Comparison

Pomino vs Focus4Life

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

Head to head
About

Pomino

Features
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Pomino is a beautifully crafted pomodoro focus timer that helps you study, work, and stay focused β€” without the clutter. Built on the proven Pomodoro Technique, Pomino guides you through focused work sessions and timed breaks so you can maintain deep concentration and avoid burnout. Whether you're studying for exams, tackling a work project, or building better habits, Pomino keeps you on track. HOW IT WORKS β€’ Start a 25-minute focus session β€’ Take a short break when the timer rings β€’ After 4 sessions, enjoy a longer break β€’ Repeat and watch your productivity grow FEATURES β€’ Pomodoro Timer β€” clean countdown with a beautiful progress ring β€’ Customizable Durations β€” focus (15–60 min), short break (3–10 min), long break (10–30 min) β€’ Session Tracking β€” see how many sessions you complete each day β€’ Daily Streaks β€” stay consistent and build a focus habit β€’ Weekly Stats β€” visualize your productivity with a bar chart β€’ Daily Goals β€” set a target of 1 to 12 sessions per day β€’ Smart Notifications β€” get alerted when it's time to focus or rest β€’ Haptic Feedback β€” feel the rhythm of your work sessions β€’ Phase Gradients β€” the background changes color with each timer phase MINIMAL BY DESIGN No sign-up. No social features. No distractions. Just you and your timer. Pomino's clean interface lets you focus on what matters. POMINO PRO Unlock unlimited daily sessions and detailed statistics to take your productivity to the next level. Free users enjoy up to 3 sessions per day.

About

Focus4Life

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Focus4Life turns scattered days into focused ones. A Pomodoro timer, a real task planner and a distraction blocker in one calm app β€” no ads, no account, and it works completely offline. WHY IT'S QUIET Focus4Life doesn't run on anxiety. No punishing streaks, no guilt, no noise. Its timings and limits come from published research and from the original authors of each technique, and the research-backed settings carry an (i) with the source behind them. FOUR RHYTHMS, EACH WITH A REASON β€’ Classic β€” 25 / 5 / 15, Cirillo's original technique β€’ Deep Work β€” 50 / 10 / 30, after Cal Newport's "Deep Work" β€’ Sprint β€” 15 / 3 / 10, a low-resistance way into a hard task β€’ Ultradian β€” 90 / 20, the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (Kleitman; Lavie) β€’ A live countdown on your Lock Screen β€” and in the Dynamic Island on iPhones that have one β€” drawn by iOS itself, so it costs almost no battery β€’ A gentle heads-up when a task runs past the limits research links to fatigue FOCUS LOCK β€” IT ACTUALLY STOPS YOU β€’ Block distracting apps β€” and websites in Safari β€” during a session using Apple Screen Time: a real, system-enforced shield, fully opt-in, and only while a focus phase is running β€’ Choose gentle friction or a firm block, per session or for good β€’ Flip your phone face-down to drop straight into focus, and get a nudge if you pick it up too soon β€’ Never during a break. Never while you're paused. Never without a permission you granted yourself A REAL TASK PLANNER, NOT A CHECKLIST β€’ Priorities, due dates and repeats β€” daily, weekdays, weekly or monthly, ending never, on a date, or after a set number of times β€’ Estimate a task and the app works out how many pomodoros it needs β€’ Today, Week and Month views; on iPad, Week and Month list your actual tasks under each day β€’ Notes on any task β€’ Nothing reschedules itself behind your back. Overdue work is a count and a button, never a scolding PROJECTS WITH SOMETHING TO FILL Group tasks into colour-coded projects, each with an optional note on when and where you'll do the work β€” an β€œimplementation intention”, shown to make follow-through markedly more likely (Gollwitzer, 1999). Give a project a goal image, estimate its tasks, and the image uncovers itself as you focus your way through the estimate. A GARDEN THAT REMEMBERS Every finished session uncovers part of a hidden picture, and longer sessions uncover more. A quiet record of effort β€” not a leaderboard, and not a plant that dies if you take a day off. Missing a day never takes anything away. HONEST STATS Minutes focused, sessions completed, tasks done, and your longest single session β€” for today and the last 7 days. Pro adds 30-day and all-time history, plus a breakdown of which apps interrupted you. PRIVATE BY DESIGN β€’ Works fully offline β€” no account, no sign-up, nothing in the cloud β€’ Your data stays on your device β€’ No ads. Not now, not ever. ONE APP, EVERY SCREEN iPhone, iPad and Mac, each running the same app with the same calm. Every device keeps its own data on itself β€” there is no cloud and nothing to sign in to. FOCUS4LIFE PRO Free covers the whole core loop: unlimited sessions, all four research presets, the entire task planner with repeats and notes, two projects, the Garden, and flip-to-focus. Pro is a one-time purchase β€” not a subscription β€” and unlocks unlimited projects, the full focus blocker, 30-day and all-time stats, custom timer durations, and your own photos in the Garden. It comes with a 7-day trial that asks for no payment card and simply ends. We'd love your feedback β€” reach us anytime at phan.business.nl@gmail.com.

Screenshots

Pomino4 screens
Focus4Life4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Focus4Life at 3 against Pomino's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Pomino sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Focus4Life sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pomino ships an update every 2 weeks, Focus4Life weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Pomino versus Focus4Life: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPominoFocus4Life
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS17.016.1 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size3 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPragmatiqTu Anh Phan

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pomino

One-time1
  • Pomino Pro$2.99
2 purchases

Focus4Life

One-time2
  • Focus4Life Pro β€” Lifetime$17.99
  • Focus4Life Pro β€” Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Pomino free?
Pomino is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus4Life free?
Focus4Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pomino or Focus4Life have ads?
Neither Pomino nor Focus4Life shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pomino or Focus4Life?
Pomino ships an update every 2 weeks, and Focus4Life weekly. Most recently, Pomino was updated on September 7, 2026 and Focus4Life on September 20, 2026.

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