Comparison

FocusBlocks vs Tally

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

Tally

This app offers a minimalist approach to task management, focusing on a single daily list without overwhelming features. Unfinished tasks automatically roll over to the next day with a tally mark, promoting honesty over pressure. It also includes a 'Thoughts' section for ideas and accidental organization through hashtags.

Highlights
  • Single daily to-do list
  • Automatic task rollover
  • Tally marks for persistent tasks
  • Thoughts section for ideas
  • Hashtag organization
  • Device sync via iCloud
Features
Read full description

Most to-do apps have a secret: the red badge is the business model. Overdue counts, broken streaks, 247 tasks staring at you until you close the app and never come back. Tally works differently. You get today. One list. Anything you don't finish quietly moves to tomorrow on its own. No rescheduling ceremony, no wall of red, no tiny disappointed parent on your home screen. The task just earns a small tally mark for every day it survives. Honest, not hysterical. A task with six tally marks isn't screaming at you. It's raising an eyebrow. Somehow that works better. ONE DAY. ONE LIST. Add what matters today. That's it. No projects, no sub-projects, no priority matrices, no perspectives, no filters you'll spend a weekend configuring. If your to-do app needs a tutorial, it's a hobby, not a tool. IT ROLLS OVER SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO Midnight comes, finished tasks file themselves into history, unfinished ones carry into tomorrow with one more tally stroke. You never triage a backlog again, because there is no backlog. There's just today, and the things still following you. THOUGHTS: FOR THINGS THAT AREN'T TASKS YET Half-ideas, maybes, and somedays go in the Thoughts dump. No checkbox, no deadline, no guilt. When one grows up, promote it to today with a tap. TYPE #, GET ORGANIZED BY ACCIDENT Write #home or #work anywhere in a task. Tap the tag to see everything in it, pending first, completed hidden until you ask. No tag manager, no setup, no cleanup. Tags exist because you typed them, and die when you delete them. YESTERDAY, EXACTLY AS YOU LEFT IT Swipe right to walk back through your days, read only. What got done, what spilled over. Your history stays honest because you can't rewrite it. WHAT'S NOT HERE, ON PURPOSE No streaks. No badges. No confetti. No karma points. No collaboration, no comments, no Kanban, no AI assistant asking how your day was. No account, either: your list lives on your device and syncs privately through iCloud. We can't see your tasks, and frankly, the tally marks are judgment enough. WORKS EVERYWHERE YOU DO iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Widgets that show your open count and let you check things off without opening the app. Full keyboard shortcuts on Mac. Tally is for people who have downloaded eleven to-do apps, configured four of them beautifully, and finished zero of them. The problem was never your discipline. It was the software asking you to run a small logistics company just to remember the dry cleaning. One day. One list. A few quiet marks that keep you honest.

Screenshots

FocusBlocks3 screens
Tally4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: FocusBlocks at every 5 days against Tally's fortnightly. Tally's advantage is iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.2). 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. FocusBlocks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tally sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusBlocks ships an update every 5 days, Tally fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FocusBlocks versus Tally: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusBlocksTally
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.218.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMI HINDISaad Aamir

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FocusBlocks

One-time1
  • FocusBlocks Premium$4.99
2 purchases

Tally

One-time2
  • Coffee Sized Tip$7.99
  • Pizza Sized Tip$17.99

Questions

Is FocusBlocks free?
FocusBlocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tally free?
Tally is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FocusBlocks or Tally have ads?
Neither FocusBlocks nor Tally shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusBlocks or Tally?
FocusBlocks ships an update every 5 days, and Tally fortnightly. Most recently, FocusBlocks was updated on October 28, 2026 and Tally on October 31, 2026.

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