Comparison

Focus Monke vs PomPomodoro

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

Head to head
About

Focus Monke

This app uses a gamified approach to the Pomodoro technique, turning focus sessions into underwater dives. Earn rewards and build a vibrant reef by staying focused, with distracting apps automatically blocked. It's designed for those who struggle with distractions and need gentle encouragement.

Highlights
  • Gamified Pomodoro timer
  • App blocking via Screen Time
  • Reef building and fish collection
  • Reward system with bananas and bonuses
  • Streak tracking without guilt
  • Customizable app blocking
Features
Read full description

Your focus grows a tiny ocean. Focus Monke is a pomodoro timer with a heart. Every focus session is a dive: press start and Monke, a little guy in a big brass diving suit, takes his submarine down. He stays down as long as you stay focused. Surface at the end, and the reef you're building is a little more alive than you left it. HOW A DIVE WORKS - Pick your time, press START. That's the whole job. A classic 25-minute pomodoro, a two-hour deep session, whatever the day needs. - Your distracting apps go quiet. Focus Monke uses Apple's Screen Time to block apps for exactly as long as you're diving. When you surface, they come back. No willpower required. - Finish the dive and the good part happens: bananas, a spin of the bonus wheel, and sometimes a brand-new fish. BUILT FOR DISTRACTED BRAINS If your brain treats "just five minutes of scrolling" as a legally binding contract, welcome aboard. Focus Monke was made for the easily distracted, ADHD very much included. Short sessions still count. Rewards land every single time, not someday. No shame, no productivity sermons. Just a monke who believes in you. YOUR REEF Every fish in your aquarium was earned by focusing. Commons, rares, a few legends from the deep. Each one is hand-drawn and swims around your reef like it has somewhere to be. Feed them bananas. Name your tank. Take a selfie with Monke. It's your ocean, and you made it out of homework. DIVE TOGETHER Focus is easier when someone else is also focusing. Join a session and your monke takes a seat in the sunken ship alongside up to nine other divers, timers running, everyone quietly at work. Dive in at 2am and there's still a crew to sit with. Nobody can message you. Nobody can distract you. Just the quiet, specific comfort of a room where everyone is doing the thing they came to do. Leave whenever you like. The ship keeps sailing. DRESS UP YOUR MONKE Tap Monke and the dressing room opens. Hats, hair, glasses, beards, earrings, costumes, backgrounds, and diving gear that gets stranger the deeper you go. Every item is bought with bananas, and bananas come from focusing. There is nothing to buy with real money in there, ever. Your look follows you into the submarine, onto your stats, and into the ship next to everyone else's. STREAKS WITHOUT GUILT Show up and your streak grows, with milestones actually worth reaching. Miss a day and nobody yells at you. The reef is the reason to come back, not a red badge. CERTIFIED DIVER Focus Monke is free to use. Going Certified supports one small developer and one small monke, and unlocks: - 3x bananas and bigger bonuses after every dive - Choose exactly which apps get blocked, or let a dive block them all - The gold diving suit (Monke looks fantastic in it) - Special items in the shop And thanks to Certified Divers, there are no ads. For anyone. Ever. Certified Diver is available as an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly) or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions are charged to your Apple Account and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. GOOD QUESTIONS - Does it work offline? Yes, everything except group sessions. Airplane mode is honestly great for focusing. - Do I need an account? No. Open the app, start a dive. - Where does my data go? App blocking runs entirely on your device through Apple's own Screen Time. We never see what you do on your phone, and nothing is sold to anyone. Group sessions share just what the crew can see: your diver name, your flag, your monke's look. THE SMALL PRINT, WARMLY Hand-drawn art. One developer. One monke doing his best. If Focus Monke helps, tell a friend. The reef grows one dive at a time, and so does this little app. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://focusmonke.com/privacy.html

About

PomPomodoro

Features
Read full description

Turn your to-do list into done. PomPomodoro is a beautifully simple focus timer built around the Pomodoro Technique — one of the most effective, well-loved time management methods for getting real work done. THE POMODORO METHOD, DONE RIGHT Work in focused sprints, then take a real break. That's it. By breaking your day into short, manageable Focus and Rest phases, PomPomodoro replaces the pressure of "getting everything done" with a simple question: can I focus for just one more sprint? For many people, that shift — from an overwhelming task list to one small timer — is the difference between staring at a screen and actually starting. BUILT WITH ADHD AND NEURODIVERGENT MINDS IN MIND Traditional time management tools often assume a kind of sustained focus that doesn't come naturally to everyone. PomPomodoro is different. Its short, structured bursts and built-in breaks give your brain the clear starts, clear stops, and permission to rest that many people with ADHD and other attention differences say they need. It's not a cure or a substitute for professional support — but for many neurodivergent users, a visible, ticking timer genuinely makes starting easier and staying on track more automatic. DESIGNED TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY • Simple gestures — tap to start or pause, swipe to skip or reset, no fiddly menus • Fully customizable Focus and Rest durations • Clean, distraction-free themes to match your mood • Live Activities — watch your timer count down from your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island • Smart notifications when each phase ends, with one-tap actions to start the next • A quick, skippable tutorial so you're up and running in seconds GO PRO FOR EVEN DEEPER FOCUS • Autoplay — automatically move from Focus to Rest and back, no taps required • App Blocking — block distracting apps for the length of your Focus session, powered by Screen Time • Every premium theme, unlocked Whether you're a student cramming for exams, a developer in deep work, or someone who's tried every productivity app and given up — PomPomodoro asks for just 25 minutes. Start your first Pomodoro today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Focus Monke4 screens
PomPomodoro4 screens

Verdict

The call

Focus Monke and PomPomodoro 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus Monke sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PomPomodoro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Monke ships an update weekly, PomPomodoro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Focus Monke versus PomPomodoro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus MonkePomPomodoro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size298 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBen HaunAlexander Smith

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Focus Monke

Subscriptions3
  • Certified Diver Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Certified Diver Annual7 Days trial$17.991 Year
  • Certified Diver Annual1 Year trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Certified Diver Lifetime$29.99
2 purchases

PomPomodoro

Subscriptions1
  • PomPomodoro Pro$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • PomPomodoro Pro Lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is Focus Monke free?
Focus Monke is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PomPomodoro free?
PomPomodoro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Monke or PomPomodoro have ads?
Neither Focus Monke nor PomPomodoro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Monke or PomPomodoro?
Focus Monke ships an update weekly, and PomPomodoro fortnightly. Most recently, Focus Monke was updated on October 15, 2026 and PomPomodoro on October 7, 2026.

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