Comparison

Catena vs PomoBrew

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

Head to head
About

Catena

Enhance your productivity with a focus timer that rewards your sessions with a virtual cat cafe. Earn coins, cook dishes, and decorate your cafe while building healthy work or study habits. Connect with friends for collaborative focus sessions and track your progress.

Highlights
  • Focus timer with customizable lengths
  • Gamified cat cafe progression
  • Ambient sounds and music
  • Optional app blocking
  • Social focus rooms and leaderboards
  • Routine insights and history (Pro)
Read full description

Catena is a cozy Pomodoro and study timer where focused time grows your own cat cafe. Settle into homework, exam prep, or deep work with friends, music, and cats to keep you company. FIND YOUR FOCUS Choose your focus and break lengths, or use the stopwatch for flexible sessions. Set the mood with music and ambient sounds. Optional App Blocking helps keep distractions out of your study time. BUILD A CAFE WITH EVERY SESSION Earn coins and ingredients as you focus. Cook recipes, feed visiting cats, unlock decorations, and make your cafe feel like home. Get to know each cat as your cafe grows. STUDY WITH FRIENDS Join shared study rooms, keep in touch through group chats, and plan study sessions. Find your groups, invitations, and friends in Community. Visit friends' cafes and see your progress on leaderboards. SEE YOUR STUDY ROUTINE GROW Your basic focus overview, today's receipts, and your most recent receipt are available without Pro. Catena Pro unlocks detailed Insights reports and full history, alongside the other Pro features shown in the app. The timer, cafe, and social features are available without Pro. START WITH A SESSION Catena opens on the Timer so you can get straight to focusing. Prefer your cafe first? Turn on Start on Home in Settings. Make a little time for focus. Give your cats a little more to look forward to. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://catenafocus.com/privacy.html

About

PomoBrew

Read full description

Turn focused work into a calm coffee ritual. Coffee Pomodoro is a thoughtfully designed focus timer that pairs the Pomodoro technique with warm coffee-inspired visuals and optional café ambience. Choose a coffee, set your focus and break durations, and move through each session with a clear, relaxing rhythm. No sign-up is required. BUILD YOUR FOCUS RHYTHM Create custom Pomodoro sessions Adjust focus, short break, long break, and cycle settings Start breaks automatically for a seamless routine Pause, resume, or end a session at any time Receive notifications when focus or break time is complete MAKE EACH SESSION YOURS Choose from a collection of hot and iced coffees, including espresso, latte, cappuccino, cold brew, and more. Your selected coffee becomes part of the session experience, giving every focus block a little character. CALM CAF AMBIENCE Add gentle café background sound to your sessions and adjust the volume to suit your environment. You can also focus in silence whenever you prefer. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Review completed Pomodoros, daily focus minutes, recent sessions, and your focus streak. Session summaries show your selected coffee, target duration, actual focus time, and completion date. BETTER BREAKS Short and long break screens help you step away intentionally, with simple prompts for breathing and hydration before the next focus block. PREMIUM COFFEES Some hot and iced coffee selections are available with an optional monthly subscription. Purchases can be restored using the same Apple Account after reinstalling the app. Coffee Pomodoro keeps productivity simple: choose your coffee, start the timer, and focus on what matters. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://doesoftware.com/coffee-pomodoro.html

Screenshots

Catena4 screens
PomoBrew4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: PomoBrew at 3 against Catena's 1. 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. Catena sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PomoBrew sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Catena versus PomoBrew: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatenaPomoBrew
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB38 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJulienne StudiosDOE SOFTWARE LTD

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Catena

Subscriptions2
  • Catena Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Catena Pro Yearly14 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Catena Pro Lifetime$39.99
1 purchases

PomoBrew

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Coffees$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Catena free?
Catena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PomoBrew free?
PomoBrew is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Catena or PomoBrew have ads?
Neither Catena nor PomoBrew shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Catena or PomoBrew?
Catena ships an update every 6 days, and PomoBrew every 6 days. Most recently, Catena was updated on October 31, 2026 and PomoBrew on October 31, 2026.

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