Comparison

Focustown vs TimeBarX

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

Head to head
About

Focustown

Features
Read full description

Can't stop reaching for your phone? Turn your focus into something you can watch grow. FocusTown is a gamified deep-work timer: every focus session you finish earns coins that build a cozy pixel town, block by block. Stay off your phone, and a tiny hamlet slowly becomes a thriving city. Pay once and it's yours forever β€” no subscription, no ads, and nothing about you is ever collected. HOW IT WORKS 1. Start a focus session β€” Pomodoro-style or a custom length. 2. Put your phone down and do the work. 3. Earn coins for every session you complete. 4. Spend them to build and upgrade houses, libraries, parks and more. WHY YOU'LL STICK WITH IT β€” See your progress: abstract "focus time" becomes a town you can actually look at and feel proud of. β€” Build real habits: streaks and gentle momentum keep you coming back, day after day. β€” Calm by design: no social feeds, no attention-grabbing notifications, no endless scroll. β€” Your data stays yours: the app collects nothing. Nothing to leak, nothing to sell. β€” Pay once: unlock everything with a single one-time purchase β€” never a subscription. FEATURES β€” Flexible focus timer for work, study, reading, writing or mindfulness. β€” A cozy town builder with unique, beautifully styled buildings to collect and arrange. β€” Clear statistics: track daily, weekly and monthly focus trends. β€” Ambient sounds to help you settle in and block out distractions. WHO IT'S FOR Students revising for exams, remote workers fighting distraction, writers chasing flow, and anyone who wants to reclaim their attention β€” without renting their tools by the month. Plant your first building today and watch FocusTown grow. Questions or ideas? Reach us through the support link on our App Store page.

About

TimeBarX

Features
Read full description

TimeBarX puts a countdown where you’ll actually see it - a full-screen progress ring, Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, and Home Screen widgets. Glance at your time remaining without opening the app or breaking focus. Set a timer with the slider, pick an end time, or type in plain English. β€œ25 minutes”, β€œ1h30m”, β€œ2:00 PM” - just type and go. SEE YOUR TIME β€’ Large circular progress ring that fills as time runs down β€’ Drag the ring to set the duration, with a tick for each minute β€’ Live Activities on the Lock Screen, StandBy, and Dynamic Island - pause, resume, or add 5 minutes without opening the app β€’ Home Screen widgets with quick-start controls β€’ Near-end pulse when five minutes remain START IN SECONDS β€’ Duration slider (free) β€’ End-time picker and natural language input (Pro) β€’ Presets for common focus durations - customize or add your own (Pro) β€’ Siri and Shortcuts: start, pause, resume, repeat, or start a named preset β€’ Picks up where you left off after quitting or restarting POMODORO WHEN YOU NEED IT β€’ Work, short break, and long break cycles β€’ Configurable durations, cycle count, and auto-advance (Pro) β€’ Live phase badge while a session runs A FINISH YOU’LL NOTICE β€’ Completion screen with optional custom message (Pro) β€’ Effects: flash, pulse, fade, or none (Pro) β€’ Notifications with 5- and 10-minute snooze MAKE IT YOURS (PRO) β€’ Custom colors and customizable presets β€’ Segmented ring with 2–6 arcs β€’ Smart auto-pause when face-down or idle β€’ URL scheme automation (timebar://) β€’ Session history and optional mood check-in β€’ Light or dark app icon, or follow the system BUILT RIGHT β€’ Native SwiftUI for iPhone and iPad β€’ Optional iCloud sync of timer state and settings with your other TimeBarX devices β€’ No subscription. No account. No tracking. ONE PURCHASE. MAC + IPHONE. Free to download. TimeBarX Pro is a one-time $3.99 purchase that unlocks Pro across Mac and iPhone. No subscription, no recurring fees. If you already own TimeBarX Pro on Mac, you don’t need to buy it again on iPhone.

Screenshots

Focustown4 screens
TimeBarX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Focustown at 13.0 against TimeBarX's 16.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Focustown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TimeBarX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focustown ships an update every 5 days, TimeBarX every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Focustown versus TimeBarX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocustownTimeBarX
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS13.0 β€” better16.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size42 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperALEXANDAR VINCENT PAULRAJJonathan Tapia

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Focustown

One-time1
  • Unlock Focustown Premium$2.99
1 purchases

TimeBarX

One-time1
  • TimeBarX Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Focustown free?
Focustown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TimeBarX free?
TimeBarX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focustown or TimeBarX have ads?
Neither Focustown nor TimeBarX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focustown or TimeBarX?
Focustown ships an update every 5 days, and TimeBarX every 3 days. Most recently, Focustown was updated on September 20, 2026 and TimeBarX on September 22, 2026.

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