OneScreenTimer vs Write First
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OneScreenTimer
This focus timer helps you stay present and productive with customizable themes and durations. It offers a minimalist interface, streak tracking, and live activity integration for seamless focus sessions. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or data tracking.
- Customizable timer durations
- 6 curated themes with matching icons
- Streak tracking and freezes
- Live Activities and Dynamic Island integration
- Home screen widgets
- Offline functionality
- Dark mode support
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Stop doomscrolling. Start focusing. One Screen Timer is the aesthetic focus timer that actually makes you want to lock in. Pick your vibe. Set your time. Watch the ring fill up. That's it -no bloated features, no accounts, no data tracking. Just a beautifully designed timer that helps you stay present. SET YOUR TIME YOUR WAY Swipe minutes and seconds independently -set anything from 5 seconds to 2 hours. Smart presets remember your favorite durations. Tap one to instantly start. PICK YOUR VIBE 6 curated themes -Study, Workout, Meditate, Create, Focus, and Vibe -each with its own color palette, icon, and mood. Switch themes and your app icon changes automatically to match. Your home screen icon updates to reflect your current vibe -the only timer that lets you personalize your icon. STAY ON TRACK Streak tracking keeps you accountable day after day. Streak freezes have your back when life gets in the way. NEVER LEAVE YOUR FLOW Live Activities and Dynamic Island show your timer right on the lock screen and at the top of your display -no need to open the app. Home screen widgets display your daily focus minutes and streak at a glance. ZEN MODE Ultra-minimal interface -just you and the timer. Tap to start, tap to pause. Pure focus, zero distractions. Screen stays awake during your session -no interruptions, no unlocking. DESIGNED WITH INTENTION Celebration animations when you complete a session -because small wins deserve hype. Gentle sound and haptic cues keep you grounded without being jarring. Beautiful dark mode support that's easy on the eyes for late-night study sessions. YOUR PRIVACY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE Fully offline. No accounts. No data collection. No ads. Ever. BILINGUAL Full English and Chinese (简体中文) support built in. Built by an indie studio that believes a timer should do one thing and do it well. No clutter. No distractions. Just focus. Download One Screen Timer and start your streak today.
Write First
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Write First is a self-directed app blocker. Pick the apps that pull you in, and they stay paused until you write one honest sentence — then they unlock for a set time and re-lock on their own. When you reach for a blocked app, a calm pause screen stops you before the scroll begins. To get in, you write a single line. That one small step turns an autopilot tap into an actual decision. WHY ONE SENTENCE WORKS Most blockers make you wait, breathe, or tap "confirm." After a day or two, your thumb does all of it without you noticing. Writing one real sentence is the one kind of friction you can't do on autopilot — so the speed bump actually works. It takes about ten seconds, with a prompt already written for you. HOW IT WORKS - Pick your own apps to pause — social, news, games, whatever pulls you in. - Reach for a blocked app and a calm pause screen appears instead. - Pick a mood, get a matched prompt, write one honest line. - Your apps unlock for a set window, then re-lock automatically. - Reach for them again and the pause is right back there, at the real moment of temptation. YOU STAY IN CONTROL This is a speed bump, not a trap. You choose the apps. You choose the windows. And three emergency unlocks a day — five minutes each — open your apps right away when you genuinely need them, with no writing step. You never get locked out of your own phone. You point Write First at your own apps, on your own terms. It never monitors, supervises, or reports on anyone else. There are no dashboards anyone else sees. BUILT THE RIGHT WAY Write First runs on Apple's Screen Time framework, so blocking is system-level and reliable — no VPN trick, no background profile quietly draining your battery. SEE YOUR MOMENTUM A streak counter, check-in history, and simple stats show how often you chose to pause instead of scroll. No nagging, no guilt, no leaderboards. FEATURES - Self-directed blocking of the apps you choose - A one-sentence write step to unlock, with matched prompts - Timed unlock windows that re-lock on their own - Three 5-minute emergency unlocks a day - Streak and momentum tracking - Check-in history and simple stats - Built on Apple Screen Time — no VPN, no background network FREE TO START The free version is genuinely usable: block the apps you choose and use three emergency unlocks a day, no time limit. Write First Pro adds more — custom unlock durations, custom writing length, schedules, more prompt styles, unlimited history, full stats, export, and Face ID lock. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your journal entries, moods, and stats stay on your iPhone — no account, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. The only thing that leaves your device is your subscription, which Apple handles to manage your Pro access. Privacy Policy: https://promptflowbusiness.com/write-first/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
OneScreenTimer and Write First are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. OneScreenTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Write First sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
OneScreenTimer ships an update daily, Write First every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | OneScreenTimer | Write First |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JUMING LAI | chad vasquez |
In-app purchases
OneScreenTimer
- One Screen Timer Pro$1.99
Write First
- Write First Pro$4.991 Month
- Write First Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year









