Comparison

RoutineGuide vs Focura

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

Head to head
About

RoutineGuide

Features
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Follow your routine, one step at a time. RoutineGuide turns everyday routines into a sequence you can follow. Plan a morning start, an evening wind-down or any other part of your day, then focus on the step in front of you. BUILD A ROUTINE THAT FITS Create a routine and add the steps you want to follow in order. Give a step a timer when it needs one, run one routine inside another, and adjust as your day changes. KEEP YOUR LIBRARY SIMPLE Routines and steps live side by side in one Library. A step can belong to a routine or stand on its own, so you don't have to turn everything into a routine. PLAN YOUR DAY Today shows the routines scheduled for the day, with a week picker to look ahead. Reminders, widgets and Live Activities keep the next step close. FOLLOW ALONG AND REFLECT Move through your routine one step at a time, then look back at your activity, streaks and progress. FIND IDEAS AND OPTIONAL SUPPORT Browse Discover for routine ideas. If you'd like company, connect with friends and cheer each other on. Social features are optional, and every routine can be kept private. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES Your routines sync through iCloud across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. FREE TO DOWNLOAD, OPTIONAL PRO RoutineGuide is free to download. Optional Pro subscriptions and a lifetime purchase are available in the app; the app shows what is included and the current price. Privacy policy: https://routine-guide.vercel.app/privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focura

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Most focus timers ship one rigid setup. Focura asks one question — do you struggle to start, stay, or stop? — then tunes the timer, haptics, and pacing to match. Built for ADHD brains. Works for anyone fighting a 25-minute box. A TIMER THAT FITS HOW YOU FOCUS Pick your struggle and Focura adjusts the physics: • Starting — 5-minute first wins and gentle pacing, no pressure haptics • Staying — classic 25s with a soft haptic heartbeat anchoring the last minute • Stopping — longer blocks and 10-minute wind-downs, because transitions hurt YOUR CALENDAR BECOMES THE PLAN Connect iOS Calendar (read-only) and your events appear as locked time blocks, so the day is never empty. If a meeting starts mid-session, Focura auto-pauses your timer and lets you know. HYPERFOCUS IS CELEBRATED, NOT PUNISHED Run past the timer and the screen turns green: Flow State. No alarm yanking you out, no red "overtime" guilt. Keep going — Focura keeps counting. MISSED A BLOCK? NO SHAME. • Smart Reschedule finds it a new slot in one tap (Premium) • Skipping records a reason, not a failure — and your streak forgives it • Streaks come with freeze days, so a rough day doesn't break the chain • Fresh Start resets the day without erasing what you already did BRAIN DUMP YOUR REMINDERS Your iOS Reminders show up as an inbox on the Today tab. Tap one, give it a time, done. Finish the session and Focura offers to check the reminder off. A DAY YOU CAN SEE A visual timeline where every block is sized to its real duration. Drag to reorder. Pin a block to a time, or let Focura slot it into the next free gap. Morning person or night owl — set your own day's start and end. ALWAYS ONE GLANCE AWAY Lock Screen Live Activity, Dynamic Island, and a Home Screen widget keep your current block and today's progress visible without unlocking your phone. 100% ON-DEVICE No account. No cloud sync. No tracking. Your blocks and sessions live in your iPhone's local database. Your focus, your data, your control. FREE FOREVER • Up to 7 recurring time blocks (one-off blocks unlimited) • Calendar mirroring, weekly stats, and forgiving streaks • Full timer with Flow State, widget + Live Activity FOCURA PREMIUM • Unlimited time blocks • Smart Reschedule — one-tap recovery for missed blocks • Custom app icons • Every premium feature we ship next, included Monthly, annual (over 60% off), or lifetime — see pricing in the app. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Focura is a tool, not a treatment. It is not a medical device and is not a substitute for professional care. Built by an indie developer who needed it. Built by Noah Carpenter (NDC) Ā· noahdoescoding@gmail.com

Screenshots

RoutineGuide4 screens
Focura4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focura at every 2 weeks against RoutineGuide's every 2 months. RoutineGuide's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. RoutineGuide sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Focura sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RoutineGuide ships an update every 2 months, Focura every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
RoutineGuide versus Focura: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoutineGuideFocura
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJostein DyrsethNoah Carpenter

In-app purchases

3 purchases

RoutineGuide

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$3.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$59.99
3 purchases

Focura

Subscriptions2
  • Focura Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Focura Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focura Premium Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is RoutineGuide free?
RoutineGuide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focura free?
Focura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RoutineGuide or Focura have ads?
Neither RoutineGuide nor Focura shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RoutineGuide or Focura?
RoutineGuide ships an update every 2 months, and Focura every 2 weeks. Most recently, RoutineGuide was updated on October 24, 2026 and Focura on October 25, 2026.

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