Comparison

MinuteCue vs Focal

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

Head to head
About

MinuteCue

Features
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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 โ€ข At home โ€” chore timers, screen-time limits, and wind-down routines your kids can read at a glance. โ€ข At school โ€” transition timers, quiet time, and group-activity pacing. โ€ข At work โ€” Pomodoro sessions, meeting caps, and focused deep-work blocks. โ€ข 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 โ€ข Halo Ring โ€” a circular ring that smoothly drains down. โ€ข Sweep Arc โ€” a fan-shaped arc that quietly disappears. โ€ข 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 โ€ข iPhone & iPad โ€” the home base, with Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. โ€ข Apple Watch โ€” set a timer with a twist of the Digital Crown, feel the haptic on completion. โ€ข 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: โ€ข No ads โ€” enjoy a distraction-free MinuteCue. โ€ข Routines โ€” chain multi-step timers (study โ†’ break โ†’ study) with repeats and loops. โ€ข Unlimited custom presets โ€” save every timer you actually use. โ€ข Focus statistics โ€” a daily bar chart and 30-day history of completed sessions. โ€ข Daily Focus Review โ€” a gentle summary of how your day went. โ€ข 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/

About

Focal

Features
Read full description

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 โ€ข Full-screen timer in three shapes: disk, bar, or pie โ€ข Live Activity and Dynamic Island โ€” the countdown keeps running on your lock screen โ€ข Home and Lock Screen widgets for your next routine โ€ข Put the phone on its side while charging and StandBy becomes a desk timer โ€ข Start from Siri, the Action Button, or Control Center BUILT FOR THE WAY ATTENTION ACTUALLY WORKS โ€ข Designed around ADHD time blindness โ€” for when "five more minutes" quietly becomes an hour โ€ข Gentle haptics at the halfway mark and in the final minute โ€ข 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 โ€ข Add a minute without losing your place โ€ข 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

MinuteCue4 screens
Focal4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MinuteCue ships an update every 4 days, Focal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
MinuteCue versus Focal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMinuteCueFocal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days โ€” betterWeekly
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size9 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerbyeonghoon seoHo Van Dai

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MinuteCue

Subscriptions1
  • MinuteCue Premium$0.991 Month
3 purchases

Focal

Subscriptions2
  • Focal Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Focal Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focal Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is MinuteCue free?
MinuteCue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focal free?
Focal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MinuteCue or Focal have ads?
MinuteCue shows ads; Focal does not.
Which is updated more often, MinuteCue or Focal?
MinuteCue ships an update every 4 days, and Focal weekly. Most recently, MinuteCue was updated on October 28, 2026 and Focal on October 25, 2026.

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