Nooklo vs Now
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nooklo
This app allows you to study or work alongside friends remotely. See who's focused, join their synchronized work sessions, and track your progress together without distractions.
- Live feed of friends working
- One-tap session joining
- Synced Pomodoro timer
- Session recaps
- 7-day commit grid
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Houseparty for studying. Most study apps are timers. Nooklo is a place where your friends already are. Open the app, see who's locked in right now, and join them with a tap. Same synced timer, same room. No chat, no video, no pressure. HOW IT WORKS The Tonight feed shows which friends are in a session right now. Tap one to slip in beside them. You'll run the same focus blocks and breaks, in sync. Or start your own session, and your friends get a push the moment you lock in. BLOCK THE APPS THAT PULL YOU AWAY Pick your distracting apps once. Nooklo blocks them at the iOS level every time a session starts, lifts the shield at breaks, and re-locks when focus resumes. It survives force-quits and phone locks. You never touch the picker again. You can also set recurring windows (sleep, class hours, deep work) where your picked apps stay blocked automatically. PLAN THE WEEK TOGETHER Schedule Nooks on a 7 day grid and invite up to 4 friends. Your existing calendar (iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange) shows through as ghost blocks so you never double-book, and scheduled Nooks mirror back to your calendar. A JOURNAL THAT WRITES ITSELF Every day pulls in what you actually got done: completed Nooks, checked-off tasks, session reflections. Add your own to-dos, check them off mid-session, and get quiet receipts, not a scoreboard. PROOF YOU SHOWED UP A heatmap of when you actually study, hours per subject, weekly rhythm, and share-stats cards. Stats are intimate, not competitive. FOCUS MECHANICS THAT HOLD UP • Pomodoro (25/5 by default, 50/10 or custom) and free study • Lock Screen Live Activity and Dynamic Island countdown • Home screen widgets to start a session without opening the app • Session intentions: capture what you want to get done, check it off mid-session PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Only friends you add can see when you're in a session. No public profiles, no follower counts, no algorithm. Calendar and reflection data stays on your device. Everything is free right now, including app blocking. Plus is free until September.
Now
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One task. One small step. A simpler way to get started. Now helps you clear your head, choose what matters and begin with a short, visible timer. It's built for anyone who finds starting hard, including many people with ADHD, and it's free to use with no account. START ONE TASK The Now screen shows one task, one concrete first step, and a big start button. No endless list. Type a task like "Clean the kitchen" and Now suggests a first step like "Put five dishes in the sink". You can edit it, choose another, or make it smaller. GET UNSTUCK Tap "I'm stuck" and pick what's in the way: don't know where to start, too big, low energy, distracted, waiting on something, or need a break. Each answer gives you one practical next move, such as 2 to 5 editable steps, the tiniest version of the task, or a timed break. START WITH TWO MINUTES A calm visual ring counts down two minutes. You can pause, resume, stop early or keep going. Ending early still counts. Timers keep correct time when your phone is locked or the app is closed, and a notification can let you know when time is up. FOCUS YOUR WAY After your start, choose 5, 10, 15 or 25 minutes, a custom length, or no timer at all. Breaks are built in. CLEAR YOUR HEAD Brain Dump gives you one big box for everything on your mind. Type it, or use the keyboard's microphone to dictate. Now splits it into tasks, and nothing is lost. Then pick one thing to start. KEEP YOUR PLAN SIMPLE The daily plan holds up to three tasks: one main, one smaller, one optional bonus. Everything else waits in a private parking lot (Later, Someday, Waiting, Completed), and nothing is automatically deleted. Unfinished tasks never pile onto tomorrow. MATCH YOUR ENERGY Comfy, Balanced or Turbo. You choose the pace, and you can change it anytime. SEE YOUR TIME Progress shows the facts: tasks finished, two-minute starts, recorded focus time, and days with a finished task. Time Mirror compares your estimates with the time you actually recorded. MEET MOCHI (OPTIONAL) Mochi is a small companion that naps while you focus and celebrates quietly when you finish. It grows with the tasks you complete. It's never needy or sad, and you can hide it with one switch. QUIET MODE Hide Mochi and decoration so you see just the task, the timer and the next step. You can also turn off Sparks and rewards, reduce animations, and silence sounds. Now respects Reduce Motion and works with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type. FREE AND PRO Free forever: the one-task screen, two-minute starter, Stuck button, task breakdown, unlimited tasks, Brain Dump, focus timers, daily plan and parking lot, reminders, Quiet Mode, and full data export. Now Pro adds routines, full Time Mirror history and insights, full task history with spreadsheet (CSV) export, and premium Mochi customization. Pro costs $4.99/month, $29.99/year or $59.99 once for lifetime (US prices; local prices are shown in the app). The yearly plan may include a free trial for eligible new subscribers, and the app shows this before you buy. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage them in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Optional one-time cosmetic purchases (the characters Blaze, Luna and Nova, and Sparks packs) only change how your companion looks. PRIVATE BY DESIGN There's no account. Your tasks, notes and history are stored on your iPhone. Export or delete them anytime. Purchases are processed by Apple, and RevenueCat receives an anonymous identifier to confirm your subscription. Your tasks are never sent. Now is a productivity-support tool. It does not diagnose, treat or manage ADHD or any medical condition. Terms: https://61ffklb56je1kkdm9fhht-web.rork.live/terms Privacy: https://61ffklb56je1kkdm9fhht-web.rork.live/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nooklo at none against Now's 8. Nooklo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Now's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Now sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Nooklo asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nooklo ships an update weekly, Now every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nooklo | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | riley lau | James Gray |
In-app purchases
Nooklo
No in-app purchases
Now
- Now Monthly$4.991 Month
- Now Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Spark Pouch$1.99
- Luna the Moon Bunny$2.99
- Blaze the Fox$2.99
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- Nova the Star Pup$4.99
- Spark Chest$4.99
- Now Lifetime$59.99









