Comparison

ThoughtsLeft vs Focus

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

Head to head
About

ThoughtsLeft

Capture your fleeting thoughts, ideas, and worries quickly through typing or voice. Organize them into tasks or notes, or simply let them go. Gain insights into your thinking patterns and maintain mental clarity.

Highlights
  • Instant thought capture (type or voice)
  • Organize thoughts with swipe gestures
  • Spoken Thought for hands-free capture
  • Time-based task manager
  • Notes repository
  • Activity insights
  • Optional Pro upgrade for advanced features
Features
Read full description

Thoughts Left is a brain dump app for people who think too much: late-night spirals, half-finished ideas, things you keep checking, things you're scared to forget. Get them all out fast, before the mental clutter takes over. Capture however it comes to you. Type it, speak it as a Spoken Thought, or snap it. No structure required, no "right way" to do it. Then decide on your own time. Turn thoughts into a task or a note, or simply let them go with one swipe, because not every thought needs to become something. NEW IN 2.0: SNAP DUMP Did you lock the door? Turn off the stove? Where did you park? Snap a photo once and stop wondering. Snaps clear themselves after 24 hours and never leave your phone. KEY FEATURES: • Instant capture for ideas, worries, and reminders • Snap Dump: photo capture that clears itself in 24 hours • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick capture • Long-press the app icon to jump straight to Snap Dump or a new thought • Capture from anywhere with the Action Button or Siri • Spoken Thought for hands-free, voice-based capture • Swipe gestures to turn thoughts into tasks or notes • Just let go mode: hide Tasks and Notes for a simpler app • Batch processing sessions for inbox zero • Time-based task manager (Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Someday) • Notes for everything you want to keep • Activity insights into your thinking patterns • App Lock with Face ID or Touch ID • Dark and light themes • Private by design: no account, and your thoughts and snaps stay on your device (optional iCloud sync) • Export all your thoughts or delete them anytime OPTIONAL PRO UPGRADE Thoughts Left works fully without upgrading. For deeper reflection, focus, and mental clarity, an optional PRO upgrade is available. Keep Snaps Longer • Keep a snap for 3, 7 or 30 days, or forever Thought Timeline & History • View your complete thought history • See how thoughts become tasks, notes, or released items • Reflect on your thinking patterns over time Pattern Insights • Discover when your mind is loudest • Understand your overthinking habits Custom Scheduling • Set exact dates and times for tasks and get notified • Plan with more clarity and precision iCloud Sync • Keep your thoughts backed up and synced with iCloud • Your thoughts stay private, sync is always optional Apple Calendar Sync • Automatically sync your Thoughts Left tasks to your Apple Calendar • View your to-dos right alongside your daily events Premium Themes • Unlock 5 calming, nature-inspired themes • Personalise your space for reflection and focus Available as a one-time purchase or an annual subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focus

Features
Read full description

The problem isn't planning. It's having 50 things scream for your attention at once. Focus is the calm, distraction-free daily planner and timer built for ADHD minds that are drowning in decision fatigue, task paralysis, and endless phone distractions. You don't need another app with 200 features. You need one that makes you do the one thing that actually matters — right now. WHY FOCUS WORKS ◆ ONE THING AT A TIME (THE RULE OF 3) Todoist gave you 200 tasks. Things 3 gave you infinite lists. Focus gives you 3. Pick today's priorities, hide everything else, and work through them one card at a time. When you finish 3, you're done. That's your daily finish line. ◆ DISTRACTION SHIELD (APP BLOCKER) You know the pattern: "I'll just check Instagram for a second." 90 minutes later, you haven't started. Focus uses Apple Screen Time to physically lock distracting apps while your timer is active. They unlock when you're done. No willpower needed. ◆ IMMERSIVE POMODORO & SOUNDSCAPES Your brain needs the right environment to focus. Pair 25 or 50-minute Pomodoro sessions with built-in ambient soundscapes — gentle rain, brown noise, cafe bustle, and 40Hz binaural audio — scientifically designed to quiet ADHD racing thoughts. ◆ AI TASK BREAKDOWN "Write the quarterly report" is terrifying. "Open the document and type one sentence" is not. Focus breaks overwhelming tasks into tiny, 5-minute micro-steps so you actually start instead of staring at your phone for an hour. ◆ LIVE ACTIVITIES & DYNAMIC ISLAND Your current task and remaining time are always visible on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. No unlocking. No new distractions. Just a quiet reminder of what you're doing and how much time is left. ◆ 2-WAY APPLE CALENDAR SYNC See your calendar events right alongside today's priorities. Timebox your day and protect dedicated deep work blocks. No more double-booking your focus time. ◆ INTERACTIVE WIDGETS Your #1 priority lives on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. Check it off with a single tap without ever opening the app. Less friction = less procrastination. ◆ GUILT-FREE STREAKS Broke your streak? Focus has built-in streak protection. Because missing one day shouldn't erase three weeks of momentum. Build daily habits without shame. WHO IS FOCUS FOR? • ADHD & Neurodivergent Minds — Overcome task paralysis, executive dysfunction, and time blindness. • Deep Workers & Developers — Guard your flow state from Slack, email, and social media. • Students — Study with structured Pomodoro intervals and zero distractions. • Minimalists — Clean, native Apple design. No bloat. No gamification gimmicks. YOUR DATA. YOUR DEVICE. • Privacy-First: Tasks stay on your device and private iCloud. Period. • No account required. No analytics. No ad trackers. No data harvesting. • Built natively for iPhone, iPad, Dynamic Island, and StandBy mode. One thing at a time. Silence the noise. Reclaim your focus. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.bytenpixels.com/privacy

Screenshots

ThoughtsLeft4 screens
Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

ThoughtsLeft and Focus are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. ThoughtsLeft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Focus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThoughtsLeft ships an update every 2 weeks, Focus every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
ThoughtsLeft versus Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThoughtsLeftFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJayasrinivasan VaradharajanJiten Siddhpura

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ThoughtsLeft

Subscriptions1
  • Thoughts Left PRO7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Thoughts Left Pro$39.99
1 purchases

Focus

One-time1
  • Focus Premium$3.99

Questions

Is ThoughtsLeft free?
ThoughtsLeft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ThoughtsLeft or Focus have ads?
Neither ThoughtsLeft nor Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ThoughtsLeft or Focus?
ThoughtsLeft ships an update every 2 weeks, and Focus every 11 days. Most recently, ThoughtsLeft was updated on October 28, 2026 and Focus on October 21, 2026.

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