Comparison

Garden Timer vs Focusleaf

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

Head to head
About

Garden Timer

This app transforms focus sessions into a growing virtual garden. Each completed focus period contributes to the evolution of your persistent garden world, offering a unique visual representation of your productivity. Ambient soundscapes enhance deep work sessions.

Highlights
  • Persistent virtual garden growth
  • Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration
  • Ambient soundscapes for focus
  • Detailed focus analytics (Pro)
  • Landscape Desk Mode (Pro)
  • Ad-free experience (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Every time you focus, something grows. Garden Timer turns your focus sessions into a cherry blossom garden that remembers every minute you put in. Not a disposable plant that resets. A living world that evolves — bare branches to first buds to full bloom — all built by you showing up. Set your timer. Put the phone down. When you come back, your garden has grown. WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT Other focus apps grow a single tree and forget it. Garden Timer builds a persistent world across every session. Your garden is yours — it accumulates, it changes, it reflects how far you've come. That's not a gimmick. That's the thing that makes you open the app again tomorrow. YOUR FOCUS, ALWAYS VISIBLE Start a session and your timer appears on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. Glance at your phone without picking it up. See your time counting down, your garden stage progressing, right there. No need to unlock. No temptation to open anything else. SOUNDS THAT ACTUALLY HELP Rain on leaves. Morning birds. A quiet stream. Not a generic white noise loop — ambient soundscapes designed to pair with the garden you're growing. Put your headphones in and disappear into deep work. BUILT FOR iOS 26 Liquid Glass interface. Smooth crossfade animations between growth stages. Native SwiftUI from the ground up — this isn't a web app stuffed into a shell. It feels like it belongs on your phone because it was built for your phone. GARDEN PRO Unlock every garden scene with 12 growth stages, all ambient sound packs, unlimited session history, detailed focus analytics, landscape Desk Mode, and an ad-free experience. Start with a free trial. The people who build something every day are the ones who show up again. Your garden is proof you did. Privacy Policy: https://jmrely.github.io/gardentimer-site/privacy.html Support: https://jmrely.github.io/gardentimer-site/support.html

About

Focusleaf

Features
Read full description

Focusleaf is a Pomodoro study timer that grows a plant while you focus. Plant a seed, start a 25-minute session and watch it grow through 5 stages, from seed to bloom. Leave the app for more than 10 seconds and it wilts. Every finished session adds a plant to your garden, so your focus becomes something you can see. A PLANT THAT GROWS WHILE YOU FOCUS • Pomodoro-style sessions: 25 minutes of focus, then a 5-minute break • A hand-drawn plant grows through 5 visible stages during every session • Leave early and it wilts, shown kindly, with no guilt trip • Locking your phone does not count as leaving • A notification when your plant is grown and when your break is over YOUR GARDEN OF FOCUS • Every finished session adds a plant to your garden • Browse your garden by day or by week • See how many plants you have grown, minutes focused and species collected 12 SPECIES TO COLLECT • Clover, mint, fern, cherry, monstera, sunflower, lavender, tulip, rose, bamboo, olive and daisy • Each one has its own leaves, colors and blooms FOCUSLEAF PRO • Unlimited plants every day (free plan grows 3 a day) • All 12 plant species (free plan includes clover) • Custom focus sessions from 10 to 120 minutes and custom breaks • Tags such as study, work, reading and writing, plus your own • Detailed stats by day and by tag • No ads No account needed. Your sessions and garden stay on your device. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Focusleaf Pro is available as a weekly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The yearly plan includes a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://functional-thrill-31c.notion.site/Focusleaf-Privacy-Policy-3e7f8e9da76b818fbd57c21310b3deba

Screenshots

Garden Timer4 screens
Focusleaf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Garden Timer at none against Focusleaf's shown. On price, update cadence, 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. Garden Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Focusleaf sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Garden Timer ships an update weekly, Focusleaf every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Garden Timer versus Focusleaf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarden TimerFocusleaf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size315 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEly MartinezMehmet Akif ERGANI

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Garden Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Garden Pro3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Garden Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Garden Pro$49.99
3 purchases

Focusleaf

Subscriptions2
  • Focusleaf Pro Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Focusleaf Pro Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focusleaf Pro Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Garden Timer free?
Garden Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focusleaf free?
Focusleaf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Garden Timer or Focusleaf have ads?
Focusleaf shows ads; Garden Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Garden Timer or Focusleaf?
Garden Timer ships an update weekly, and Focusleaf every 8 days. Most recently, Garden Timer was updated on October 31, 2026 and Focusleaf on November 13, 2026.

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