Comparison

First Step vs FocusGrid

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

Head to head
About

First Step

Features
Read full description

First Step helps you start tasks you've been putting off by making them tiny. Tell the app what's on your mind, and AI breaks it into small, concrete steps you can actually do. No planning required. Just begin. BUILT FOR HOW YOUR BRAIN WORKS Big tasks feel impossible. First Step turns them into 2-3 minute actions so small they feel easy. "Clean my room" becomes "pick up 3 things from the floor." That's it. One step at a time. GENTLE FOCUS SESSIONS Tap Start Focus and work through your steps with a calm timer. No pressure, no guilt. You can stop after 2 minutes — or keep going. Most people keep going. AI DAILY SCHEDULING Check in each morning and get a gentle schedule that matches your energy. Too much? Shuffle it. Still too much? Ask for just one thing. Your day, your pace. BRAIN DUMP When your head is full, just talk or type everything out. AI sorts the mess into clear, actionable tasks. One tap to add them to your inbox. TASK WEAVE Working on multiple things? Select 2-5 tasks and AI weaves them into one smart session, finding natural transition points between steps. ROUTINES Group tasks into repeatable routines...morning routine, weekly cleanup, whatever works for you. Start a routine and move through each task in order. APPLE WATCH Your steps follow you. Start a focus session on your wrist, complete steps with a tap, and stay in flow without pulling out your phone. WORKS OFFLINE Create tasks, complete steps, and run focus sessions without internet. Everything syncs when you're back online. WHAT YOU GET WITH FIRST STEP PRO • AI task breakdown into small, doable steps • Daily schedule that matches your energy • Brain Dump with voice and text capture • Task Weave for multi-task sessions • Gentle focus timer with no-pressure exit • Apple Watch companion app • Widgets for your home and lock screen • Unlimited tasks and routines Try free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. Privacy matters: your task content is processed by AI only to generate steps and schedules. No personal data is used for training. See our privacy policy for details. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

FocusGrid

Features
Read full description

FocusGrid — a snapshot of what matters today. No endless lists, no sub-tasks. Just a grid of a few tiles, one per area of your day: write ONE thing that matters, tap it, and a minimal focus timer begins. • Essential grid (4 or 6 tiles), one macro-activity each • Ring timer with focus sessions and custom durations • Your categories: rename, reorder, or create new ones with icon and color • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Live Activity with Dynamic Island: your timer always in view • Light and dark themes • Completion sound and haptics • iCloud sync across your devices • No account, no ads, no tracking What matters, today?

Screenshots

First Step4 screens
FocusGrid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FocusGrid at none against First Step's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. First Step sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. FocusGrid asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
First Step versus FocusGrid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst StepFocusGrid
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPraise ApataALESSIO SARMELLI

In-app purchases

2 purchases

First Step

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Access$29.991 Year
None

FocusGrid

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Step free?
First Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FocusGrid free?
FocusGrid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Step or FocusGrid have ads?
Neither First Step nor FocusGrid shows ads.

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