Comparison

Bambo vs Focus Bonsai

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

Head to head
About

Bambo

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Bambo is a cozy focus timer and productivity app designed to help you study, work, and build better daily habits in a calmer, more rewarding way. Stay focused with different timer modes, including Pomodoro, and turn every session into progress. As you complete focus sessions, you earn bamboo, grow your panda companion, and stay motivated through a playful reward system. Bambo combines simple productivity tools with a soft and encouraging experience, making it easier to stay consistent without the pressure of traditional productivity apps. With Bambo, you can: โ€ข use focus modes like Pomodoro, timer, and stopwatch โ€ข earn bamboo through completed focus sessions โ€ข grow your panda companion as you stay consistent โ€ข manage tasks with a simple to-do list โ€ข stay motivated with a cozy reward system โ€ข connect with friends and groups โ€ข use AI Coach features Whether you need a focus timer for studying, a productivity app for work, or a study timer for your daily routine, Bambo helps you stay on track in a more enjoyable way. Bambo is great for: โ€ข studying for school or university โ€ข getting work done with fewer distractions โ€ข building better focus habits โ€ข creating a calmer daily routine โ€ข staying motivated over time Bambo Pro unlocks additional premium features, including AI Coach tools and an even better focus experience. If you are looking for a focus app, study timer, Pomodoro timer, or productivity companion with a unique and cozy feel, Bambo is made for you. Stay focused. Stay calm. Grow with Bambo. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://anpalabs.com/privacy-policy/

About

Focus Bonsai

Features
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Close your foldable iPhone, set it on the desk, and a small bonsai grows on the outer screen. The longer you stay away from your phone, the bigger it grows. - Close it. It grows. Pick 25, 50 or 90 minutes (or any time from 5 to 180 minutes) and close your phone. No start button. It begins 3 seconds after you set it down, and a vibration tells you when time is up. - Open it. It wilts. If you open your phone midway, you get 10 seconds of grace. After that, the tree slowly wilts. Close it quickly and it keeps growing from where it left off. In Normal mode it never dies; after 2 minutes it goes on the shelf at the size it reached. In Strict mode it starts wilting after 3 seconds and dies in a minute. - A different tree every time Every bonsai is a hand-drawn illustration with its own shape and branches. There are 5 classic styles: Formal upright (Chokkan), Slanting (Shakan), Informal upright (Moyogi), Literati (Bunjingi) and the rare Cascade (Kengai), which only grows in sessions of 50 minutes or more. - Trees change with the seasons Japanese apricot and cherry in spring, zelkova and trident maple in summer, Japanese maple and persimmon in autumn, black pine and shimpaku juniper in winter. The background follows the time of day, from morning to night. - Your effort fills a shelf Finished trees line up on your bonsai shelf, day by day. See your focus time for the week, collect all 40 entries in the collection, and keep a weekly goal. One rest day card per week means a day off won't break your streak. - Take a break, then keep going Stand your phone half-open after a session for a short break. Close it again to start the next one. - Share your day Make an image of today's bonsai or a short video of it growing, right on your device. - On other iPhones On an iPhone without a hinge, place it face down to start, or tap Start. - Data Your records stay on this device only. No account is needed, and nothing is sent to the developer. - Price Free. A banner ad appears only on the Shelf and Collection screens, never while you focus. A one-time "Remove Ads" purchase removes it. Terms of Use: https://nayukitecture.com/works/duo-focus-terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

Bambo4 screens
Focus Bonsai4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus Bonsai at daily against Bambo's weekly. Bambo's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Bambo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Focus Bonsai sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bambo ships an update weekly, Focus Bonsai daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Bambo versus Focus Bonsai: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBamboFocus Bonsai
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size128 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick Starkmanntasuku nayuki

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Bambo

Subscriptions2
  • Bambo Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Bambo Pro Yearly$11.991 Year
One-time1
  • Bambo Pro โ€“ Lifetime$22.99
1 purchases

Focus Bonsai

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Bambo free?
Bambo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Bonsai free?
Focus Bonsai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Bambo or Focus Bonsai have ads?
Both Bambo and Focus Bonsai show ads.
Which is updated more often, Bambo or Focus Bonsai?
Bambo ships an update weekly, and Focus Bonsai daily. Most recently, Bambo was updated on November 5, 2026 and Focus Bonsai on November 6, 2026.

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