Terrible Focus vs ScreenCard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Phone locking focus timer
- Virtual companion progress
- Hand-drawn art and animations
- Pause sessions without penalty
- Dynamic, evolving environment
- No streaks or user comparison
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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.
ScreenCard
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Make room for life beyond your screen. Screen Card brings your daily screen time, activity and routines together in one simple time account. A BUDGET THAT FITS YOUR WEEK Choose a daily allowance for each day of the week. See your remaining time at a glance and decide which leisure apps count toward your budget. TURN ACTIVITY INTO BONUS MINUTES Earn extra time through steps, workouts, sleep and learning. Connect Apple Health to bring in supported activity data, or log activities yourself. Adjust reward rules to fit your routine. HELP YOUR LIMITS STICK With Screen Time permission, selected apps are blocked when your balance runs out. Earning more minutes makes time available again. Use planned breaks or a temporary lock when you want to focus. SMALL TOOLS, EVERYDAY CLARITY Review your week, check your balance in a widget, and ask Siri about your daily limit or remaining time. Guided setup helps you choose your first budget and connect the permissions you need. YOUR DATA STAYS WITH YOU No account is required. Your plan and activity history are stored locally. Apple Health is optional, and you choose which data to share with the app. Screen Card is a tool for managing your own habits. Screen Time features require system authorization; Apple Health features depend on available health data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Terrible Focus at every 6 days against ScreenCard's every 3 weeks. ScreenCard's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Terrible Focus ships an update every 6 days, ScreenCard every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Terrible Focus | ScreenCard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Verena Ortlieb | Thilo Feierabend |
In-app purchases
Terrible Focus
No in-app purchases
ScreenCard
No in-app purchases





