MinuteCue vs Focal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
MinuteCue
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MinuteCue turns abstract minutes into something you can see. A calm, shrinking ring shows exactly how much time is left โ no mental math, no squinting at tiny digits. Whether you're a student budgeting study blocks, a parent helping a child transition between activities, a therapist timing a session, or a remote worker pacing deep-work sprints, MinuteCue keeps you on track without adding noise to your day. DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE โข At home โ chore timers, screen-time limits, and wind-down routines your kids can read at a glance. โข At school โ transition timers, quiet time, and group-activity pacing. โข At work โ Pomodoro sessions, meeting caps, and focused deep-work blocks. โข For accessibility โ a visual cue for learners with ADHD, autism, or anyone who finds numeric clocks hard to read. THREE VISUAL MODES, ONE CALM AESTHETIC โข Halo Ring โ a circular ring that smoothly drains down. โข Sweep Arc โ a fan-shaped arc that quietly disappears. โข Calm Bar โ a horizontal bar for a steady, predictable feel. All three use a soft Teal & Sand palette โ low saturation, high contrast, easy on the eyes in any lighting. WORKS WITH YOUR APPLE GEAR โข iPhone & iPad โ the home base, with Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. โข Apple Watch โ set a timer with a twist of the Digital Crown, feel the haptic on completion. โข Home Screen widgets โ see the running timer or launch a favorite preset instantly. FREE TO START Run a single visual timer, save a handful of presets, and use widgets and Live Activities. No account, no daily-use limits โ the free tier is ad-supported. MINUTECUE PREMIUM A monthly auto-renewing subscription that unlocks: โข No ads โ enjoy a distraction-free MinuteCue. โข Routines โ chain multi-step timers (study โ break โ study) with repeats and loops. โข Unlimited custom presets โ save every timer you actually use. โข Focus statistics โ a daily bar chart and 30-day history of completed sessions. โข Daily Focus Review โ a gentle summary of how your day went. โข iCloud sync โ presets, routines, and stats follow you across every Apple device. Subscription auto-renews monthly. Manage or cancel anytime in iOS Settings โ your name โ Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Focal
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See the time you have left. Focal is a visual timer: it turns a countdown into something you can look at: a colored disk that shrinks as your time runs out โ the same idea as the timer on a classroom wall, in your pocket, on your lock screen, and on your desk while the phone charges. ONE THING AT A TIME A routine in Focal is a chain of short steps, each with its own length. Focal shows you the step you are on and nothing else, then moves to the next one by itself. Morning launch, shutdown, cleaning sprint, a study block โ start with ten ready-made routines or build your own. TIME YOU CAN SEE, EVERYWHERE โข Full-screen timer in three shapes: disk, bar, or pie โข Live Activity and Dynamic Island โ the countdown keeps running on your lock screen โข Home and Lock Screen widgets for your next routine โข Put the phone on its side while charging and StandBy becomes a desk timer โข Start from Siri, the Action Button, or Control Center BUILT FOR THE WAY ATTENTION ACTUALLY WORKS โข Designed around ADHD time blindness โ for when "five more minutes" quietly becomes an hour โข Gentle haptics at the halfway mark and in the final minute โข When time is up the clock keeps counting, and Focal taps you on the shoulder at five and fifteen minutes โ the alarm for when you fall into something too deep โข Add a minute without losing your place โข Eight themes, including high-contrast and a quiet monochrome one NO INTERNET NEEDED. No account. No cloud. Nothing you make ever leaves your phone โ the timer works in airplane mode, because it never needed the internet. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Focal at none against MinuteCue's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. MinuteCue sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and Focal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MinuteCue ships an update every 4 days, Focal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MinuteCue | Focal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days โ better | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No โ better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 โ better | 18.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | byeonghoon seo | Ho Van Dai |
In-app purchases
MinuteCue
- MinuteCue Premium$0.991 Month
Focal
- Focal Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- Focal Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
- Focal Pro Lifetime$29.99









