Comparison

FocusU vs FocusCard

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

Head to head
About

FocusU

Features
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Too many to-dos and not sure where to start? FocusU shows only the one task you should do right now. - One task at a time: the oldest task is the only one on screen, so you just start - Postpone up to 3 times: after that the task is let go automatically, so your list never piles up - Look back on finished tasks with a stacked view and an activity grid - Task Breakdown: AI splits a big task into three small steps you can start now - Focus Timer (pomodoro-style) for deep work (Pro) - Dark Mode support Beat procrastination, one task at a time. FocusU Pro An auto-renewable subscription that unlocks unlimited Task Breakdown, Focus Report (streaks, a 7-day chart, time to complete), Focus Timer (pomodoro-style), Daily Goal and 11 Theme Colors including pastels (monthly or yearly plan, 1-week free trial for new subscribers). Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sakurawi.notion.site/FocusU-2aa7f1ea1f9180189524f702dd69d016

About

FocusCard

Read full description

You sit down to do one thing β€” twenty minutes later you're three apps deep wondering why. FocusCard puts that one task, huge, on your screen and Lock Screen, until you mark it done. You'll still drift. The way back is one tap. Built for deep work, ADHD focus, and anyone who's ever taped a sticky note to their laptop. HOW IT WORKS β€’ Pick one task from your iOS Reminders. β€’ Tap it. The screen turns black, the title fills it. β€’ The same task lives on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island while you work. β€’ Tap "Mark Complete" when done. Tap anywhere else to pause. FEATURES β€’ Reads from iOS Reminders. No extra task list to maintain. β€’ Grouped by Reminders list, color-coded. β€’ Lock Screen Live Activity with the active task title. β€’ Screen stays awake during focus sessions, so you can prop your phone up. β€’ Swipe left or long-press to mark done, with undo. β€’ Settings lets you choose which Reminders lists show up. β€’ Long-press any reminder to deep-link to it in the Reminders app. WHY THIS WORKS FocusCard isn't a Pomodoro timer or a habit tracker. It's a digital index card, propped where the thing you most want to ignore lives. The research: β€’ Attention residue (Leroy, 2009): switching tasks leaves cognitive sludge. A single visible focus reduces it. β€’ The Zeigarnik effect: unfinished tasks loop in your mind until you externalize them. β€’ Cognitive offloading (Risko & Gilbert, 2016): writing a task down frees working memory. PRIVACY FocusCard does not collect any data. No accounts. No analytics. No third parties. The whole app runs on your device. BUILT BY ONE PERSON For a year I had a stack of 3Γ—5 index cards on my desk. Every morning I'd write the one thing I most needed to do, in big letters, and prop it next to my laptop. The cards worked. They kept going missing. So I built FocusCard. Same idea, on the device I always have with me. β€” Dewang Mistry

Screenshots

FocusU4 screens
FocusCard4 screens

Verdict

The call

FocusU and FocusCard are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters β€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
FocusU versus FocusCard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusUFocusCard
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.517.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKota SakuraiDewang Mistry

In-app purchases

None

FocusU

No in-app purchases

None

FocusCard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FocusU free?
FocusU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FocusCard free?
FocusCard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FocusU or FocusCard have ads?
Neither FocusU nor FocusCard shows ads.

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