Comparison

Control vs Pomodoro by Elsa

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

Head to head
About

Control

Consolidate your daily trackers, planners, and reminders into a single, elegant app. Monitor habits, budgets, fitness, and more directly from your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Live Activities. Enjoy a private experience with all data stored locally and synced via iCloud.

Highlights
  • 20+ customizable iOS widgets
  • Track habits, budget, fitness, and more
  • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Live Activities support
  • Private data storage on device
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • No sign-ups or dark patterns
Features
Read full description

Your Home Screen, redesigned. Control is a library of 20+ beautifully crafted iOS widgets - every tracker, planner, and reminder you actually use, gathered in one app. Habits, budget, fitness, medication, birthdays, travel, and much more, all glanceable from your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Live Activities. No more juggling ten single-purpose apps. No sign-ups, no dark patterns. - TRACK EVERYTHING - • Habits - daily routines, streaks, goals • Budget - spending, savings, monthly limits • Subscriptions - see exactly what's recurring and when • Portfolio - track your investments • Debt - loans and credit cards, payoff progress • Currency - live exchange rates between any two currencies • Fitness - steps, workouts, calories burned via Apple Health • Calories - daily intake, weight goals • Period - cycle tracking with predictions • Medication - dose reminders for every prescription • Birthdays - pulled from Contacts, never forget another one • Books - what you're reading, with auto-fetched covers • Movies - your watchlist with poster art • Pets - feeding, walks, vet visits • Vehicle - mileage, services, fuel logs • Hotel & Travel - live check-out countdowns and trip dashboards • Past Trips - a souvenir of where you've been • Food Expiration - what's in your fridge and when it spoils • Game Tracker - leaderboards plus a multi-touch player picker • Speedometer - live drive sessions • Clipboard - quick-paste from history • To-do - checklists that sync across devices • Quit Tracker - sober days, money saved, life regained - PRIVATE BY DEFAULT - Everything is stored on your device and synced privately through your own iCloud account. No external servers. No tracking. No analytics SDKs. Your habits, finances, and reminders are yours. Control is built for people who want their Home Screen to do something useful. - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pomodoro by Elsa

This app helps you focus on tasks and take restorative breaks with a customizable timer. It offers features to block distractions, build better routines, and track your progress. Syncs across devices and integrates with Apple Health.

Highlights
  • Customizable focus and break durations
  • Distraction blocking
  • Progress tracking and daily goals
  • Ambient soundscapes
  • Cross-device sync
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Make time for what matters. Pomodoro is a thoughtful focus timer built for steady work and restorative breaks. Choose a rhythm that fits your day, reduce distractions, and see the progress you are making—without creating an account. FOCUS YOUR WAY • Set custom focus, short-break, and long-break durations • Choose how many sessions come before a long break • Start, pause, reset, or auto-start the next session • Organize sessions with your own task tags • Keep time visible with Nightstand mode and Live Activities BUILD A BETTER ROUTINE • Review sessions, focus minutes, streaks, and active days • Set a daily goal and follow your progress • Get personalized Focus Coach insights from your session history • Add optional daily and session-completion reminders • Save completed sessions as Mindful Minutes in Apple Health MAKE SPACE TO CONCENTRATE • Block selected distracting apps during focus sessions • Choose ambient music and soundscapes for your workspace • Personalize color themes, fonts, and timer size FOCUS ACROSS YOUR DEVICES • Start and track sessions from Home Screen widgets • Use Siri and App Shortcuts for quick timer controls • Connect your focus mode with Focus Filters • Continue from the Apple Watch companion app • Keep preferences and history in sync through iCloud The core timer is free to use. Pomodoro Premium is an optional one-time purchase that unlocks the Focus Coach, advanced app blocking and reminders, and every theme, font, and focus sound. No subscription. Health, notification, and Screen Time access are optional and requested only when you use the related feature. Pomodoro is a productivity aid and does not provide medical advice or guarantee particular outcomes.

Screenshots

Control4 screens
Pomodoro by Elsa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pomodoro by Elsa at 5.0 against Control's 4.5. Pomodoro by Elsa also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume 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. Control sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pomodoro by Elsa asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pomodoro by Elsa holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Control versus Pomodoro by Elsa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterControlPomodoro by Elsa
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB157 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex Patrick PalaceanElsa Lozano

Customer experience

Control

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pomodoro by Elsa

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Control

One-time1
  • Control Lifetime$9.99
None

Pomodoro by Elsa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Control free?
Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pomodoro by Elsa free?
Pomodoro by Elsa is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Control or Pomodoro by Elsa?
Pomodoro by Elsa is rated higher. Control averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Pomodoro by Elsa averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Control or Pomodoro by Elsa have ads?
Neither Control nor Pomodoro by Elsa shows ads.

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