Focus vs Phone Break
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Focus
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Your brain forgot how to focus. You open Instagram for five minutes. Suddenly, itβs midnight. Focus helps you block distracting apps, reduce screen time, stop doomscrolling, and protect the time you want to spend studying, working, creating, or resting. BLOCK DISTRACTIONS BEFORE THEY STEAL YOUR TIME Choose the apps and websites that distract you most, then create a blocking system that works for your day. β’ Start an immediate focus block β’ Schedule recurring focus sessions β’ Set daily app limits β’ Control endless scrolling β’ Protect study, work, and sleep time FOCUS THAT FIGHTS BACK When you try to open a distracting app, Focus interrupts the impulse and helps you return to what matters. Less mindless scrolling. More intentional time. BUILD VISIBLE MOMENTUM Small focus sessions turn into meaningful progress. β’ Complete focus sessions β’ Build and maintain streaks β’ Earn XP and unlock progress β’ Track your focused time β’ See the time you are taking back CREATE A SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR YOU Use Focus for: β’ Studying and exam preparation β’ Deep work and creative projects β’ Reducing social media use β’ Building healthier screen habits β’ Staying present during your day β’ Creating distraction-free routines YOU DONβT NEED MORE WILLPOWER Distractions are designed to keep you scrolling. Focus gives you the structure, friction, and accountability needed to break the automatic loop. Set your limits. Protect your attention. Build better habits. Take your time back with Focus. Some features require a Focus Pro subscription. Subscription details and pricing are displayed before purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://focuslife.space/privacy-policy
Phone Break
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Phone Break helps you create space from the apps you use more than you intend. Choose the apps, categories, or websites you want to pause. YOUR LIMITS, YOUR WAY β’ Take a timed break for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. β’ Set a combined daily limit from 15 to 480 minutes. β’ Set daily limits for individual apps from 5 to 480 minutes. β’ Block selected items on specific days and hours, including overnight schedules. β’ Pause for 5, 8, or 10 seconds on each app open (requires an app-opening automation in Shortcuts). β’ Choose whether to continue or close after each additional 30 minutes of use counted after enabling usage breaks. β’ In Strict Mode, active timed breaks, scheduled blocking, and reached daily limits cannot be changed or disabled inside the app until they end. β’ Standard Mode offers one five-minute grace period per day for the combined daily cap, with automatic relock. β’ See Screen Time suggestions and compare the last seven completed days with the seven before them. Rules work together. Continuing from a pause never removes daily caps or scheduled blocking. For Pause on each open, create a Shortcuts App automation, select Is Opened and Run Immediately, then add Phone Breakβs Pause When App Opens action. A step-by-step guide is included in the app. Elapsed clock time alone no longer brings back the opening pause. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Individual app names and usage details are displayed inside Apple's protected Device Activity Report. Selection tokens, restriction settings, and break state stay on your device. There are no accounts, ads, analytics SDKs, external servers, or cloud sync. Screen Time authorization is required. You can revoke access in iPhone Settings or delete the app. Phone Break is a digital wellbeing tool, not a medical product, diagnosis, or treatment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phone Break at none against Focus's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Focus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Phone Break asks for nothing beyond the download.
Focus ships an update every 9 days, Phone Break every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Focus | Phone Break |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mohammed Sunain Ali | Atsushi Hashimoto |
In-app purchases
Focus
- Focus Pro Weekly$3.997 Days
- Focus Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Focus Pro Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
Phone Break
No in-app purchases









