Comparison

FlowFocus vs Readbase

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

Head to head
About

FlowFocus

This app offers a minimalist Pomodoro timer with integrated task management. It helps users stay focused with customizable work and break intervals, smooth animations, and haptic feedback. Track your progress with session counts and tailor the experience to your workflow.

Highlights
  • Customizable Pomodoro timer
  • Integrated task management
  • Minimalist and modern design
  • Session tracking
  • Smooth animations and haptic feedback
  • Flexible work/break durations
Features
Read full description

FlowFocus is a calm, flexible focus timer for getting work done one task at a time. Use Pomodoro sessions, custom timers, or a stopwatch depending on how you like to work. Keep your current task visible, queue what is next, and track what you finish in your history. FlowFocus can also connect with Calendar, Reminders, Apple Music, widgets, and Live Activities so your focus setup fits naturally into your day. Features: • Pomodoro, Timer, and Stopwatch modes • Current task and queued tasks • Apple Reminders import and completion • Calendar-aware focus sessions • Live Activities and widgets • Focus history with completed sessions and tasks • Profiles for different workflows • Custom colours, app icons, sounds, and appearance • Optional keep-awake setting while the app is open • Simple onboarding to choose the modes you use FlowFocus is designed to stay quiet, clean, and out of your way while helping you keep moving.

About

Readbase

Features
Read full description

Readbase is the inbox that's just for newsletters. Get your own private @readbase.io address, move your Substack and other subscriptions there, and every newsletter arrives with an AI summary. Get the point in seconds instead of reading every word, and save 4+ hours every month. Free to start. No credit card required. YOUR PRIVATE NEWSLETTER INBOX • Your own @readbase.io address, just for newsletters. • Subscribe once and keep newsletters completely out of Gmail, Outlook and your work email. • Moving from Substack takes one email change, and every subscription follows. • Substack's own notification emails stay out by default, so you only see the posts. AI SUMMARIES FOR EVERY NEWSLETTER • Every newsletter arrives with a summary crafted for long-form writing. Get the key ideas before you even open it. • Daily Recap: start each morning with one AI summary of your unread newsletters, so you know what's worth reading at a glance. • Ask AI: ask anything about a newsletter, or select a passage to have it explained. (Premium) Skim the summary, ask AI for the rest, and read in full only what is worth it. READ ANYWHERE • Offline Mode: everything stays available on flights and commutes. • iPhone and web: read in the app or at readbase.io, always in sync. • Siri & Shortcuts: ask Siri for your latest summary, or mark a subscription as read, hands-free. STAY IN CONTROL • 1-Click Unsubscribe: drop the newsletters you stopped reading in seconds. • Bookmarks: keep the newsletters you want to come back to. • Reading Stats: see what you actually read and build better reading habits. (Premium) WORKS WITH EVERY NEWSLETTER Read newsletters from Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, Kit (ConvertKit), Medium, Buttondown, Mailchimp and any other provider that sends by email. One app for all your newsletter subscriptions, from daily briefings to long-form essays. PRIVACY-FIRST Your newsletters are yours. Readbase doesn't sell your data, and newsletter content is only used to power features like summaries and offline reading. FREE AND PREMIUM Readbase Free: your private @readbase.io inbox, AI summaries for every newsletter, Daily Recap, 1-click unsubscribe, bookmarks and offline reading. Readbase Premium adds Ask AI, the latest AI models for your summaries, Reading Stats with monthly insights, smart unsubscribe suggestions and push notifications for new newsletters. Billed monthly or annually. Cancel anytime. If newsletters are getting lost in your email, Readbase gives them a calm home of their own: just newsletters, summarised and ready to read. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readbase.io/legal/privacy

Screenshots

FlowFocus4 screens
Readbase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FlowFocus at none against Readbase's 4. Readbase's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months). 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. Readbase sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. FlowFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FlowFocus ships an update every 6 months, Readbase every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FlowFocus versus Readbase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowFocusReadbase
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB22 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSuzanne GarrettLlingas LTD

In-app purchases

None

FlowFocus

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Readbase

Subscriptions4
  • Readbase Premium - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Readbase Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Readbase Premium - Annual$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Readbase Premium - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is FlowFocus free?
FlowFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Readbase free?
Readbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FlowFocus or Readbase have ads?
Neither FlowFocus nor Readbase shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FlowFocus or Readbase?
FlowFocus ships an update every 6 months, and Readbase every 9 days. Most recently, FlowFocus was updated on November 2, 2026 and Readbase on November 9, 2026.

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