Comparison

Focus City vs Skratch

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

Head to head
About

Focus City

Features
Read full description

Focus City turns your focus time into a city on the real world map. Pick a spot anywhere on earth. Start a focus session. While you work, your territory grows around it. Finish the session and the land is yours. Lose focus and quit early? Your progress stops. Skip too many days and your territory starts shrinking. Stay consistent and your city keeps growing. Earn coins with every session and spend them on skyscrapers, landmarks, roads, parks and decorations to turn your territory into a city that is truly yours. HOW IT WORKS Choose your starting location, anywhere in the world Start a focus session when you want to get things done Watch your zone expand on the map while you stay focused Earn coins and spend them on buildings, roads and parks Come back daily to protect and grow your territory WHY FOCUS CITY WORKS Your progress is visible. Instead of an abstract streak counter, you see your focus time as real territory on a real map. Every session leaves something behind. Missing a day has consequences you can see: your city is at stake. FEATURES - Focus timer designed for deep work and study sessions - Your territory grows live on the map while you focus - Build your city with skyscrapers, landmarks, roads, parks and more - Customize your city colors and make it recognizable - Tag sessions (work, study, deep work, meditate) and see where your time goes - Statistics: daily and weekly focus time, streaks, level and area - Global, country and city leaderboards - Explore the map and discover cities built by others - No GPS needed: pick any spot in the world, your real location stays private - No account or sign-up required to start WHO IT IS FOR Students preparing for exams, professionals doing deep work, and anyone who wants to spend less time on their phone and more time on what matters. If streaks and forests stopped motivating you, defending a city might not. Your focus builds something. Start your city today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.focuscity.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.focuscity.app/privacy

About

Skratch

Features
Read full description

Skratch is a calm, paper-inspired notebook for longform writing and fleeting thoughts. Five cream pages, a warm wax-seal palette, and a typeface that feels like ink on paper β€” nothing to set up, nothing to distract. β€’ Five notebook pages, always a swipe away β€’ Mark up your words with a hand-drawn pen feel: underline, strike through, circle β€’ Moon-phase page dots that keep your place β€’ Choose your paper: blank, dotted, ruled, or squared β€’ Syncs privately through your own iCloud β€” across iPhone and Mac β€’ No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Your words stay yours. Skratch keeps out of the way so you can just write.

Screenshots

Focus City4 screens
Skratch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Skratch at none against Focus City's 8. Focus City's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Focus City sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Skratch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 3 level
Focus City versus Skratch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus CitySkratch
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size67 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas TimmermanJustin Marshall

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Focus City

Subscriptions2
  • Focus City Premium$2.991 Month
  • Focus City Premium$24.991 Year
One-time6
  • 100 Coins$0.99
  • 300 Coins$1.99
  • 1300 Coins$4.99
Show 3 more
  • 3300 Coins$9.99
  • 8000 Coins$19.99
  • 23000 Coins$49.99
None

Skratch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus City free?
Focus City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skratch free?
Skratch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Focus City or Skratch have ads?
Neither Focus City nor Skratch shows ads.

Other comparisons