Comparison

Paced vs Kaizen

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

Head to head
About

Paced

Features
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One app. Every device. Always in sync. Paced combines habit tracking and task management into one beautiful, focused experience. Whether you're building a morning routine, managing work projects, or just trying to drink more water — Paced keeps everything in one place, synced across all your devices. HABITS THAT STICK Track daily and weekly habits with flexible goals. Visual streaks keep you motivated — don't break the chain. Colour-coded categories, custom icons, and completion arcs make your progress visible at a glance. TASKS, ACTUALLY ORGANISED Kanban boards, priority levels (XS–XL sizing), due dates, and projects. Drag and drop to reorder. Filter by project or priority. Archive done tasks in one tap. It's task management that stays out of your way. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your data lives in your own PocketBase instance — no third-party analytics, no tracking, no ads. End-to-end under your control. EVERYWHERE YOU ARE Native iOS, Android, desktop (macOS/Windows/Linux), and web. Offline-ready — log habits on the Tube, syncs when you're back online. MADE FOR HUMANS Dark mode, haptic feedback, lock screen widgets, and thoughtful micro-interactions. Not another corporate productivity tool — built by an indie developer who actually uses it.

About

Kaizen

Features
Read full description

Kaizen is a focus timer that blocks your distracting apps, tracks your habits, and lets you study alongside others in live focus rooms. Start a session and the apps you picked stay blocked until your break. Free to use, with no ads. Premium features are marked below. POMODORO TIMER & STOPWATCH • Presets: Classic (25/5/15), Quick (15/3/10), Extended (50/10/30), Long Focus (90/15/30), or your own • Focus 5 to 180 minutes, short breaks 1 to 60, long breaks 5 to 120 • Stopwatch: count up with no fixed end and finish when you're ready • Auto-start runs sessions back to back while Kaizen is open, up to your long break • Keeps time in the background and notifies you when a session or break ends • Fullscreen mode that shows only the timer • Tag each session (Work, Study, and more) to see where your focus goes APP BLOCKER Kaizen uses Apple's Screen Time to block the apps and websites you choose: • Your apps are blocked during focus sessions and open again on your break • Block now: block them right away, until you turn it off • The block stays in place even if Kaizen is closed • An optional "Open anyway" button: you set how often, how long to wait, and for how long • Block up to 3 apps or websites free • Premium: up to 50 apps, plus Strict mode (stays blocked when you pause) and Locked mode (after the first minute the session can't be skipped or ended, with one emergency end a week) Your choices stay on your device. Kaizen can't see which apps you picked. HABIT TRACKER • Check-off habits, or timed habits your focus sessions count toward • Schedules: daily, specific weekdays, or a number of times per week • Forgiving streaks: a skipped day doesn't break them • A consistency score and trend chart for every habit • Backdate any past day and keep your full history • Reminders that follow each habit's schedule • Up to 5 active habits free, unlimited with Premium FOCUS ROOMS Stay on task next to other people, without a video call: • Join public rooms, or private ones with an 8-character code • See who's focusing, on a break, or paused, with live countdowns • No camera or microphone, just quiet company • Premium: create your own public or private rooms (2 to 50 people), manage them as host, and share the task you're working on Many people with ADHD use this kind of body doubling to get started and keep going. TASKS • Jot a task down in one line now, plan the details later • An unlimited inbox, so capturing a thought never hits a limit • Priorities, due dates, subtasks, time estimates, and reminders • Pick a task before a session and your focus time counts toward it • Today, Tomorrow, and Overdue badges keep deadlines in view • Up to 7 planned tasks free, unlimited with Premium THEMES & FOCUS MUSIC • 60+ backgrounds across Lofi, Nature, City, Cozy, Space, and Minimal, including animated ones • Lo-fi, ambient, nature, white noise, and classical tracks, saved for offline listening • Mute music on your breaks • Premium: every theme, the full music library, and your own photo as the background STATISTICS & STREAKS • Daily, weekly, and monthly focus totals • Charts for focus over time, by hour, by weekday, by tag, and by session type • Session history showing which tasks and habits each session counted toward • Re-tag or delete any past session • A daily focus streak • Premium: yearly and all-time statistics MADE FOR • Students studying for their exams • Remote workers and freelancers who need time for deep work • People with ADHD who focus better with structure and company • Anyone who reaches for their phone when they should be focusing WORKS EVERYWHERE Use Kaizen on iPhone, iPad, your computer, or the web. Your tasks, habits, and stats sync across all of them. Start a focus session, block your distracting apps, and see how much more you get done. Terms of Use (EULA): https://my-kaizen.com/eula Privacy Policy: https://my-kaizen.com/privacy Terms & Conditions: https://my-kaizen.com/terms Questions? Reach us at support@my-kaizen.com

Screenshots

Paced4 screens
Kaizen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paced at none against Kaizen's 2. Paced also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). Kaizen's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Kaizen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Paced asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paced ships an update every 6 weeks, Kaizen every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Paced versus Kaizen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacedKaizen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSamuel MartinMK Development

In-app purchases

None

Paced

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Kaizen

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (monthly)14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium (yearly)14 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Paced free?
Paced is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kaizen free?
Kaizen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Paced or Kaizen have ads?
Neither Paced nor Kaizen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paced or Kaizen?
Paced ships an update every 6 weeks, and Kaizen every 2 weeks. Most recently, Paced was updated on September 27, 2026 and Kaizen on October 1, 2026.

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