Comparison

FocusRails vs CookWhat

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

Head to head
About

FocusRails

Features
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FocusRails transforms your focus sessions into immersive train journeys, helping you stay productive, relaxed, and inspired wherever you are. Designed for people who seek calm concentration, the app recreates the authentic atmosphere of train travel through sound, motion, and visual ambiance. Whether you’re working, reading, coding, or simply taking a mindful break, FocusRails helps you find your rhythm with carefully designed environments that blend ambient soundscapes, subtle motion visuals, and smart focus tools. Key Features Immersive Train Ambience Experience realistic train sounds and natural rhythms that help you block out distractions and concentrate deeply. Window View Mode Watch the world move past your window while staying grounded in your task. The view changes dynamically, simulating the sensation of travel. Smart Focus Modes Choose your goal before you “depart” — Focus, Work, Reading, or Relax. Each mode adjusts the experience to match your intention. Personalized Travel Experience Select your route, ambience type, and duration to build a session that suits your focus style. Whether you prefer quiet train rides or distant station sounds, you can find your perfect match. Journey-Based Focus Sessions Start your focus “journey” with a simple tap. The interface simulates a real travel ticket, helping you visualize your time and progress during each session. Why FocusRails FocusRails is built to help you focus effortlessly. By combining immersive audio design, visual motion, and psychological cues from travel, it creates a unique environment that supports creativity, relaxation, and productivity in a natural, enjoyable way. Subscription Information Unlock the full FocusRails experience with a subscription: • $7.99 per week • Auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Manage your subscription in Account Settings after purchase Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/vainsteins89-policy/?v=1

About

CookWhat

Discover home-style Chinese dishes based on ingredients you already have. Snap a photo of your fridge or manually enter items to get recipe suggestions. Follow step-by-step instructions and customize for your taste preferences.

Highlights
  • Photo recognition of ingredients
  • Manual ingredient entry
  • AI-generated recipe suggestions
  • Step-by-step cooking instructions
  • Customizable taste preferences
  • Offline recipe library
  • Save favorite dishes
Features
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Not sure what to cook today? Snap a photo of your fridge or countertop, or simply type what you have, and get home-style Chinese dishes you can make right now. The app interface is currently in Simplified Chinese. COOK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE • Photo recognition: snap your fridge or cutting board, or pick a photo from your library • Manual entry: type several ingredients at once, or tap common ones to add them • Confirm before cooking: tap to rename, tap × to remove, and add anything that was missed • No ingredients recognized in a photo? Switch straight to typing instead of retaking it ONLY THE INGREDIENTS YOU HAVE • Dishes use only your list plus pantry basics such as salt, sugar, soy sauce, scallion, ginger and garlic, so there's no extra shopping trip • Each dish shows how many pans and steps it takes, and whether it's a one-pot meal • "Add one more": a tip for one extra ingredient that would take the dish up a level • Not in the mood? Get a fresh batch of ideas STEPS YOU CAN ACTUALLY FOLLOW • Step-by-step instructions with amounts (grams, spoons, pieces), heat and timing • Portions scaled to the number of people you're cooking for GETS TO KNOW YOUR TASTE • Set your spice level, dietary restrictions or allergies, and servings once • Restricted ingredients are checked twice, when dishes are created and again in the results, and you're warned before generating if your list contains one (please double-check ingredients if you have a severe allergy) • Rate a dish Tasty, OK or Flopped after cooking and suggestions drift toward your taste; this taste memory is saved on your phone and can be cleared anytime RECIPE LIBRARY & FAVORITES • Classic home-style recipes built in, browsable by category, even offline • Save the dishes you love and come back to them anytime FREE TRIAL & LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP • Free to download, with 3 free tries of AI dish suggestions; the recipe library and favorites are always free • A one-time Lifetime Membership purchase unlocks 30 AI dish suggestions per day • Lifetime Membership is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and never renews; after reinstalling or switching phones, tap Restore Purchases in Settings Works on iPhone and iPad. No sign-up required. Photo recognition and AI dish suggestions need an internet connection.

Screenshots

FocusRails4 screens
CookWhat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CookWhat at none against FocusRails's 2. FocusRails's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 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. FocusRails sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. CookWhat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusRails ships an update every 3 days, CookWhat every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FocusRails versus CookWhat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusRailsCookWhat
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVainsteins Andrejs剑锋 易

In-app purchases

2 purchases

FocusRails

Subscriptions2
  • FocusRails Week$7.997 Days
  • FocusRails Year3 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

CookWhat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FocusRails free?
FocusRails is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CookWhat free?
CookWhat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FocusRails or CookWhat have ads?
Neither FocusRails nor CookWhat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusRails or CookWhat?
FocusRails ships an update every 3 days, and CookWhat every 2 months. Most recently, FocusRails was updated on October 9, 2026 and CookWhat on September 27, 2026.

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