Comparison

Flowtime vs CineFocus

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

Head to head
About

Flowtime

This app helps you understand your focus by using a full-screen timer. Simply tap when your mind drifts and tap again to re-engage. It provides insights into your truly focused time to help you naturally improve your study habits.

Highlights
  • Full-screen focus timer
  • Tap to track focus drift
  • Insight into true focus time
  • Improve study habits naturally
  • Reduce distractions without guilt
  • See progress clearly
Features
Read full description

Flowtime - Focus Timer Flowtime helps you understand your focus, not fight it. Start a full-screen timer and study as you normally would. When your mind drifts, tap the screen. When you’re ready to re-engage, tap once more. At the end of each session, Flowtime shows you how much time you were truly focused, helping you build awareness and improve naturally over time. No pressure. No rigid rules. Just honest insight into how you study. Perfect for students who want to: • Study with intention • Reduce distractions without guilt • Improve their focus • See their progress clearly Focus is a skill. Flowtime helps you train it.

About

CineFocus

Features
Read full description

CineFocus turns deep work into a cinema ritual. Pick a session, take your seat, tear the ticket — and stay until the credits roll. A focus timer and app blocker for people who want a ritual, not another Pomodoro. Every session is a showing. Every completed session is a memory. Over time, your focus becomes your favorite habit. A FOCUS RITUAL UNLIKE ANY OTHER Choose your session length, pick your seat, select your focus type, and tear the movie ticket to begin. It's deep work, reimagined as cinema — a Pomodoro alternative that doesn't feel like a productivity spreadsheet. IMMERSIVE FOCUS ENVIRONMENTS Sit in a quiet theater. Park at the drive-in under the stars. Each environment is designed to pull you into flow state and keep distractions at the door. BLOCK THE NOISE Lock out social apps, games, and anything else that steals your attention. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit — silenced until the credits roll. Powered by Apple Screen Time. BUILT FOR HOW YOU FOCUS Deep Work — long, uninterrupted blocks for your hardest tasks Study — exam prep, reading, note-taking, test cramming Meditation — quiet, intentional sessions Reading — finish that book, one showing at a time Creative Flow — writing, designing, making Exercise — time-boxed movement TRACK YOUR SHOWINGS See your weekly runtime, daily streak, session count, and genre breakdown. Every session adds up. Every streak tells a story. Perfect for building a deep work habit that actually sticks. WIDGETS, LOCK SCREEN & STANDBY Glance at your current session from your Lock Screen, Home Screen, Dynamic Island, or StandBy. Live Activities keep your focus always in view. MADE FOR Students pulling all-nighters. Writers and designers chasing flow. Remote workers drowning in Slack. Readers reclaiming an hour with a book. Anyone with ADHD who needs a ritual, not a reminder. WHY CINEFOCUS IS DIFFERENT Other focus timers feel like chores. CineFocus feels like a ritual you look forward to. The ticket, the seat, the screen — small details that make deep focus something you actually want to do. No gamified guilt. No dying trees. No airport check-ins. Just you, in the best seat in the house. Turn your phone into a cinema. Turn your focus into a feature film. Get your ticket. Take your seat. The show starts when you do. Love CineFocus? Leave a review — it helps other focused people find us. - Subscription Plans: "CineFocus Premium (Annual Auto-Renewal)", "CineFocus Premium (Monthly Auto-Renewal)" - Subscription Type: Auto-renewable subscription - Subscription Price: $23.99 per year (annual auto-renewal) / $3.99 per month (monthly auto-renewal) - Cancel Subscription: To cancel your subscription, go to your iPhone Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions, and select "CineFocus Premium" to cancel. If you do not cancel at least 24 hours before the subscription period ends, the subscription will automatically renew. - The Apple ID associated with the auto-renewable subscription will be charged in your App Store account 24 hours before each billing period ends to extend the subscription. Terms of Service (including subscription policies): https://cinefocus.netlify.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://cinefocus.netlify.app/privacy

Screenshots

Flowtime4 screens
CineFocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Flowtime at none against CineFocus's 4. CineFocus's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CineFocus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Flowtime asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flowtime ships an update every 2 weeks, CineFocus every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Flowtime versus CineFocus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowtimeCineFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeil RameyAkarys Turganbekuly

In-app purchases

None

Flowtime

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

CineFocus

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Plan$19.99
  • Lifetime Plan$34.99

Questions

Is Flowtime free?
Flowtime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CineFocus free?
CineFocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Flowtime or CineFocus have ads?
Neither Flowtime nor CineFocus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flowtime or CineFocus?
Flowtime ships an update every 2 weeks, and CineFocus every 3 days. Most recently, Flowtime was updated on October 10, 2026 and CineFocus on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons