Comparison

Focus Monke vs Focus Mirror

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

Focus Mirror

Features
Read full description

See yourself on camera, and stay focused on your own. People often act differently when they feel watched — a phenomenon known as social facilitation. Focus Mirror uses your front camera to recreate that feeling while you study or work, and gently alerts you with a glowing screen edge or a vibration when you leave your seat or look away for too long. ■ Two detection modes for different kinds of work • Gaze: For screen work like a computer. Your usual posture is recorded during a 3-second countdown, and you're alerted when you keep looking down, up, or away. • Face: For reading, writing, or studying at your desk. Looking slightly away or down is fine — you're alerted only when you leave or turn fully sideways. ■ A timer in the Dynamic Island • Time remaining blends right into the Dynamic Island • A ring around the screen edge shows your progress at a glance • The island and ring change color when you need a nudge • Keep an eye on the timer with Live Activities, even outside the app ■ Blur or hide yourself • Blur your image (low, medium, high) or hide it completely • Detection keeps running while hidden, so you can work without distraction ■ Track and review your focus • Records focus time, time away, warnings, and your focus rate • Compare with your last session and browse your history • Battery history shows charge levels over time, with charging periods highlighted ■ Place it any way you like • Portrait, landscape, and upside down — prop it up however your charging cable allows • Choose a fixed orientation that stays even when rotation is locked • Works on iPhone and iPad ■ Built for long sessions • Three power-saving levels for camera and detection • Automatically lowers the load in Low Power Mode or when the device gets warm ■ Privacy • Face detection runs only on your device using Apple's Vision framework • Camera video and photos are never saved or sent anywhere • No account needed. Your records stay on your device ■ Pricing This app is free to use. Premium is available as monthly and yearly auto-renewing subscriptions, as well as a one-time purchase. Prices are displayed in the App Store. Premium removes all ads and lets you register up to three viewing positions. Eligible users can try the yearly plan free for 7 days. ■ Great for • Studying at home or preparing for exams • Staying off your phone while working remotely • Creating a study-hall atmosphere on your own • Building a habit by tracking your study time Focus Mirror is designed to help you get into focus. It does not measure or evaluate your ability to concentrate. Detection can be affected by lighting and camera angle. Terms of Use: https://taka3267-collab.github.io/tkApps/focus-camera/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://taka3267-collab.github.io/tkApps/focus-camera/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Focus Monke4 screens
Focus Mirror4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Focus Monke at none against Focus Mirror's shown. Focus Mirror's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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 Focus Mirror 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

Focus Monke ships an update weekly, Focus Mirror every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Focus Monke versus Focus Mirror: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus MonkeFocus Mirror
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBen HaunTakahiro Kimura

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
3 purchases

Focus Mirror

Subscriptions2
  • Remove Ads Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
  • Remove Ads Yearly Plan7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Focus Monke free?
Focus Monke is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Mirror free?
Focus Mirror is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Monke or Focus Mirror have ads?
Focus Mirror shows ads; Focus Monke does not.
Which is updated more often, Focus Monke or Focus Mirror?
Focus Monke ships an update weekly, and Focus Mirror every 5 days. Most recently, Focus Monke was updated on September 29, 2026 and Focus Mirror on October 9, 2026.

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