Comparison

OpenFocus vs Pomodoro Timer

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

Head to head
About

OpenFocus

This minimal timer app starts counting down the moment it's opened, offering a distraction-free way to manage focus and break intervals. It provides customizable durations, multiple visual themes, and optional features like long breaks and daily goals, all without ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Instant start timer
  • Customizable focus/break durations
  • Optional long breaks
  • 7 color themes
  • 4 timer faces
  • Lock Screen & Dynamic Island integration
  • Reliable alarms
Features
Read full description

OpenFocus is a minimal pomodoro timer that starts the moment you open it. Free, forever. No ads. No in-app purchases. No account. No subscription. Setup-free at launch — yet there when you want to tune it. — Features — Starts instantly The focus timer is already counting down by the time the screen appears. No start button. No mode to pick. Custom focus and break durations Default is the classic 25/5. Open the settings sheet (when stopped) to set focus (5–90 min) and break (5–30 min) independently, in 5-minute steps. Long break (optional) Pomodoro Technique–style long break. After every Nth completed focus (configurable, 2–8), the break extends to 3× its normal length. Off by default. 7 color themes Choose from mono, ink, sea, forest, sand, rose, dusk. The chosen theme applies app-wide and also to the Lock Screen Live Activity and Dynamic Island. 4 timer faces Pick how the countdown looks: ring (default hairline), digital (bedside-clock LCD), flip (mechanical split-flap tiles), or analog (single-hand). Digital and flip can rotate to landscape with a tap — handy when you prop the phone up on a desk. Adjust on the fly Settings open mid-session too. Color, face, daily goal, and keep-awake change instantly. Focus and break durations stay locked until you fully stop the timer, so the running countdown never desyncs from what you see. Daily session counter The app counts completed focus sessions per day (auto-resets at midnight). Optionally set a daily goal (1–20) to see progress like "today · 3 / 8" — leave it at 0 and only the count is shown. Keep screen awake (optional) When on, the screen stays on while the timer is in the foreground. Useful for the "place phone on desk and watch the countdown" workflow, without changing your device-wide auto-lock. Auto phase switching When focus ends, break begins. When break ends, focus begins. The cycle continues without you touching the screen. Lock Screen & Dynamic Island Built on iOS Live Activities. Check the remaining time from your Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island without opening the app. Beautifully animated Each theme has its own focus and break colors. Smooth color crossfades on phase change, subtle haptics, Apple-grade SF Symbol morphing — every transition feels native. Reliable alarms Powered by iOS 26 AlarmKit. Notifies you at the end of every focus and break interval, even in the background, even on silent. Privacy first We don't collect anything. Settings and timer state are stored only on your device. No network requests, no analytics, no tracking. — Best for people who — • Want to try the pomodoro technique without setup overhead • Like a single tap to start — but still want to tune their own cadence and look • Are tired of cluttered timer apps • Believe in minimal tools done well — Not for people who — • Need statistics or reports • Want task management built in OpenFocus is built by subtraction, not addition. Minimal at first. Quietly customizable when you ask for it.

About

Pomodoro Timer

Features
Read full description

PomoKit is a private, focus-first Pomodoro timer built to help you concentrate, beat procrastination, and build a routine that sticks — without ever giving up your data. Perfect for deep work, studying, writing, reading, and any task that deserves your full attention. Start a focus session, take structured breaks, log what you worked on, and watch your focus add up over time. Your focus, your data — and yours alone. Private by design No account, no login, no sign-up — just open the app and start All your data is stored locally on your device by default No analytics, no tracking, no ads, no third-party data collection Optional iCloud sync runs through your own private iCloud — never our servers Focus, the Pomodoro way A clean, distraction-free timer with calm visuals and haptics on every control Automatic focus → short break → long break cycles, with a free Classic 25/5 routine Start, pause, resume and skip with a single tap Premium presets for deep work: Deep Work 50/10, 52/17, and Ultradian 90/30 Build your own custom routines with your ideal focus and break lengths Stay in the zone Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, with a live countdown A real alarm at session end that rings even on silent (iOS 26+), with a reliable notification fallback Session-only Focus Lock: pause your most distracting apps while a focus session runs — automatically lifted the moment you pause or finish Log in seconds Organize sessions with categories like Work, Study, Personal, Creative, Health and Reading Add a quick note to remember what you actually worked on Create your own custom categories with icons and colors Understand your focus Daily goal and current streak to keep your momentum going This-week overview included free; unlock the full picture with Premium Total focus time and session counts across week, month, year and all time See exactly where your time goes with a clear category breakdown Make it yours Choose from beautiful themes and 12 accent colors Pick an alternate app icon to match your style Light, Dark or System appearance Keep your data Export a clean CSV of your full session history Sync securely across all your devices with iCloud Premium includes Session-only Focus Lock Premium presets and unlimited custom routines Full insights: streak, totals and category breakdown across week, month, year and all time Custom categories with your own icons and colors All themes, accent colors and alternate app icons CSV export of your session history iCloud sync across all your devices PomoKit stays simple while you focus, and powerful when you want the full picture — start a session in seconds, see your progress in minutes. Subscriptions Auto-renewable premium plans (1 month, 1 year) The yearly plan includes a free trial for new subscribers A one-time Lifetime unlock is also available Payment is charged to your Apple ID account Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings Restore Purchases is available in-app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://darianhanci-legal.web.app/datenschutz

Screenshots

OpenFocus2 screens
Pomodoro Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenFocus at none against Pomodoro Timer's 3. Pomodoro Timer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads 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. Pomodoro Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. OpenFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OpenFocus versus Pomodoro Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenFocusPomodoro Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYOSHIKI KOAKUTSUCengiz Darian Hanci

In-app purchases

None

OpenFocus

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Pomodoro Timer

Subscriptions2
  • PomoKit Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • PomoKit Premium Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • PomoKit Premium Lifetime$22.99

Questions

Is OpenFocus free?
OpenFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pomodoro Timer free?
Pomodoro Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenFocus or Pomodoro Timer have ads?
Neither OpenFocus nor Pomodoro Timer shows ads.

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