Comparison

FocusBlocks vs ByWhen

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

Head to head
About

FocusBlocks

Features
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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: โ€ข Deep Breathing - 4-7-8 technique to calm your mind โ€ข Eye Rest - 20-20-20 rule for screen fatigue โ€ข Stretch - Quick neck, shoulder, and back stretches โ€ข Hydrate - Reminder to drink water โ€ข Quick Walk - Step away and move around TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Watch your focus habits grow with detailed statistics: โ€ข Daily and weekly focus hours โ€ข Total completed sessions โ€ข Streak tracking to build consistency PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock the full experience with Premium: โ€ข Unlimited custom timer durations โ€ข Customizable break times โ€ข Full streak tracking and history โ€ข 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

ByWhen

Features
Read full description

A deadline is not just a date. It is a promise your future self needs help keeping. ByWhen helps you turn important tasks into practical reminder plans. Instead of relying on one alert, ByWhen looks at what needs to be done, when it is due, how long it may take, what kind of attention it needs, and when your day has realistic space for it. Add a task, set the due date, estimate the effort, choose the task type, and ByWhen helps you stay aware of the work before it turns into last-minute pressure. ByWhen is built for: - Work projects with real due dates - Assignments, exams, and study sessions - Calls, forms, paperwork, and admin tasks - Errands that need time away from home or work - Personal tasks that are easy to postpone - Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and selected-day routines DEADLINE PLANS ByWhen helps you think beyond a simple due date. It considers time remaining, estimated effort, task priority, task type, and available windows in your day. A short call can fit differently than a focused work session. An errand that requires leaving home can be treated differently from a quick task you can do during a break. REMINDERS WITH CONTEXT ByWhen keeps the deadline visible as time passes. It highlights whether a task is on track, needs attention, is at risk, or has become critical. If you do not act on a reminder right away, the task remains part of your plan so you can return to it later. OPEN-TIME PLANNING With your permission, ByWhen can use calendar busy blocks to avoid suggesting times that are already occupied. You can choose what to include, ignore imported blocks, and keep control of your schedule. ROUTINE SETTINGS Set your wake time, sleep time, work hours, and workdays so reminder timing fits your real life. ByWhen can avoid unhelpful times and protect parts of the day when reminders would not make sense. TASK TYPES Different tasks need different kinds of time. ByWhen supports task types such as focused work, admin, calls, study, errands, and away-from-home tasks. This helps ByWhen suggest more realistic moments instead of treating every reminder the same way. REPEATING TASKS Create repeating tasks for daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or selected days of the week. When you complete a repeating task, ByWhen moves the next cycle forward so you are not reminded again for the period you already finished. QUICK ACTIONS Act from a reminder when possible. Start work, be reminded later, log time, or mark the task done so your plan can stay up to date. PRIVATE BY DESIGN ByWhen is built with privacy in mind. Your tasks, schedule blocks, routine settings, and reminder plans stay on your device. No account is required to start. If you choose to export a backup, it goes to your own selected destination. BYWHEN PREMIUM Your first 7 days are ByWhen Premium. During this time, all smart planning features are available. ByWhen Premium keeps every reminder active and unlocks the full planning experience, including unlimited active reminders, deadline plans, open-time planning, task-specific reminder styles, repeating tasks, quick actions, and routine personalization. After the first 7 days, your reminders stay safe, but Premium is required to keep all smart reminders active. Download ByWhen and give your deadlines a plan you can trust. Privacy Policy: https://nionlite.com/bywhen-privacy.html Terms of Use: https://nionlite.com/bywhen-terms.html

Screenshots

FocusBlocks3 screens
ByWhen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ByWhen at 17.0 against FocusBlocks's 26.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. FocusBlocks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ByWhen sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
FocusBlocks versus ByWhen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusBlocksByWhen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.217.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMI HINDINiONlite LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FocusBlocks

One-time1
  • FocusBlocks Premium$4.99
3 purchases

ByWhen

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$4.991 Month
  • Annual Premium$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$79.99

Questions

Is FocusBlocks free?
FocusBlocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ByWhen free?
ByWhen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FocusBlocks or ByWhen have ads?
Neither FocusBlocks nor ByWhen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusBlocks or ByWhen?
FocusBlocks ships an update every 5 days, and ByWhen every 5 days. Most recently, FocusBlocks was updated on October 28, 2026 and ByWhen on October 22, 2026.

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