Comparison

Attentionly vs Headwayflow

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

Head to head
About

Attentionly

This app helps you understand where your time actually goes by sending random check-in prompts throughout the day. It provides data-driven insights without judgment, focusing on self-awareness rather than productivity pressure.

Highlights
  • Random time audit prompts
  • Simple tap-to-answer interface
  • Detailed insights and patterns
  • No streaks or gamification
  • Privacy-focused, on-device data
  • Optional iCloud backup and CSV export
Features
Read full description

Where did the last two hours go? If you ask yourself that a lot — if whole afternoons vanish and you genuinely can't account for them — you're not broken. You just don't have the data yet. People with ADHD call it time blindness. Everyone with a phone has some version of it. Attentionly is the honest time audit. A few times a day, at random, it taps you on the shoulder and asks one question: "What are you doing right now?" Tap your answer, and move on. Two seconds. No timers to start, no logs to maintain, no categories to obsess over. Over time, you build a real picture of where your attention goes — not where you think it goes, and not where you wish it went. NO SHAME. NO STREAKS. JUST DATA. Most productivity apps assume you need to be fixed. They reward consistency, punish gaps, and pile on guilt when you miss a day. Attentionly doesn't think you need fixing. It's a mirror, not a manager — it shows you the data and trusts you to decide what it means. Missed a nudge? Fine. Missed a week? Also fine. There is no streak to protect and nothing to lose. That matters if your brain already generates enough shame on its own. This app will never add to it. HOW IT WORKS • Get a few gentle nudges a day at random times — like a tap on the shoulder • Tap what you're doing right now: a goal, life stuff, or a distraction you named • Short on time? Answer right from the lock screen and add detail later • Watch the real picture build in Insights: time distribution, time-of-day patterns, and how each goal is actually going • Weekly gut-check per goal: one number, no lecture • Share your week as an image when you want someone to see the receipts DESIGNED TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY • No streaks, badges, or gamification • No coaching language — we don't tell you what to do • No account. What you tag stays on your device — your goals, distractions and answers are never uploaded • Anonymous usage counts help improve the app; turn them off anytime in Settings • Optional iCloud backup, CSV export whenever you want your data elsewhere COMPLETELY FREE Full functionality, no paywall, no ads, no upsells. Just an honest tool for honest self-awareness. Attentionly is not a medical app and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. It's a mirror for your attention — ADHD-friendly by design because it never shames you and never asks for more than two seconds at a time.

About

Headwayflow

Features
Read full description

Headwayflow is a daily planner for brains that experience time differently. Your day sits on one timeline, split into Now, Soon and Later. What's close is vivid and clear; what's further out is soft and blurred. Nothing to configure, and nothing keeping score. Timeline • Now, Soon and Later recalculate every minute, so there's nothing to sort by hand. • The Spotlight section holds one task at a time, with a gentle bar that shows when it's running long. • Size a task with one tap: quick, short, solid or deep. • Set today's energy to low, medium or high, and suggestions follow it. • When a gap opens, Headwayflow offers exactly one task that fits, and offers less on low-energy days. SAFETY NETS • Earlier section holds up to two things that slipped, so misses never pile up. • Containment Mode feature collapses the timeline on overloaded days. • Done Today counts what you finished today. FURTHER OUT • Someday tab act as a task backlog but keeps ideas one card at a time. Cards you don't touch archive themselves after 45 days. • Plan tab shows the weeks ahead as load, not a wall of task names. • Calendar sync brings in events from Google, Microsoft and iCloud calendars, with a heads-up buffer before each one. Plain, forward-looking language throughout. No streaks, no "overdue", no guilt. Headwayflow is a planning tool, not a medical device. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. SUBSCRIPTION Start with a 14-day free trial, then choose monthly or yearly for full access. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the trial ends, or when you confirm the purchase if you're not eligible for the trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.headwayflow.com/terms/ End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.headwayflow.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Attentionly4 screens
Headwayflow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Attentionly at none against Headwayflow's 2. On price, update cadence, ads 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. Headwayflow sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Attentionly asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Attentionly ships an update every 3 days, Headwayflow every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Attentionly versus Headwayflow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAttentionlyHeadwayflow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB81 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMike WatsonBlack Robin Innovation

In-app purchases

None

Attentionly

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Headwayflow

Subscriptions2
  • Headwayflow Monthly14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Headwayflow Annual14 Days trial$99.001 Year

Questions

Is Attentionly free?
Attentionly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Headwayflow free?
Headwayflow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Attentionly or Headwayflow have ads?
Neither Attentionly nor Headwayflow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Attentionly or Headwayflow?
Attentionly ships an update every 3 days, and Headwayflow every 5 days. Most recently, Attentionly was updated on November 5, 2026 and Headwayflow on October 31, 2026.

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