Comparison

Ticking vs CheckFocus

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

Head to head
About

Ticking

This app helps you focus by blocking distracting applications on a set schedule. It introduces increasing delays for breaks, making it harder to interrupt your focused time. The interface is minimal and customizable, designed to stay out of your way.

Highlights
  • Scheduled app blocking
  • Progressive friction on breaks
  • Customizable color and icon
  • Minimal, native iOS design
  • Block apps by hours and days
Features
Read full description

The clock is Ticking: it's time to focus. Willpower is overrated. Routines work better. Ticking lets you block distracting apps on a schedule: Pick the hours, pick the days, and let the rules do the hard work for you. Need a break? Fine. But every pause makes the next one take longer. First it's 5 seconds. Then 10. Then 30. By the fifth attempt you're staring at a timer wondering if you really need to check social media again. Spoiler: you don't. The app itself stays out of your way. Minimal, native, no visual clutter. Pick a color, pick an icon, and get back to whatever actually matters. Features: - Block apps for specific hours and days - Progressive friction on breaks (they get harder to take) - Clean, native iOS design Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ticking.co/privacy-policy/

About

CheckFocus

Features
Read full description

CheckFocus is a focus timer app that helps you start your focus goals at a scheduled time and stay focused until the end. Whether you need to study, work, read, prepare for exams, complete projects, or manage focus challenges such as ADHD, CheckFocus helps you set your own focus schedule and reduce distractions during that time. Focus does not always happen just because we decide to focus. A quick notification check, opening social media out of habit, or switching apps can easily break the study or work time you planned. CheckFocus was created to help reduce those moments. When it is time to focus, you stay with one goal and keep your focus timer running until the session is complete. ■ Scheduled focus goals With CheckFocus, you can set your focus goals by day of the week, specific date, start time, and end time. For example, you can create a routine to study from 7 AM to 8 AM every weekday, focus on work from 2 PM to 4 PM, or review for an exam at a specific time before test day. CheckFocus is not just about starting a timer. It helps you decide when to focus and follow through with your goal at the scheduled time. ■ Forced focus timer The core feature of CheckFocus is helping you avoid distractions during your focus time. While the timer is running, if you close the app or move it to the background for more than 2 minutes to use something else on your phone, your focus goal may be marked as failed. This feature helps reduce phone distractions and encourages you to stay with the goal you set. Use CheckFocus when you need to study, work, read, prepare for exams, reduce smartphone distractions, or stay committed to a scheduled focus session. ■ Solo focus mode When you want to focus quietly by yourself, you can use Solo Focus Mode. Set your goal, start the timer, and stay with the app until the session ends. If you keep your focus until the timer is complete, your goal can be completed successfully. Solo Focus Mode is useful for students, freelancers, office workers, readers, and anyone who wants to build a daily focus routine. ■ Open focus rooms with users around the world If focusing alone is difficult, join an open focus room. In CheckFocus, multiple users can join the same room and work toward a shared focus goal. Users from around the world can participate, start at the scheduled time, and check whether others are staying focused. No chat is needed. Just knowing that others are focusing with you can help you stay committed and avoid giving up. You can create or join study rooms, work rooms, morning routine rooms, reading rooms, exam preparation rooms, and project focus rooms. ■ Focus ranking and certificates When multiple users complete a focus goal together in an open room, you can check the ranking based on the results. The user who focused the most can reach 1st place, and a certificate can be issued to the 1st place user. CheckFocus is designed to turn focus sessions into motivation, achievement, and consistency. ■ Recommended for people who: * Get distracted by their phone while studying * Want to protect focused work time * Need support managing focus challenges such as ADHD * Give up easily when studying or working alone * Want to build a scheduled daily routine * Want to focus with users around the world * Keep opening other apps after starting a timer * Want to record focus goals and feel a sense of achievement ■ Main features * Focus goal scheduling * Day-of-week focus routines * Specific date focus goals * Start time and end time settings * Solo focus mode * Open focus room mode * Global user participation * Forced focus timer * Failure detection when the app is closed or kept in the background too long * Focus completion records * Open room ranking * Certificate for 1st place * Guest Login * Google Login * Apple Login Focus starts with a goal. Set the time. Stay focused. Complete your goal. Privacy Policy: https://luna-company.co.kr/checkfocus/privacy

Screenshots

Ticking4 screens
CheckFocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CheckFocus at none against Ticking's 2. CheckFocus also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). Ticking's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Ticking sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. CheckFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ticking ships an update fortnightly, CheckFocus daily. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
Ticking versus CheckFocus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTickingCheckFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB35 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTickingHANG HEO

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Ticking

Subscriptions2
  • Ticking Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Ticking Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
None

CheckFocus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ticking free?
Ticking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CheckFocus free?
CheckFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ticking or CheckFocus have ads?
CheckFocus shows ads; Ticking does not.
Which is updated more often, Ticking or CheckFocus?
Ticking ships an update fortnightly, and CheckFocus daily. Most recently, Ticking was updated on October 12, 2026 and CheckFocus on October 3, 2026.

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