Comparison

FOKUS vs Zone Focus

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

Head to head
About

FOKUS

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Fokus — Focus That Lives Beyond Your Phone Fokus is a productivity and screen time blocker app designed to help you stay focused by adding something most apps can't: a physical key. This digital wellness tool uses Apple's Screen Time framework to block distracting apps and websites during focus sessions while keeping essential phone functions like calls and messages available. When it's time to end a session, distractions don't return with a tap—they return when you choose to get up and unlock them with your FOKUS device. Why Fokus Works Differently Most focus apps live entirely on your phone—which makes them easy to ignore. Fokus introduces a physical element that lives outside your screen. Place your FOKUS key in another room, like the kitchen, hallway, or office shelf. When you feel the urge to open social media or distracting apps, you're faced with a choice: stay focused, or get up and retrieve the key. That small pause makes a big difference in building better screen time habits and reducing digital distractions. FEATURES Screen Time Blocking & App Blocker Block distracting apps and websites during focus sessions using Apple's official Screen Time framework. Fokus works at the system level to help reduce interruptions from social media, games, entertainment apps, and other high-distraction content. This app blocker gives you control over which apps and websites are restricted during your focus time. Physical Key for Focus Fokus uses a physical FOKUS device to intentionally unlock blocked apps. Ending a focus session requires a real-world action—tapping your phone on the FOKUS device—helping prevent mindless scrolling and supporting social media detox habits. This physical barrier creates a deliberate separation between you and digital distractions, making it harder to impulsively return to blocked content. Focus Sessions & Scheduling Create unlimited custom focus sessions for work, study, sleep, or personal routines. Start sessions manually with a long press or schedule them to begin and end automatically throughout the day. Set specific times and days for automatic focus mode activation, helping you build consistent focus habits. Emergency Unblock When flexibility is needed, Fokus includes an Emergency Unblock option with 3 limited monthly uses to preserve the effectiveness of focus sessions while providing necessary flexibility for urgent situations. This feature ensures you're never completely locked out when something important comes up. Insights & Progress Tracking Track focus time, completed sessions, daily streaks, and screen time analytics to better understand your digital habits and improve time management. Visualize your progress with charts, calendars, and detailed statistics showing your focus journey over time. See which days you focused, how long your sessions lasted, and celebrate your focus streaks. DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE Fokus blocks distractions—not your phone. You can still receive calls, send messages, and use essential apps while a focus session is active. Fokus is designed to support productivity and digital wellness without disconnecting you from what matters. Perfect for students, professionals, and anyone seeking better focus and reduced screen time. PRIVATE & ON-DEVICE • Works entirely on your iPhone—no cloud sync required • No account or login required—complete privacy • No ads or third-party tracking—your data stays local • Built using Apple's Screen Time APIs—system-level security • All data stored locally on your device REQUIREMENTS • iPhone with required capabilities (iPhone 7 or later) • FOKUS physical device (available at getfokus.de) • Screen Time permission (required for app blocking functionality) • iOS 17.0 or later A CALMER WAY TO FOCUS

About

Zone Focus

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Block distracting apps and websites when your focus session starts. Use Strict Mode when Screen Time limits are too easy to ignore. No account, no third-party analytics, and your blocked app list stays on your device. Zone helps you stop scrolling, stay out of distracting apps, and protect the time you meant to spend away from your phone. CORE FEATURES STRICT APP AND WEBSITE BLOCKING Choose the apps and websites you keep opening. When you enter the Zone, they are shielded until your session ends. STRICT MODE Make sessions harder to abandon once they begin, so your commitment survives the moment you want to scroll. FOCUS TIMERS Use focused presets for short sprints, deep work blocks, longer flow sessions, or a custom duration. DYNAMIC ISLAND AND LIVE ACTIVITIES Track your remaining time from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island without unlocking your phone. APPLE HEALTH SYNC Optionally save completed focus sessions to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes. INSIGHTS AND STREAKS See focus time, completed sessions, streaks, and blocked attempts so progress stays visible. PRIVACY-FIRST BY DESIGN Zone does not require an account, does not use third-party analytics, and cannot see the specific apps or websites you choose to block. Your focus history, streaks, insights, and Apple Health sync stay on your device. To support Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activity updates, Zone may send limited timer-delivery data, such as a Live Activity push token, remaining time, running state, and APNs environment, to our backend solely to update that Live Activity. Zone does not send your blocked apps, websites, focus history, Health data, or personal usage analytics. Enter the Zone, stop scrolling, and protect your focus. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

FOKUS4 screens
Zone Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FOKUS at none against Zone Focus's 3. Zone Focus's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 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. Zone Focus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. FOKUS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FOKUS ships an update every 3 months, Zone Focus every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
FOKUS versus Zone Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFOKUSZone Focus
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSharma & Singh GbRVikas Saini

In-app purchases

None

FOKUS

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Zone Focus

Subscriptions2
  • Zone Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Zone Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zone Pro (Lifetime)$59.99

Questions

Is FOKUS free?
FOKUS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zone Focus free?
Zone Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FOKUS or Zone Focus have ads?
Neither FOKUS nor Zone Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FOKUS or Zone Focus?
FOKUS ships an update every 3 months, and Zone Focus every 2 weeks. Most recently, FOKUS was updated on October 30, 2026 and Zone Focus on October 25, 2026.

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