Comparison

Deep Work vs Pull to Refresh

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

Head to head
About

Deep Work

Features
Read full description

Deep Work helps you focus on what actually matters. Unlike traditional focus timers, it distinguishes Deep Work — meaningful, cognitively demanding work — from Shallow Work like email and admin, so you can understand where your focused hours actually go. Built for people who value meaningful progress over constant activity, Deep Work helps you structure intentional focus sessions and develop a sustainable focus habit. Inspired by the philosophy of deep work, it gives you a calm system for putting your best attention toward work that matters. How it works 1. Plan your focus session Start with intention. Define a clear time boundary for the work you want to accomplish. Each session helps you enter a focused state without endless timers or drifting. 2. Work with depth Not all work is the same. The app helps you distinguish between: • Deep Work — cognitively demanding work that creates real progress • Shallow Work — reactive tasks like emails, admin, and quick responses Over time, you’ll clearly see where your meaningful work happens. 3. Reflect and improve Focus is a skill that improves with awareness. Weekly insights help you understand: • how many deep hours you created • where distractions appeared • how consistent your focus habits are Small adjustments lead to better focus. Key Features 1. Structured focus sessions Set a clear duration for intentional work with flexible time blocks and optional reminders to help you begin on time. 2. Deep vs shallow work tracking Understand the quality of your time, not just the quantity. See where meaningful progress happens. 3. Live Activities & reliable background alerts Keep your session visible on the Lock Screen and get notified when focus time ends, even when the app is closed. 4. Siri & Quick Start widgets Start tasks instantly with voice commands, Home Screen widgets, and Lock Screen quick actions. 5. Weekly focus insights Identify patterns, distractions, deep hours, and improvement opportunities over time. 6. Designed for sustainable focus Build deep work habits without burnout, pressure, or productivity guilt. 7. Calm, minimal interface No streak anxiety. No artificial rewards. Just clarity and focus. Who it's for Deep Work is designed for people who need real concentration: • Students preparing for exams • Engineers, developers, designers, and writers • Knowledge workers doing cognitively demanding tasks • People practicing time-blocking or focused study • Anyone who values depth over distraction Focus with intention. Work with depth. Build days that truly matter. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use. • https://pmsoft.com.vn/deepwork/privacy • https://pmsoft.com.vn/deepwork/terms

About

Pull to Refresh

This app locks your most time-consuming applications until you complete physical exercises. Earn back minutes for your apps by doing push-ups, sit-ups, or other movements, with the camera accurately counting your reps. Your exercise data can be saved to Health.

Highlights
  • App time allowance setting
  • Exercise-based rep counting
  • Pose detection for accurate reps
  • Health app integration
  • Optional public leaderboard
  • Strict mode for enhanced blocking
Features
Read full description

Pull to refresh. Actually pull. Pick the apps that eat your day, give them an allowance, and when it runs out they lock. To get back in, you do reps. The camera counts them on your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps. Instagram, TikTok, X, games — whatever you actually lose hours to. 2. Set the allowance. So many minutes a day, a few minutes an hour, or nothing at all. 3. Run out, and they shut. 4. Do a set. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups or jumping jacks. 5. Spend what you earned, on whichever app you were reaching for. THE COUNTING IS HONEST Reps are scored from your body's joint positions, not from your phone shaking in a pocket. A rep only counts on a full movement — down to depth and back — so half-reps score nothing, and the app tells you why instead of leaving you guessing. Shaking the phone pays exactly zero. Time is measured in real use of those apps, not on a clock. Put the phone down mid-scroll and the minutes you paid for are still there. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE Pose detection runs on the device. No video is recorded, stored or uploaded, and there is no account to make. iOS hands the app opaque tokens rather than names, so it can tell that you picked an app — never what you do inside it. IT COUNTS TWICE Finished sets can be saved to Health as workouts, so reps done here go to your Move ring and show up in Fitness with everything else. RACE SOMEONE Put your reps on a public board and chase a friend. Opt-in, under any name you like, and leaving deletes your row. PRO Free covers a whole working loop: one group of apps on a daily allowance, every exercise, rep counting, Health and the leaderboard. Forever. Pro makes the lock harder — it never makes it softer: - Strict mode. A rule you cannot switch off the moment you want to. Changing it costs a cooling-off period first, which is exactly when you would have caved. - Minutes per hour. Short check-ins instead of one long sitting. - As many rules as you like, with different limits for different apps. - Your whole history, with streaks. Money never buys screen time here. Only reps do that. Pro is a subscription, renewing until cancelled, or a one-off payment for good. Manage or cancel any time in Settings. WORTH KNOWING Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time. You will be asked to grant it on first launch, and the camera when you do your first set. Deleting the app removes every lock, whatever you have bought — this is a speed bump you chose, not a cage. Privacy Policy - https://ef03b566.pull-to-refresh.pages.dev/privacy EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Deep Work4 screens
Pull to Refresh4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Pull to Refresh at 17.0 against Deep Work's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Deep Work sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per year and Pull to Refresh sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deep Work ships an update every 4 days, Pull to Refresh every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Deep Work versus Pull to Refresh: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeep WorkPull to Refresh
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXuan Ham NguyenIvan Chernoknizhnikov

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Deep Work

Subscriptions1
  • PRO Yearly — Intro Offer1 Year trial$6.991 Year
2 purchases

Pull to Refresh

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Yearly$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Deep Work free?
Deep Work is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pull to Refresh free?
Pull to Refresh is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Deep Work or Pull to Refresh have ads?
Neither Deep Work nor Pull to Refresh shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Deep Work or Pull to Refresh?
Deep Work ships an update every 4 days, and Pull to Refresh every 3 days. Most recently, Deep Work was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pull to Refresh on October 2, 2026.

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