Comparison

NEN vs OneThing

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

Head to head
About

NEN

This app offers a calm Pomodoro-style timer designed for deep work and study sessions. It guides users through focus periods and breaks with a simple, distraction-resistant interface. Track progress, categorize work, and utilize Apple Watch controls for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Focus, short break, and long break sessions
  • Clear timer progress and round tracking
  • Focus categories for different work types
  • Apple Watch controls
  • Live Activities and widgets
  • Session history and progress insights
Features
Read full description

NEN is a calm Pomodoro-style focus timer for iPhone and Apple Watch, built for deep work, study sessions, real breaks, and distraction-resistant routines. Start a focus session, move through short and long breaks, and keep your attention on the work in front of you. NEN is built around a simple Pomodoro-style timer flow with a quiet visual style, clear session progress, and useful controls when you need them. Use NEN for deep work, study blocks, writing sessions, coding, reading, or any routine where you want a focused rhythm without extra noise. Features: - Focus, short break, and long break sessions - Clear timer progress and round tracking - Focus categories for different kinds of work - Block selected apps during focus with NEN Pro - Apple Watch controls - Live Activities and widgets - Session history and progress insights - Optional NEN Pro lifetime unlock for deeper focus tools NEN is made for people who want a focused timer that feels calm, native, and easy to return to every day.

About

OneThing

Features
Read full description

One Thing is the anti-to-do app. Instead of a list that only grows, One Thing asks a single question each morning: what's the one thing that would make today feel meaningful? You choose it. You focus. Everything else can wait. No endless lists. No priority juggling. No guilt from yesterday. Just one thing at a time. WHY ONE THING Long to-do lists don't make you productive — they make you anxious. Focusing on a single, intentional task each day is calmer, kinder, and it's how real progress actually happens. One Thing is built for anyone who needs to focus — especially people navigating ADHD or burnout recovery. FOCUS, GENTLY • Set one task a day — that's the whole app • A built-in focus timer that keeps perfect time even in the background • Calming ambient sounds — brown noise, pink noise, rain and waves • A Live Activity keeps your timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island STREAKS THAT FORGIVE • Build momentum one focused day at a time • Streak Freeze quietly protects your streak when life happens — one off day won't erase weeks of progress • A beautiful consistency calendar of every day you showed up DAILY MOTIVATION • 690 hand-crafted lines of encouragement • A fresh one every morning — in the app and your notification • It never repeats MADE TO FEEL GOOD • Reflect on how it went and capture a mood • Plan tomorrow's one thing tonight • Eight calm themes to match your mood • Home & Lock Screen widgets, an Apple Watch app, and Siri Shortcuts • Full Dynamic Type support for comfortable reading PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No accounts. No ads. No tracking. • Your tasks and reflections stay on your device and sync through your own iCloud • We don't run servers and we can't see your data One Thing is free. If it helps you, a small tip unlocks all premium themes and supports development.

Screenshots

NEN4 screens
OneThing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OneThing at none against NEN's 1. NEN's advantage is iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NEN sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OneThing asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
NEN versus OneThing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNENOneThing
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.5 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNijanthan VijayakumarCozy Suites Realty LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NEN

One-time1
  • NEN Lifetime Unlock$6.99
None

OneThing

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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