Comparison

Deepflow Focus Timer vs Small Start

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

Head to head
About

Deepflow Focus Timer

Features
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Deepflow combines a flexible Pomodoro focus timer with automatic app and website blocking so you can lock into deep work faster and stay there longer. FOCUS TIMER FEATURES • Customizable Pomodoro sessions with work/break cycles • Automatic app and website blocking during focus time • Sync sessions across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Track streaks, goals, and total focus minutes • Flexible timer lengths for study, work, or ADHD-friendly routines APP & WEBSITE BLOCKER • Block distracting apps and websites automatically • Pre-made filters for Social Media, Entertainment, Adult Content • Create custom blocklists for different projects • Schedule digital detox windows for mornings and evenings • Blocklists sync across all your devices SCHEDULED SESSIONS • Plan recurring focus sessions by day and time • Pre-made templates for morning routines, study blocks, and work sprints • Set automatic break reminders to prevent burnout • Build consistent deep work habits with calendar integration FOCUS INSIGHTS • Visualize daily, weekly, and monthly focus patterns • Track completed sessions and distraction-free minutes • Monitor streaks to stay motivated • Celebrate wins and identify your most productive hours Perfect for students protecting study time, remote professionals reducing digital overwhelm, and anyone building a healthier relationship with technology.

About

Small Start

Features
Read full description

An ADHD brain fights lists. That is exactly why routines are so hard to keep. Small Start shows you one step at a time. Not a checklist you have to re-read, not twelve boxes waiting to be ticked — one step, one timer, one big Done button. When it's finished, the next one appears. WHY IT WORKS • One step on screen to focus on. The list is the problem, so it stays hidden. • Every step gets a timer, so time stops being invisible. • The timer runs on real clock time. Lock your phone, take a call, come back — it never drifts. • Every step chimes when it ends, with Done and +1 minute right there — the phone can stay on the shelf while you brush your teeth. • Skip and +1 minute are always there. A routine that can't bend gets abandoned. REMINDERS THAT DON'T BECOME WALLPAPER Most apps send the same notification forever until you switch them off. Small Start rotates through more than a dozen messages, so it never becomes background noise. And if you ignore three in a row, it doesn't nag harder — it changes the subject and asks whether the time is wrong, then offers to move the reminder or turn it off. Your 7:00 alarm was never going to work if you're never awake at 7:00. IT STARTS WITHOUT YOU OPENING THE APP Opening an app is the same problem as starting a routine, so it doesn't insist. • A home-screen widget starts today's routine at step one, in one tap • The running step counts down on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Apple Watch: start, finish a step or add a minute from your wrist • Ask Siri, or let a Shortcuts automation start it when your alarm goes off STREAKS THAT DON'T PUNISH YOU Missing today doesn't break your streak until the day is actually over, and a missed day is shown as a day, not a failure. A habit survives one of those. No red, no guilt, no "you've lost your progress". Half a routine counts as half, not as nothing: get through at least half the steps and the day still counts. And if you walk away mid-routine, the app offers to pick it back up where you left off. BUILT FOR PRIVACY No account. No sign-up. No email. No ads, ever. Your routines, steps and history stay on your phone — never uploaded anywhere. Your data can also leave with you. One tap exports every routine, step and completion to a file you keep, so a new phone doesn't cost you your setup. WHAT YOU GET • Three ready-made routines to start in one tap — Morning, Evening Wind-down, Getting Out the Door — all editable • Unlimited routines and steps of your own • Step lengths from 30 seconds to 90 minutes, or the one-tap presets • Per-routine schedules, weekday-by-weekday • Streaks, completion rates, a calendar of your days, and the pattern of which weekdays actually work for you • Measured step lengths, so the plan matches how long it really takes • Export and import, so your routines and history are yours to keep • Light and dark themes TRY THE WHOLE THING FOR 14 DAYS Everything is unlocked for 14 days. No card, no account, nothing to cancel — we never asked for a payment method, so we cannot charge you by accident. After that you decide, once. There's a pay-once option if you never want to think about a subscription again. Small Start is a timer and a routine keeper for adults living with ADHD. It isn't a medical device and doesn't diagnose or treat anything — it's built by and for people who find starting hard. Small Start Premium is available as a yearly subscription ($19.99/year) or a monthly subscription ($3.99/month). A one-time Lifetime purchase ($29.99) is also available and never renews. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://unverfirat.github.io/fireflysoftware/smallstart/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://unverfirat.github.io/fireflysoftware/smallstart/privacy.html

Screenshots

Deepflow Focus Timer4 screens
Small Start4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Deepflow Focus Timer at none against Small Start's 3. Small Start's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Small Start sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Deepflow Focus Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deepflow Focus Timer ships an update every 4 months, Small Start fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Deepflow Focus Timer versus Small Start: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeepflow Focus TimerSmall Start
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeepflow Labs LLCAli Firat Unver

In-app purchases

None

Deepflow Focus Timer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Small Start

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Deepflow Focus Timer free?
Deepflow Focus Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Small Start free?
Small Start is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Deepflow Focus Timer or Small Start have ads?
Deepflow Focus Timer shows ads; Small Start does not.
Which is updated more often, Deepflow Focus Timer or Small Start?
Deepflow Focus Timer ships an update every 4 months, and Small Start fortnightly. Most recently, Deepflow Focus Timer was updated on November 5, 2026 and Small Start on October 31, 2026.

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