# Garda vs Hearth Island

The clearest difference is update cadence: Garda at daily against Hearth Island's every 11 days. Hearth Island's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Garda sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Hearth Island sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Garda ships an update daily, Hearth Island every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Garda | Hearth Island |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garda-focus-timer/id6760300679/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 50 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Health & Wellness Apps Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618420924) | [Nhan Vo](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785125930) |

## What reviewers say

### Garda

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garda-focus-timer/id6760300679)

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.

**Highlights:** Virtual garden growth, Focus session timer, Plant collection (40+ species), Detailed statistics, Garden customization, Distraction-free focus

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Garda Weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Annual Access | $34.99 | per year |


### Hearth Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearth-island-focus-timer/id6809866353)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hearth Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Hearth Premium Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Hearth Premium Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Garda free?

Garda is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hearth Island free?

Hearth Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Garda or Hearth Island have ads?

Neither Garda nor Hearth Island shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Garda or Hearth Island?

Garda ships an update daily, and Hearth Island every 11 days. Most recently, Garda was updated on October 12, 2026 and Hearth Island on October 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*