Comparison

FocusCat vs Skrive

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

Head to head
About

FocusCat

Enhance your productivity with a charming feline companion. This app uses the Pomodoro Technique with cute kitten animations that react to your focus sessions, making work and study more enjoyable and less stressful. Track your progress with detailed statistics in a beautifully designed, intuitive interface.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro Technique timer
  • Cute kitten animations
  • Focus progress statistics
  • Simple and intuitive interface
  • No registration required
  • Cozy design
Features
Read full description

A Pomodoro timer with a cat that keeps you company while you study or work. FocusCat is a simple Pomodoro timer: you press play, the kitten wakes up and moves along with your focus session. When the time is up, you both rest. WHY FOCUSCAT - Starts in one tap Open the app, press play, and your focus session begins. An account is optional, so you can try the timer before deciding anything. - Block the apps that pull you away Choose which apps to block during a session and FocusCat holds the line for you. No willpower needed to ignore a notification you never receive. The block lasts as long as the Pomodoro, then everything comes back on its own. - A cat for company The cat animation follows the timer. It is a gentle way to feel that the session is running, with no aggressive alarms and no guilt trips. - Study with friends in real time See who is in a session right now and let them see you. Studying alone is harder than studying next to someone, even when that someone is a name on a screen. Add friends and run your Pomodoro sessions together. - Earn XP for every session you finish Each completed block gives you XP and moves your level forward. Your progress comes from the time you actually focused, not from paying. - Your focus, your intervals Set the length of your focus block, your short break, and your long break. The classic Pomodoro is 25 and 5, but you can run 50 and 10 if that suits you better. - Categories that separate your work Create categories like University, Exam Prep, Work, or Reading, and see how much time went into each one. - Statistics that show the pattern Daily focus chart, study time per day, total time per category, session completion rate, focus vs break, and recent history. WHO IT IS FOR - Students preparing for exams who need a study timer they can trust - University students in the middle of a thesis, a paper, or finals - Study groups who want to focus together without being in the same room - Remote workers who reach the end of the day with no idea where the time went - Anyone who struggles with concentration and studies better in short blocks - Anyone who tried a productivity app before and quit because it was too much HOW THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE WORKS 1. Pick one task 2. Start the 25 minute Pomodoro timer 3. Work without switching tabs until the time is up 4. Take a 5 minute break 5. After four cycles, take a longer break The Pomodoro cycle is short on purpose. Starting is easier when you only have to hold out for 25 minutes, and the FocusCat kitten exists to make those 25 minutes less dry. Download FocusCat, open the Pomodoro timer, and turn your study time into a routine you can actually keep. ____________________________________ Subscription Information and Legal Terms Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/159KLO0Wz2Y6tor39p5OC5wzgTnxxN71FrvvkCuKtLp8/edit?usp=sharing Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Skrive

A straightforward and secure journaling app focused on daily writing. It offers a clean interface with no distractions, allowing users to easily record thoughts and memories. Entries are encrypted and can be exported as plain text.

Highlights
  • One entry per day
  • Plain text writing
  • Clean interface
  • Searchable history
  • Device encryption
  • Plain text export
  • Cross-device sync (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Skrive is a simple, secure journal built for daily writing. One entry per day, plain text, nothing in the way. Keeping a daily journal is one of the most rewarding habits you can build. It sharpens how you think and write, helps you process stress, and gives you a record of your life to look back on. Regular journaling has been shown to improve memory, boost mental clarity, and support mental health. Skrive exists to make that habit as easy as possible to keep. There are no tags, no folders, no formatting options. Just a clean writing surface that opens fast and gets out of the way. The focus is entirely on the words you write. Every entry is dated, and your full journal history is always at your fingertips. Scroll back through past entries or search for a specific memory, moment, or thought you wrote down months ago. Skrive is free to use with no limits on how much you write. Your entries are encrypted and stored securely on your device, and you can export everything as plain text at any time. Your journal belongs to you. Skrive Pro adds sync across all your devices. Write on your iPhone, continue on your iPad or your Mac. Everything is encrypted end to end before it ever leaves your device, and stored on servers in Europe. Only you hold the key. Only you can read what you write. Skrive is made by an independent developer who journals every day. It is a small app, built with care. Website: https://skrive.app Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

FocusCat4 screens
Skrive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Skrive at none against FocusCat's shown. FocusCat's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and monetization model (ad-supported vs freemium). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. FocusCat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Skrive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for FocusCat against 5.0 for Skrive. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusCat ships an update every 5 days, Skrive every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FocusCat versus Skrive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusCatSkrive
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperForward TecnologiaIsak Solheim

Customer experience

FocusCat

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Skrive

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

FocusCat

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plan1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual Plan1 Month trial$34.991 Year
2 purchases

Skrive

Subscriptions2
  • End-to-end encrypted sync$3.991 Month
  • End-to-end encrypted sync$29.991 Year

Questions

Is FocusCat free?
FocusCat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skrive free?
Skrive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FocusCat or Skrive?
FocusCat and Skrive are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do FocusCat or Skrive have ads?
FocusCat shows ads; Skrive does not.
Which is updated more often, FocusCat or Skrive?
FocusCat ships an update every 5 days, and Skrive every 2 weeks. Most recently, FocusCat was updated on October 24, 2026 and Skrive on October 10, 2026.

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