Comparison

Terrible Focus vs FocusPal

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

Head to head
About

Terrible Focus

This app uses a unique approach to focus by locking your phone while a virtual potato companion builds a home. Your focus directly contributes to their progress, creating a sense of shared accomplishment without pressure or punishment. It offers a gentle, human-made experience designed to reduce phone-related anxiety.

Highlights
  • Phone locking focus timer
  • Virtual companion progress
  • Hand-drawn art and animations
  • Pause sessions without penalty
  • Dynamic, evolving environment
  • No streaks or user comparison
Read full description

Every app wants something from you. The potato just wants to build a home. They've found a clearing in the forest and need your help. How It Works The potato suggests two tasks. Do you want to "Build the Bed" or "Water the Garden"? Pick one. Set your timer anywhere from 5 to 120 minutes. Your phone locks. While you focus on whatever you actually need to do, the potato works on what you picked. Every minute you focus is a minute they work. When you come back, you see what was built. The potato tries out the new bed. Sits in the chair you made together. Uses the workbench. The Potato Doesn't Die Take a week off? The potato's fine. They don't get sad. They don't punish you. They're just there when you get back, wandering around, reading by the water, living their life. Need to pause mid-session? Tap "Give me a minute." The potato takes a break too. Your life is allowed to exist. The potato doesn't track streaks or compare you to other users. Coming back after a break feels like reuniting with a friend, not admitting defeat. A World That Actually Lives The potato wakes up with the sun. Works on projects. Gets tired. Sleeps at night. You can start a focus session at 2 AM and they'll wake up, ready to work. The clearing changes too. Nature slowly reclaims the edges. Things get a bit messy and need tidying. It becomes more lived-in over time, not frozen in place. This isn't a pet begging for attention. It's a companion who has their own thing going on but genuinely can't build without your focus. Hand-Drawn, All of It Every sprite, every animation, every element was drawn by hand. Hours at a drawing tablet, trying to make something that felt real. You can tell a person made this. The roughness is intentional. What Happens When You Finish After a couple weeks of regular sessions, you'll finish the Home Pack. The clearing becomes a cozy, complete home. The last thing you build is a bridge that reveals a path leading somewhere else. Want to see what's beyond? You can buy the next pack. Want to stay in the clearing? The home is complete. You can keep it tidy, spend time with the potato, or just be in the space you built together. Who This Is For You're tired of fighting your phone. Other focus apps feel like punishment. You want something wholesome that doesn't make you feel worse. Streaks give you anxiety. You need a tool that gets that you're human. What This Isn't This isn't a productivity tracker. Not a habit app. Not a virtual pet demanding you check in daily or it dies. Not gamification pretending to make focus fun. It's just a place where putting your phone down feels like helping someone who needs you. Apps want your attention, your data, your engagement. The potato just wants to finish the table.

About

FocusPal

This app offers a personalized Pomodoro timer experience by allowing users to create a "Pal" from their own photos. It includes features to block distractions, display a live countdown on the Lock Screen, and track focus sessions with detailed reports.

Highlights
  • Customizable Pal companion from photos
  • Pomodoro timer with adjustable durations
  • Focus Shield to block distractions
  • Live countdown on Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
  • Animated Pal companions
  • Customizable focus backgrounds
  • Focus time tracking and stats reports
Features
Read full description

FocusPal is a Pomodoro timer with a Pal you create from your own photo — plus Focus Shield to keep distractions out of reach and a live countdown on your Lock Screen. Create a Pal from a photo of your favorite pet, plush toy, or little companion, then let it stay with you while you work, study, read, write, or build a better daily routine. Instead of staring at a plain countdown, FocusPal gives your focus session a friendly presence on screen. CREATE YOUR OWN PAL Turn a photo into a personal Pal, choose a cozy spot, and bring it to life with companion animations. Your Pal can be a pet, a toy, or anything that makes your focus space feel more personal. FOCUS WITH POMODORO SESSIONS Start a focus session, stay with one task, then take a short or long break when it is time to reset. Customize your focus duration, break duration, long break length, and cycle rhythm to match the way you actually work. BLOCK DISTRACTIONS WITH FOCUS SHIELD Decide what stays out of reach while you focus. Focus Shield uses Screen Time to hold back the apps and websites you choose, then clears itself when your session ends or you start a break. Pick Strict to shield everything blockable, Allowlist to keep a few exceptions open, or Loose to leave your phone exactly as it is. SEE YOUR TIMER AT A GLANCE Your session stays visible on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so you can check the time left without unlocking your phone or reopening the app. ENJOY DIFFERENT PAL ANIMATIONS Your Pal is not just a static image. FocusPal supports animated Pal companions, making each focus session feel more alive and less mechanical. CUSTOMIZE YOUR FOCUS SPACE Choose from different focus backgrounds and create a calm space for your timer and Pal. Whether you prefer a cozy room, a bright sky, or a softer scene, FocusPal helps your focus space feel like your own. TRACK YOUR FOCUS TIME Review your focus history with dedicated stats reports. See your weekly, monthly, and yearly focus patterns, and understand how your sessions add up over time. GOOD FOR - Studying - Deep work - Reading - Writing - Homework - Creative work - Work sessions - Gentle Pomodoro routines - Building a focus habit FocusPal is built for people who want a simple Pomodoro timer with a softer, more personal feeling. It gives you a timer, breaks, Pal animations, focus backgrounds, and progress reports in one calm place. Terms of Use: https://focuspalapp.com/en/term-of-service Privacy Policy: https://focuspalapp.com/en/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Terrible Focus4 screens
FocusPal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Terrible Focus at none against FocusPal's 3. FocusPal's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.2 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. FocusPal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Terrible Focus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Terrible Focus against 5.0 for FocusPal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Terrible Focus versus FocusPal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerrible FocusFocusPal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.017.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVerena OrtliebLIFEPLUS TECH LTD

Customer experience

Terrible Focus

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FocusPal

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Terrible Focus

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

FocusPal

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$26.99

Questions

Is Terrible Focus free?
Terrible Focus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FocusPal free?
FocusPal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Terrible Focus or FocusPal?
Terrible Focus and FocusPal are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Terrible Focus or FocusPal have ads?
Neither Terrible Focus nor FocusPal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terrible Focus or FocusPal?
Terrible Focus ships an update weekly, and FocusPal weekly. Most recently, Terrible Focus was updated on October 16, 2026 and FocusPal on October 16, 2026.

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