Comparison

Focus Blocks vs InwardFocus

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

Head to head
About

Focus Blocks

Read full description

Focus Blocks is an app blocker for iPhone and iPad that puts distracting apps out of reach during the time you set aside to focus. Choose the apps. Choose the rule. Block during focus hours, allow only inside chosen windows, or set a daily app budget. When a rule applies, selected apps are hidden system-wide until they are allowed again. No willpower games, no streaks, no social layer — just one clear setting that gives you your attention back. Built on Apple's Screen Time APIs, Focus Blocks works entirely on your device. It has no backend and no account. Your rules sync between your own devices through iCloud, under your own Apple ID. Screen Time app selections are private device-local tokens, so each device asks you to confirm the apps it should block before enabling a synced rule there. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Create as many focus blocks as you want — mornings, weekdays, deep-work afternoons • Pick specific apps and whole categories in one tap • Block during a schedule, allow only during a schedule, or set a daily limit • Enable synced rules separately on each device after confirming local app selections • Add a weekly setup window so blocks cannot be edited on impulse • Enable or disable any inactive block from one screen PRIVACY BY DEFAULT • No sign-up, no account • No analytics, no ads, no third-party SDKs • Uses Apple's Screen Time framework — selections and usage stay on-device • iCloud Key-Value Store is the only remote storage, and it lives in your own Apple ID Focus Blocks is self-directed. It is not a parental-control product and does not monitor or manage other people's devices. Requires iOS 18 or later.

About

InwardFocus

This app helps you regain control of your screen time by blocking distracting applications on a set schedule. It replaces access to blocked apps with daily affirmations, promoting intentionality and habit change. Blocking is enforced by your device's built-in screen time technology.

Highlights
  • Scheduled app blocking
  • Customizable focus schedules
  • Daily affirmation replacement
  • Home screen widget
  • Temporary access requests
  • On-device privacy
Read full description

Focus app blocker free. You don't have a discipline problem. You have a phone designed to steal your attention. InwardFocus blocks distracting apps on iphone with a schedule you set. Protect your morning, before bed time and after work from your distracted apps. every time you reach for a blocked app out of habit, it pauses you from accessing the apps. Come with widget that shows you a daily affirmation instead of your feed. You don't just block the scroll. You replace it with who you're becoming. HOW IT WORKS 1. Create a focus schedule e.g. mornings, work hours, evenings, or all day 2. Choose which apps to block (social media, work related apps) 3. When the schedule starts, those apps are locked behind a shield screen. No more notifications, no messages from those apps during the schedule 4. Open a blocked app by habit? You see an affirmation, not a feed Blocking is enforced by Apple's Screen Time technology, the same system behind iOS parental controls. No willpower needed, the apps simply won't open. NEED A REAL BREAK? Life happens. Tap "Request 15 Minutes" on the block screen for a short window, then blocking resumes automatically. Enough flexibility to stay realistic, not enough to relapse into a two-hour scroll. AFFIRMATIONS THAT REWIRE THE HABIT Choose from 10 identity themes — I Am Disciplined, I Am Present, I Am Creator, I Am Enough, I Trust Myself, and more. Affirmations rotate throughout the day, so every pickup becomes a small moment of intention instead of a lost half hour. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Put your current affirmation right on your home screen, so the first thing you see is a reminder of who you are — not a notification badge. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your schedules and blocked-app choices never leave your iPhone. All blocking happens on-device through Apple's Screen Time framework. We can't see which apps you block, and we don't want to. WHO IT'S FOR • You lose hours to social media, short videos, or mobile games without meaning to • You're tried of notifications and messaging from work related apps when it reach out side of office hours. • You've tried Screen Time limits but always tap "Ignore Limit" • You want your mornings and evenings back • You believe changing your habits starts with changing your identity InwardFocus is free. Take your time and power back. — InwardFocus requires iOS 18 or later and Screen Time permission (used only to block the apps you choose, on your device). Questions or ideas? support@inwardfocus.app

Screenshots

Focus Blocks4 screens
InwardFocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus Blocks at every 4 days against InwardFocus's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Blocks ships an update every 4 days, InwardFocus every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Focus Blocks versus InwardFocus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus BlocksInwardFocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikhail NemilovNattha Warapasakul

In-app purchases

None

Focus Blocks

No in-app purchases

None

InwardFocus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus Blocks free?
Focus Blocks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is InwardFocus free?
InwardFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Focus Blocks or InwardFocus have ads?
Neither Focus Blocks nor InwardFocus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Blocks or InwardFocus?
Focus Blocks ships an update every 4 days, and InwardFocus every 3 months. Most recently, Focus Blocks was updated on October 31, 2026 and InwardFocus on November 5, 2026.

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