Comparison

Focus To Do vs Jotdown

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

Head to head
About

Focus To Do

Features
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Feeling buried under a never-ending to-do list? Pile turns task management into something you'll actually stick with. The idea is simple: dump everything on your mind into your Pile, then work through it one task at a time. No overwhelming list staring back at you, just one thing, right now. HOW IT WORKS 1. Each morning, Pile helps you plan your day from what you've piled up. 2. Then, just focus on one thing by swiping right to complete or left to skip. 3. Each evening, take two minutes to dump what's on your plate. 4. Repeat again tomorrow. FEATURES: SWIPE A TASK Right to done, left to skip. No overthinking required. EVENING DUMP Offload everything on your mind before you close out for the day. MORNING PLANNING Review what's ahead and set realistic time estimates for each task. SKIP TRACKING See which tasks you keep avoiding so nothing falls through the cracks. Traditional to-do apps are built for lists. Pile is built for people. When you can only see one task at a time, you stop second-guessing and start doing. No more decision fatigue. No more guilt from a list that never shrinks. Terms of Service https://focuswithpile.com/#terms Privacy Policy https://focuswithpile.com/#privacy-policy

About

Jotdown

Features
Read full description

Jotdown is an extremely simple place to write down ideas, thoughts, and anything else on your mind. Most notes apps have become too cluttered. Folders, formatting, tags, toolbars, templates, and endless options can get in the way when all you want to do is write something down. Jotdown solves that by staying intentionally minimal. No folders. No clutter. No complicated system to manage. Just open the app and start typing. Every note is saved automatically and shown in a clean timeline, so you can write things down quickly without organizing, naming, sorting, or setting anything up. With Jotdown, you can: • Write instantly with no setup • Keep your notes in a simple timeline • See an automatic timestamp for every note • Edit everything inline • Copy or delete notes with a quick swipe action The experience is intentionally stripped down. It works well for quick thoughts, reminders, social media drafts, caption ideas, or anything you simply want to get out of your head. Private by default: • What you write in Jotdown is private to you • Jotdown does not read or collect your notes • By default, your notes stay on your device Unlock the full version with a one-time purchase to get: • iCloud sync across devices • Face ID protection • Export all your notes No subscriptions or recurring fees. Ever. Jotdown is built for people who do not want another complicated notes app. Just a calm, lightweight, and minimal place to write things down. Made with love in Tokyo. Privacy Policy: https://jotdown.framer.website/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Focus To Do4 screens
Jotdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus To Do at every 3 days against Jotdown's weekly. Focus To Do also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus To Do sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Jotdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus To Do ships an update every 3 days, Jotdown weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Focus To Do versus Jotdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus To DoJotdown
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRalph Mendel OrdanzaYugi Motta

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus To Do

Subscriptions2
  • Pile Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pile Annual$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Jotdown

One-time1
  • Jotdown Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Focus To Do free?
Focus To Do is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jotdown free?
Jotdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus To Do or Jotdown have ads?
Neither Focus To Do nor Jotdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus To Do or Jotdown?
Focus To Do ships an update every 3 days, and Jotdown weekly. Most recently, Focus To Do was updated on September 30, 2026 and Jotdown on October 7, 2026.

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