Comparison

CTRL Habits vs Focus

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

Head to head
About

CTRL Habits

Read full description

You don't need another habit tracker. You need a system that helps you follow through. CTRL Habits combines daily tracking, social accountability, and optional app blocking. Build routines that fit your life, stay accountable with friends, and make distracting apps wait until the habits that matter are done. HOW IT WORKS Build your routine Choose the habits you want to work on. Set your schedule, define your targets, and create a system you can sustain. Track each day Complete habits, build streaks, and see where you are consistent. Clear analytics help you understand your progress without overcomplicating it. Block distracting apps Choose the apps you want to block and link them to specific habits. With your permission, selected apps remain blocked each day until the linked habits are completed. You decide which apps are included, which habits unlock them, and whether app blocking is active. You can update or disable the setup at any time. Add friends Share progress with people you trust. See each other show up, support consistency, and make accountability part of the routine. WHY CTRL HABITS Most habit apps stop at reminders and streaks. CTRL Habits connects your habits to real accountability. Your daily commitments stay visible. Friends can support your progress. Optional app blocking adds a practical consequence when distractions get in the way. APP BLOCKING AND PRIVACY App blocking is completely optional. CTRL Habits only blocks the apps you select and only according to the habits you link. Your selected apps are stored on your device. CTRL Habits does not create, store, or analyze app usage reports. You can remove permissions or turn off app blocking at any time. WHAT YOU CAN TRACK • Health and fitness • Productivity and focus • Mindfulness and self-care • Learning and growth • Personal routines and custom habits BUILT FOR FOLLOWING THROUGH CTRL Habits is for anyone who wants more than good intentions. Whether you are training, studying, building a business, creating, or improving your daily routine, CTRL gives your commitments structure. Build the habit. Stay accountable. Earn back your distractions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ctrlhabits.com/privacy Questions or feedback: info@ctrlhabits.com

About

Focus

This app helps you overcome urges and distractions by teaching you to ride them out. It offers guided sessions, app blocking, and night modes to improve focus and build healthy habits. Track your progress with streaks and levels, all while ensuring your privacy.

Highlights
  • Urge management sessions
  • App blocking
  • Guided Lock Screen sessions
  • Night block modes (flexible & strict)
  • Sleep tracking
  • Streaks and levels
  • Privacy-focused (no account/server)
Features
Read full description

Focus doesn't lock you in. It teaches you to ride out the urge. An urge rises, peaks and falls in 60-90 seconds. Almost nobody makes it to the fall. Focus is built so you do. Sessions with real friction One block or Pomodoro. Leaving the app gets noticed, giving up costs you (hold to give up, longer every time), and if the task needs other apps you say so before, not after. With app blocking, the apps you pick stay covered for the whole session. I have the urge Phone, scrolling, smoking, vaping, sugar, shopping, or anything you write in. When it hits, 60 guided seconds straight from your Lock Screen or the Action Button, without opening anything. Every urge has its own counter of days without giving in. Night block At your bedtime, iOS covers your apps until you get up, even with Focus closed. Flexible is free: if you really need it, hold on through a guided minute and get 5 minutes. Strict comes with Pro: not even you can turn it off. Sleep Phone out of bed at night, phone-free when you wake up. Focus reminds you when it's time and asks you in the morning how it went. A streak of clean nights. Streaks, levels and a 7-day challenge Every clean day lights up your streak. Ten levels, from Scattered to Lock in: the orb on your home screen glows with your level. Widgets, a Dynamic Island countdown you can extend from the Lock Screen, and a card to share. Real privacy No account, no server, no analytics. Everything stays on your iPhone. Urges behind Face ID, plus discreet mode: shake your phone and your urges get renamed “Habit 17” so you can show people the app. Free: one session a day, urges, progress, widgets, the flexible night block and privacy. Focus Pro: unlimited sessions, real app blocking, the strict night block, Sleep, all background sounds and up to 5 saved sessions. Focus is for anyone who wants to do one thing and can't stop doing another. You don't have to be better today. Just don't give in. Focus Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly, with a 7-day free trial. Prices vary by country and are shown in the app before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase or when the trial ends. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the period, in your account settings. Privacy: https://focus-app.xyz/privacy-en.html Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

CTRL Habits4 screens
Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CTRL Habits at none against Focus's 2. CTRL Habits also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CTRL Habits asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CTRL Habits ships an update weekly, Focus every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
CTRL Habits versus Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCTRL HabitsFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB13 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCTRL Studio UG (haftungsbeschrankt)Peru Bikandi Zabala

In-app purchases

None

CTRL Habits

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus

Subscriptions2
  • Mensual14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Anual14 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is CTRL Habits free?
CTRL Habits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CTRL Habits or Focus have ads?
Neither CTRL Habits nor Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CTRL Habits or Focus?
CTRL Habits ships an update weekly, and Focus every 5 days. Most recently, CTRL Habits was updated on October 25, 2026 and Focus on October 21, 2026.

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