Comparison

Focus Grove vs Pomo

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

Head to head
About

Focus Grove

Features
Read full description

Focus Grove is a calm focus timer for study and deep work. Every session earns XP that grows your own cozy desk grove — plants, stationery and decor that unlock as you make real progress. No accounts. No signups. Your sessions, XP and stats stay on your iPhone. FOCUS YOUR WAY • 15, 25, 50 and 90-minute sessions — or Flow, an open-ended timer that counts up until you finish • Deep Work, Study Session and Quick Task modes • Tag each session (Maths, Coding, Reading…) to see where your focus goes • Automatic short and long break prompts • Sessions keep their time even if the app is closed ALWAYS IN VIEW • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while you focus • Home Screen widgets for your streak, today's focus and the next desk unlock • Lock Screen widgets for a quick glance GROW YOUR DESK GROVE • Earn XP for every completed session • Unlock 24 collectible desk items, from a mini cactus to a zen garden • Desk themes: 1 free, 3 with Pro • No leaderboards, no punishments, no spammy notifications SEE YOUR PROGRESS • Daily streaks and total focus time • Weekly charts and a yearly heatmap • Focus time by tag, this week and all time • Share a card of your streak and desk with friends PRIVATE AND YOURS • Works offline, even in airplane mode • All data is stored on your device; back it up to Files or iCloud Drive and restore it on a new phone • The free version shows occasional ads from Google AdMob. You choose your ad privacy settings, and Pro removes ads completely. FOCUS GROVE PRO — PAY ONCE Try Pro free, then unlock it with a single one-time purchase. No subscription. • 2-hour preset and custom timers up to 3 hours • Ambient sounds: rain, forest, ocean, river, fire and café • 3 extra desk themes • No ads Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pomo

This app helps users overcome procrastination by breaking tasks into focused work sessions and short breaks. It offers distraction blocking, streak tracking, and achievements, with accessibility features for all users. Native iOS integrations provide timer visibility on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Highlights
  • Focused work sessions with breaks
  • Distraction blocking
  • Streak tracking
  • Achievements
  • Customizable session lengths
  • VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support
  • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island timer
Read full description

Pomo helps you start. That's the hardest part. No onboarding. No account. No endless settings. Just open and go. Built for ADHD brains and anyone who struggles to begin — Pomo breaks work into focused sessions with short breaks. Simple rhythm that actually sticks. FOCUS, BREAK, REPEAT Work in sessions. Rest between them. No thinking required. BLOCK DISTRACTIONS Pick the apps that pull you away. During a session, they stay silent. YOUR STREAK, YOUR RULES See how many days you've worked. Weekends don't break it. SMALL WINS ALONG THE WAY Unlock achievements as you go. PACE IT YOUR WAY 25 minutes or 52. Short breaks or long. Your rhythm. NO SETUP NEEDED No account. No sign-up. Open and start. ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE If you're blind or low-vision, Pomo works with VoiceOver — the timer, controls, and progress are read aloud. If you use larger text on iPhone, Pomo follows your settings (Dynamic Type). If you have low contrast sensitivity, all screens meet WCAG AA standards. WORKS WITH NATIVE iOS TECHNOLOGIES See the timer on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island — you don't have to open the app to check how much time is left. Pomo also supports Siri. Terms of Use: https://getpomo.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://getpomo.app/privacy/

Screenshots

Focus Grove4 screens
Pomo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pomo at none against Focus Grove's shown. Pomo also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 7 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Focus Grove sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pomo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Grove ships an update every 7 months, Pomo every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Focus Grove versus Pomo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus GrovePomo
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwaminathan LYURY RYZHANKOU

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Focus Grove

One-time1
  • Focus Grove Pro$1.99
3 purchases

Pomo

Subscriptions2
  • Pomo Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pomo Premium Yearly$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pomo Lifetime Access$15.99

Questions

Is Focus Grove free?
Focus Grove is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pomo free?
Pomo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Grove or Pomo have ads?
Focus Grove shows ads; Pomo does not.
Which is updated more often, Focus Grove or Pomo?
Focus Grove ships an update every 7 months, and Pomo every 5 days. Most recently, Focus Grove was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pomo on November 5, 2026.

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