Comparison

Shelly vs Focus Era

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

Head to head
About

Shelly

This app helps you build healthier phone habits with a visual motivator. It blocks distracting apps, offers focus schedules, and provides gentle breathing reminders to prevent mindless scrolling. Track your progress and improve your digital well-being.

Highlights
  • Visual motivation with a growing snail
  • App blocking and smart schedules
  • Breathing interventions
  • Shell Mode for total focus
  • Daily time allowances
  • Streak tracking
  • History and insights
Features
Read full description

Take back your day with Shelly — your friendly screen time coach to help you build healthy phone habits. Shelly is a cute snail who lives on your phone. The less you doom-scroll, the healthier Shelly gets. The more you mindlessly scroll, the more Shelly retreats into her shell. It's a simple visual nudge that works — no guilt trips, no lectures, just a little friend keeping you honest. Most of us spend 5+ hours glued to our screens without realizing it. Shelly flips the script: block the apps that drain your time, set focus schedules, and get gentle breathing reminders when you're about to spiral into another scroll session. WHY SHELLY WORKS - Visual motivation: Watch Shelly's health improve as your screen time drops - Gentle nudges, not guilt: Breathing exercises instead of harsh lockouts - Smart schedules: Auto-block apps during bedtime, work hours, or study sessions - Shell Mode: Total focus mode that blocks everything except what you whitelist - Real insights: See exactly which apps eat your time and track your progress FEATURES - Instant App Blocking: Pick the apps and sites to block. Done in seconds. - Shell Mode: Block everything except what you whitelist. Total focus. - Breathing Interventions: A 10-second breathing pause before any tracked app opens. - Smart Schedules: Auto-block apps at bedtime, work hours, or custom windows. - Daily Time Allowances: Cap usage on any app. Hit the limit, Shelly blocks it. - Escape Hatch: Need a blocked app? Simple unblock. - Streak Tracking: Stay under your goal. Watch the streak grow. - Home Screen Widget: Today's health score, always visible. - History & Insights: Weekly charts to spot patterns and celebrate wins. DESIGNED FOR - Students who lose hours to scrolling before exams - Creators who need to focus on making, not consuming - Professionals who want deep work without distractions - Parents building healthier phone habits for the family - Anyone who's tired of picking up their phone 150+ times a day PRIVATE & SECURE Shelly uses Apple's Screen Time API. All monitoring and blocking happen entirely on your device. Your usage data never leaves your phone — ever. No tracking. No ads. Just you and Shelly. FOUNDERS NOTE: I built Shelly because I was scrolling for 6 hours a day on my phone and couldn't stop. None of the screen time apps felt right — they were either too strict, too preachy, too complicated, or too easy to bypass. Shelly is the app I wished existed: simple, kind, and effective. All features described above require a subscription. Terms of Service: https://getshelly.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getshelly.app/privacy

About

Focus Era

Read full description

Stop doomscrolling. Start leveling up. Focus Era is a focus pomodoro timer, distraction blocker, and accountability coach designed to help you stay consistent. Block distracting apps and websites, start a focus session, and earn progress every time you show up. Build streaks, unlock new eras, and turn focus into something you'll actually want to come back to. HOW IT WORKS • Start a focus session • Block distractions across your devices • Earn XP and build streaks • Unlock new eras as you stay consistent • Stay accountable with your focus coach gem :) • Make progress, one session at a time FEATURES • App blocking • Pomodoro and custom focus timers • Gamified progression and streaks • Unlockable eras and rewards • Accountability personalities • Friction modes to reduce impulse quitting • Cross-device sync (Macbook) • Focus insights and progress tracking Most productivity apps help you focus for a day. Focus Era is designed to help you build momentum for the long run. Whether you're studying, working, creating, or building something important, Focus Era helps you spend less time scrolling and more time moving forward. It's a fun and silly timer to give you some moments of joy while you're working hard. ----- Privacy Policy: https://www.notion.so/Focus-Era-35e44b3a893680d3a1b5db2fa3242 Questions, feedback, or feature requests? We'd love to hear from you. focusera@proton.me

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
Focus Era4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus Era at every 5 days against Shelly's every 3 weeks. Focus Era also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shelly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Focus Era sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 3 weeks, Focus Era every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Shelly versus Focus Era: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellyFocus Era
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpindle Hyperlocal Solutions Private LimitedRania Khuffash

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Shelly

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Plan$5.991 Month
  • One time offer$24.991 Year
  • Premium Plan$49.991 Year
3 purchases

Focus Era

Subscriptions2
  • Focus Era Pro$2.991 Month
  • Focus Era Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focus Era Pro — Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Era free?
Focus Era is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shelly or Focus Era have ads?
Neither Shelly nor Focus Era shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or Focus Era?
Shelly ships an update every 3 weeks, and Focus Era every 5 days. Most recently, Shelly was updated on October 18, 2026 and Focus Era on October 24, 2026.

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