Comparison

BookFocus vs Pause

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

Head to head
About

BookFocus

Features
Read full description

Build a daily reading habit with BookFocus. BookFocus is a reading timer and book tracker designed to help you stay focused while reading. Track your books, pages, reading time, and progress in one simple app. Key Features β€’ Reading Timer for Every Book Track how long you read each book with a dedicated timer. β€’ Page Tracker Save your starting page and last page to easily monitor your reading progress. β€’ Reading Log Automatically record your reading sessions and build your personal reading history. β€’ Library Due Date Reminder Set borrow and return dates and receive reminders before your book is due. β€’ Apple Watch Support Start a reading timer and save your progress directly from your watch. Perfect for: β€’ Building a daily reading habit β€’ Students and language learners β€’ Anyone who wants to stay focused while reading No distractions. Just reading. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pause

This app helps you reclaim time spent on social media and videos by setting usage limits before you open them. It converts your social media time into an estimate of how many book pages you could have read, encouraging a shift towards reading.

Highlights
  • Set time limits for apps before opening
  • Automatically block apps when time expires
  • Convert social media time to book pages
  • Track reading progress with a virtual companion
  • Home screen widgets and live activities
  • Shareable progress cards
Features
Read full description

What if the time that melts away on social media went into a book instead? A quick break? Catching up on news? Just checking one notification… You meant to look for a minute, and two hours are gone. The break left you tired, not rested. And every day, a faint sense of "what am I doing" quietly eats at your confidence along with your time. You're not alone. That's why Pause exists. Pause asks you to decide how long BEFORE you open social or video apps. Then it shows what that time was worth in pages: how much of a book you could have read. When your time is up, the apps are blocked again automatically. No blame. Just a gentle place to stop, so a little of your scrolling turns into reading, day by day. That book you've been meaning to read, a few pages at a time. A reading habit builds on its own. And a small companion, Pause-kun, grows with every page. [ Free ] β€’ Sessions: pick "just N minutes" before you open. When time's up, the apps are blocked again β€’ Reading timer: paper or app. Time in Kindle, Audible, or Apple Books counts as reading too β€’ Pages instead of minutes: your social time shown as "about N pages of a book" β€’ Honest records: based on Screen Time measurements. No inflated numbers to scare you β€’ A companion that grows: books pile up behind Pause-kun as you pause and read β€’ Home Screen widget and a Lock Screen view while you read (Live Activity) β€’ Share card: the time you turned into reading, and your companion, in one image β€’ Today and this week at a glance * The free version covers up to 3 apps. [ Pause Plus ] The free version is enough for most days. Pause Plus is for people who want to cut back more seriously. It's available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. β€’ Push Mode: a block you can't lift for the period you choose β€’ Unlimited apps β€’ Reward Mode: after you finish, 24 hours with no limits on your blocked apps β€’ Monthly and yearly views, with a full year of history β€’ Name your companion Pause Plus yearly and monthly plans each come with a 1-month free trial. Pause Plus one-time purchase: pay once, no auto-renewal. [ Your privacy ] β€’ Your Screen Time details and the books you read never leave your device. No account, no sign-in β€’ Pause doesn't ban social media. It only asks you to pause. The choice is always yours After the free trial, the subscription converts to a paid plan. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in Settings β†’ Apple ID after purchase. Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://pause-lp.vercel.app/privacy/

Screenshots

BookFocus4 screens
Pause4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pause at none against BookFocus's 4. Pause also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). BookFocus's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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. BookFocus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Pause asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookFocus ships an update every 4 days, Pause every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
BookFocus versus Pause: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookFocusPause
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”80.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
Monetizationβ€”Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size9 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerjaemin parkIku Yagome

In-app purchases

4 purchases

BookFocus

Subscriptions2
  • monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Summer Theme$0.99
  • BookFocus Premium$1.99
None

Pause

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BookFocus free?
BookFocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pause free?
Pause is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BookFocus or Pause have ads?
Neither BookFocus nor Pause shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookFocus or Pause?
BookFocus ships an update every 4 days, and Pause every 5 days. Most recently, BookFocus was updated on October 3, 2026 and Pause on October 9, 2026.

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