Garda vs Just Start
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garda
This app gamifies focus sessions by growing a virtual garden. Completing focus periods plants and nurtures digital flora, while neglect causes them to wither. Collect over 40 unique plant species and track your progress with detailed statistics.
- Virtual garden growth
- Focus session timer
- Plant collection (40+ species)
- Detailed statistics
- Garden customization
- Distraction-free focus
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Garda is a productivity app that turns your concentration into a living garden. Every focus session you complete plants and grows a real plant in your personal garden — neglect your focus and your plants wither away. With over 40 unique plant species to collect and grow, every session feels rewarding. Discover rare flowers, towering trees, lush succulents, and more as you build the garden of your dreams — one focused minute at a time. Pick the plants you want to grow, set your focus timer, and watch your garden come to life. Detailed statistics track your total focus time, daily streaks, session history, and overall progress so you always know how far you've come. Your garden is yours. Arrange it, expand it, and fill it with the plants you've unlocked through real, distraction-free focus. Privacy Policy: https://healthwellnessapps.com/garda/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Just Start
This app helps individuals overcome task initiation challenges with ADHD-friendly focus sessions. It offers customizable timers, AI-powered task breakdown, virtual body doubling, and ambient soundscapes to enhance concentration and productivity.
- Customizable Pomodoro timers
- AI task breakdown
- Virtual body doubling
- Live Activities & Dynamic Island integration
- Lock screen widgets
- Ambient soundscapes
- Evolving focus garden
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The task is big. Your first step doesn’t have to be. Just Start helps you begin the task you keep putting off. Describe what feels hard to start, find one small action, and take it into a short focus session. MAKE THE FIRST STEP SMALLER Ask the app’s AI for a concrete first step for your own task. Still feels like too much? Ask for a smaller action. If AI is unavailable, you can write your own step or use the timer directly. START WITH TWO OR FIVE MINUTES Begin a short session without answering a survey. Pause when you need to. Longer focus and break presets are available when you want more time. SUPPORT WHEN YOU WANT IT Choose visual timers and ambient sounds. Pro adds more sound options, mixing, and optional AI check-ins. These check-ins are automated messages, not a live person working beside you. KEEP A LITTLE MOMENTUM See your focus history and progress. Return to a recent task or use a routine for something you do regularly. Optional account sync is available; an account is not required to start. START FREE The free app includes up to three focus sessions and three AI task requests per day, core progress tools, and three ambient sounds. Pro adds unlimited focus sessions and expanded support. AI requires internet access and is subject to service limits. PRIVACY The timer and local progress work offline. When you request AI help, your task and relevant context are sent through our server to our AI provider. Optional account sync sends account and synced app data to our cloud service. Read the privacy policy before sharing sensitive task information. APP LANGUAGES Choose in Settings: English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português, Italiano, Nederlands, 日本語, Polski, 한국어, 繁體中文, العربية, Bahasa Indonesia, हिन्दी. PRO OPTIONS Monthly: $4.99 USD. Annual: $29.99 USD billed yearly. Existing lifetime purchases remain valid and can be restored. Local prices and terms are shown before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled in your App Store account settings. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Just Start is a productivity tool, not a diagnosis or treatment for ADHD. Privacy: https://getjuststart.app/privacy Terms: https://getjuststart.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Garda at daily against Just Start's every 11 days. Just Start's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Garda sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Just Start sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Garda against 5.0 for Just Start. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Garda ships an update daily, Just Start every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Garda | Just Start |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Health & Wellness Apps Limited | Estus Holdings LLC |
Customer experience
Garda
Just Start
In-app purchases
Garda
- Garda Weekly$7.997 Days
- Unlimited Annual Access7 Days trial$34.991 Year
Just Start
- Just Start Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- Just Start Pro Annual1 Month trial$49.991 Year
- Just Start Pro Lifetime$58.99









