURES (requires in-app-purchase) - Smart App Blocking: Choose which apps distract you most and unlock them by reaching your step goals - Automatic Step Tracking: Seamless integration with Apple HealthKit for accurate, privacy-first tracking - Personalized Goals: Set daily step targets that match your fitness level and lifestyle - Usage Analytics: Beautiful visualizations of app usage, screen time, and phone pickup patterns - Streak Tracking: Build momentum with daily streaks - Animated Feedback: Delightful animations and transitions that make every interaction joyful - Goal Flexibility: Adjust targets based on your schedule, weather, or energy levels - Progress Insights: Track weekly trends in both walking and phone usage - Premium Design: Clean, modern interface with custom illustrations and smooth animations CREATE YOUR PERSONAL WELLNESS ROUTINE Easily select which apps are your biggest distractions and set realistic daily step goals. Start Walking does the rest, automatically tracking your progress and rewarding healthy choices. PRIVATE & SECURE We use Apple's HealthKit and FamilyControls frameworks to track steps and manage app access. Setup is simple and takes just minutes on your iPhone. Unlike other apps, Start Walking works entirely on your device and your personal health and usage data never leaves your phone. Your privacy is our priority – your data stays yours, always. TERMS, PRIVACY & CONDITIONS Read on https://startwalking.app/privacy-and-terms & https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focus Blocks

Features
Read full description

Pomodoro Day helps you break your day into manageable focus sessions — plan sessions at start of the day, take one session at a time, and stay focused and calm. No multitasking. No overwhelm. Plan Structure your day before it starts. Add sessions with custom durations and tags. See your calendar events alongside your focus blocks so nothing collides. Focus Start a session and the timer takes over. A mindfulness bell marks the end. Take a break, then move to the next one. Track See where your time actually goes. Daily, weekly, and monthly views show patterns by tag — so you can adjust tomorrow based on today. What makes it different • Planning-first — this isn't just a timer, it's a day planner • Calendar sync — see Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Calendar events inline • Focus music — play background music from your Apple Music library • iCloud sync — your sessions, across all your Apple devices. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

start walking4 screens
Focus Blocks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: start walking at 18.2 against Focus Blocks's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. start walking sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Focus Blocks sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

start walking ships an update every 4 days, Focus Blocks every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
start walking versus Focus Blocks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterstart walkingFocus Blocks
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.2 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCole SchafferMohit Mehta

In-app purchases

6 purchases

start walking

Subscriptions5
  • unlimited (1 week)7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • unlimited (1 year)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • friends and familyFree
2 purchases

Focus Blocks

Subscriptions1
  • Pomodoro Annual Pro7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is start walking free?
start walking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Blocks free?
Focus Blocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do start walking or Focus Blocks have ads?
Neither start walking nor Focus Blocks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, start walking or Focus Blocks?
start walking ships an update every 4 days, and Focus Blocks every 2 days. Most recently, start walking was updated on October 30, 2026 and Focus Blocks on October 31, 2026.

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