Comparison

Focus Timer vs Holdspace

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

Lock In is a beautifully simple app designed to help you focus with intention and track your time meaningfully. Whether you're studying, working, or building better habits, Lock In keeps you grounded, one session at a time. Features at a Glance:Use our dual-mode Focus Timer or Stopwatch, manage your daily tasks, and visualize your time with powerful progress views that show every minute you’ve earned back. From Live Activities to deep session history, Lock In is built for momentum, not distractions. Features at a Glance: Daily Task Manager • Add, reorder, and group tasks by day • Swipe to create subtasks or remove items • Completion toggles with smart parent/child sync • Keyboard-aware quick add bar Focus Sessions: Timer or Stopwatch • Lock in your time with countdown or count-up modes • Animated progress ring with pause/resume controls • Use while editing tasks • Session time is saved, second-accurate Session History • View detailed logs per day: task completion, start-end times, durations • Swipe to delete any session Life & Time Statistics • See how many days you’ve been alive • Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly heatmaps • Visualize progress across the year Smart Reminders & Notifications • “Session Complete” and 8 PM check-in reminders • Never forget to lock in again Home & Lock Screen Widgets • Live Activity tracking via Dynamic Island and StandBy • Control widget to start/stop focus sessions Fully Themed & iPad Ready • Clean dark/light mode toggle • Optimized layout for iPhone and iPad Private by Design • Everything is stored locally using Core Data • No accounts, no ads, no distractions Start small. Stay consistent. Lock in, get out.

About

Holdspace

Features
Read full description

Holdspace is a quiet place for links, notes and ideas you want to return to. Keep one item in focus, with the rest waiting in your queue. Finish it when you’re done, or snooze it for tonight, tomorrow or a date you choose. Archived items remain available when you need them. Paste a URL or write a note. Save URLs and plain text from compatible share sheets. Optional link previews add a title and image, and you can turn them off in Settings. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets bring your current item and queue into view. Snoozed items return to the queue when they’re due. Your queue stays on your device. Holdspace has no account, advertising or analytics. Link previews contact websites; opening links and exporting backups use destinations you choose. Export a portable JSON backup, then restore missing items without replacing your current edits or adding duplicates. A small place to put something down, and pick it up when you’re ready.

Screenshots

Focus Timer4 screens
Holdspace3 screens

Verdict

The call

Focus Timer and Holdspace are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Timer ships an update every 6 months, Holdspace every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Focus Timer versus Holdspace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus TimerHoldspace
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElementra LLCMaxwell Young

In-app purchases

None

Focus Timer

No in-app purchases

None

Holdspace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus Timer free?
Focus Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Holdspace free?
Holdspace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Focus Timer or Holdspace have ads?
Neither Focus Timer nor Holdspace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Timer or Holdspace?
Focus Timer ships an update every 6 months, and Holdspace every 8 months. Most recently, Focus Timer was updated on October 2, 2026 and Holdspace on October 5, 2026.

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