Comparison

FocusBlocks vs Candor

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

Head to head
About

FocusBlocks

Features
Read full description

FocusBlocks helps you build better focus habits through structured deep work sessions and mindful breaks. DEEP FOCUS SESSIONS Set your preferred duration and enter distraction-free focus mode. A beautiful timer keeps you on track while you concentrate on what matters most. Start, pause, or reset your sessions with simple controls. MINDFUL BREAKS Recharge with purpose using guided micro-breaks designed to restore your energy: • Deep Breathing - 4-7-8 technique to calm your mind • Eye Rest - 20-20-20 rule for screen fatigue • Stretch - Quick neck, shoulder, and back stretches • Hydrate - Reminder to drink water • Quick Walk - Step away and move around TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Watch your focus habits grow with detailed statistics: • Daily and weekly focus hours • Total completed sessions • Streak tracking to build consistency PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock the full experience with Premium: • Unlimited custom timer durations • Customizable break times • Full streak tracking and history • Session history and insights Whether you are studying, working, or creating, FocusBlocks provides the structure you need to achieve deep, meaningful focus. Build momentum one block at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Candor

This app uses AI to analyze your written notes, revealing patterns, themes, and contradictions you might miss. It offers on-device and cloud-based AI models, with a strong emphasis on end-to-end encryption and user privacy. Chat with your notes and map clusters by theme for deeper reflection.

Highlights
  • AI-powered note analysis
  • Theme and pattern identification
  • On-device and cloud AI options
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Chat with your notes
  • Note clustering by theme
  • Data export options
Features
Read full description

Candor is a AI Note Eighteen AI lenses surface the patterns you'd never see otherwise the themes you keep returning to, the loops you don't notice, the questions you're quietly carrying. Every entry is encrypted with your master password before it leaves the writing surface. No analytics. No cloud-scraping. No support backdoor. Honest writing, in your hands. THE AI HUB Reflect runs your scoped notes through one of these lenses: • Themes — what you keep returning to, ranked by frequency • Recent mind — the 2–3 threads pulling at you this week • Loop — unconscious cycles running through your writing • Salience — what you say you care about vs. what your attention keeps landing on • Contradictions — beliefs you hold that don't fit together • Open questions — the ones you keep asking yourself • What's missing — topics you'd expect to write about but don't • The Outside View — what a stranger reading your journal would assume • Steel Man — the most generous reading of a flaw you keep naming • The Crucible — calibrated challenges at the edge of your capacity • Trajectory — where the next 6–12 months go if nothing changes • Spark for writing — open scenes to write into • Plus: Story, Timeline, Period summary, Growth, Preferences, Key choices Chat with your notes for open-ended dialogue. Map clusters your entries by theme. TWO AIs TO CHOOSE FROM • Apple Intelligence — on-device, fast, included with Backup & Export • Candor AI — cloud, frontier reasoning, included with Bundle Switch any time in Settings. The same notes feed either one. PRIVACY YOU CAN AUDIT Your master password derives a 256-bit key locally with Argon2id. Every entry is sealed with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before it leaves the writing surface. Search runs in memory and forgets. Nothing leaves your phone unless you turn on iCloud sync — and even then, Apple sees ciphertext only. There is no support backdoor. Lose your password and your recovery key, and the data is gone. That's the point. FREE CANDOR INCLUDES • Writing with auto-save • Voice dictation (on-device — Apple Speech and Omnilingual for 100+ languages) • End-to-end encryption • Full-text and semantic search • Categories, widgets, daily reminders • Local-only — no account required SUBSCRIPTIONS • Backup & Export — $2.99/month or $24.99/year Apple Intelligence on-device + Gemini cloud (bring your own API key) + iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac + .ilbk / ZIP / Obsidian export and import. • Bundle — $5.99/month or $49.99/year Everything in Backup, plus Candor AI — our most capable model, server-managed, no API key needed. 7-day free trial on the Bundle. Cancel anytime in iOS Settings. Family Sharing supported on both tiers. AUTO-RENEWAL DISCLOSURE Subscriptions renew at the price shown above unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. Your Apple ID is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://belvantis.com/candor/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Made by Belvantis. Email info@belvantis.com or visit belvantis.com.

Screenshots

FocusBlocks3 screens
Candor4 screens

Verdict

The call

FocusBlocks and Candor 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. FocusBlocks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Candor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusBlocks ships an update every 5 days, Candor every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
FocusBlocks versus Candor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusBlocksCandor
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.226.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMI HINDIBenyamin Famili

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FocusBlocks

One-time1
  • FocusBlocks Premium$4.99
4 purchases

Candor

Subscriptions4
  • Backup & Export$2.991 Month
  • Bundle$5.991 Month
  • Backup & Export7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Bundle7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is FocusBlocks free?
FocusBlocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Candor free?
Candor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FocusBlocks or Candor have ads?
Neither FocusBlocks nor Candor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusBlocks or Candor?
FocusBlocks ships an update every 5 days, and Candor every 9 days. Most recently, FocusBlocks was updated on October 28, 2026 and Candor on October 7, 2026.

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