CTRL Focus vs ThoughtRecorder

You do not need another noisy productivity app. You need a simple way to start focused work, stay with it and build momentum. CTRL Focus is a clean deep work timer designed to help you protect your attention, structure your sessions and make focused work easier to start. Start a focus session, choose your duration and stay with one clear task at a time. Whether you are studying, building, writing, coding or working on your next project, CTRL Focus helps you create a simple rhythm for deep work. What you can do with CTRL Focus: Start focused work sessions Choose custom session durations Track your focus time Build visible focus momentum Review your stats Create a cleaner work rhythm Reduce friction before starting deep work Use CTRL Focus for: Deep work Studying Coding Writing Creative work Exam preparation Work sprints Pomodoro-style sessions Building better focus habits No clutter. No unnecessary complexity. Just a clean system for starting focused sessions and showing up consistently. Start a session. Protect your attention. Build momentum.

there is no server we run. RECORD ANYWHERE • Tap the mic on any device to start capturing • Apple Watch: record directly from your wrist, syncs back automatically • Lock Screen widget for one-tap recording • Live Activity shows recording status while you work in other apps CATEGORIES THAT WORK LIKE YOU DO Sort your thinking however makes sense — Ideas, Meetings, To-do, Manuscript, or anything you invent. Categories sync across all your devices, so a category made on Watch appears on Mac. Filter your library in one tap. No folders to manage, no rigid hierarchy — just labels that follow your mind. SHARE PRIVATELY, WITH ONE PERSON Send a specific recording or note to a specific person. No public feed, no discovery, no "everyone with the link." The recipient sees exactly what you sent, opens it in their own Thought Recorder, and can reply with comments. You'll see when they've viewed it. Perfect for interviews handed to a producer, ideas passed to a co-writer, or a private voice note to a friend. TRANSCRIBE ON-DEVICE Enhanced transcription runs entirely on your device — no audio ever leaves it. Powered by state-of-the-art open models compiled to Apple Neural Engine. Prefer cloud accuracy? Bring your own OpenAI Whisper or AssemblyAI key — your audio goes directly to your account, billed to you, never through us. AssemblyAI adds automatic speaker labeling. ORGANIZE THE DETAIL • Flags in five colors for triage • Markers within long recordings • Notes alongside recordings — plain text with location, date, and title • Search across everything with Ask Archive using plain-language questions SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES iCloud sync uses your Apple account. Everything syncs automatically — recordings, notes, categories, flags, transcripts, sharing state. BACKUP TO WHAT YOU ALREADY USE • iCloud Drive: automatic, organized by year and category • Google Drive (optional): connect your own account, files stored only in a folder Thought Recorder creates BUILT FOR PRIVACY • No third-party SDKs • No analytics • No tracking • Nothing leaves your device unless YOU turn on a cloud feature under YOUR own account Thought Recorder is made by a small independent studio in Trondheim, Norway.