Comparison

Deep Focus vs Cadence · Deep Work

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

Head to head
About

Deep Focus

Features
Read full description

Deep Focus - Deep Work Timer is a focus timer app built for deep work and flow. Use it as a study timer, work timer, or coding timer to quickly record how long you stayed focused. Your sessions are saved by project, so you can track progress over time and review your productivity with clear stats and a heatmap. Start the focus timer once, and your focus time tracking and time management habits begin to build naturally. The reason to use a focus timer is simple. When you can see how much flow time you achieved today, which projects took most of your time, and whether you are staying consistent (streak), it becomes much easier to plan your next session. [Key Features] 1. Deep Work Focus Timer (Focus Timer) • Simple controls: start, pause, resume, finish • Optional session notes after finishing: record what you worked on • Keep screen on option to prevent the display from turning off during focus • Session recovery when returning from background or restarting the app (within 12 hours) 2. Project-Based Time Tracking (Time Tracker, Work Time Tracking) • Add, edit, and delete projects • Track total deep work time per project and manage status (active/completed) • See at a glance where your focus time goes 3. Statistics and Visualization (Productivity Tracker) • Overall summary: total focus time, number of sessions, average focus time, longest streak • Period stats: today, weekly, monthly, yearly • Recent activity list to quickly review today’s deep work sessions 4. Goals and Streak (Build a Deep Work Habit) • Set a daily goal (30 minutes to 8 hours) • Real-time progress toward your goal • Stay consistent with a streak system that makes progress visible 5. Heatmap (Focus Calendar) • GitHub-style heatmap to view your last 12 weeks of flow and deep work • Color intensity increases as your focus time grows, making improvement easy to see

About

Cadence · Deep Work

This app helps you overcome the inertia of starting tasks by focusing on your current capacity. It guides you through structured work sessions, presenting one task at a time to promote deep work and minimize distractions.

Highlights
  • Focus-based task sorting
  • Structured focus sessions
  • Thoughtful completion flow
  • Calm, intentional design
  • Minimal execution screen
Features
Read full description

Most to-do apps help you organize work. Cadence helps you do it. The problem isn’t your list. It’s the moment you open it and don’t know where to begin. Cadence removes the noise and gives you a clear starting point. Instead of asking, “What’s most urgent?” Cadence asks, “How much focus do you have right now?” Then it surfaces one task that fits and guides you into a focused session built for depth, not busywork. No dashboards. No streak pressure. No endless scrolling. Just a clean commitment to the next meaningful block of work. What Makes It Different? Focus-Based Task Sorting Organize tasks by Peak, Active, or Light focus. Work with your capacity instead of fighting it. Structured Focus Sessions A minimal execution screen that helps you stay with the task, especially when it’s tempting to quit. Thoughtful Completion Flow Finish fully. Mark partial progress. Break it down. Continue. All without losing momentum. Calm, Intentional Design Greyscale. Dark-mode first. Designed to lower cognitive noise, not increase it. Your to-do list isn’t the problem. Starting is. Find your rhythm with Cadence!

Screenshots

Deep Focus4 screens
Cadence · Deep Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cadence · Deep Work at none against Deep Focus's shown. Deep Focus's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Deep Focus versus Cadence · Deep Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeep FocusCadence · Deep Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeulki EomKavinraj Thirumoorthi

In-app purchases

None

Deep Focus

No in-app purchases

None

Cadence · Deep Work

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Deep Focus free?
Deep Focus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cadence · Deep Work free?
Cadence · Deep Work is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Deep Focus or Cadence · Deep Work have ads?
Deep Focus shows ads; Cadence · Deep Work does not.

Other comparisons