Comparison

FocusTale vs Exam Countdown & Study Planner

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

Head to head
About

FocusTale

Features
Read full description

Turn study time into an adventure. FocusTale helps students start studying, stay focused and build consistent habits through focus quests, XP, levels and streaks. Choose a session, begin focusing and watch your progress grow without adding unnecessary pressure. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Choose Focus Magic, Quick Focus or Rest • Personalise session durations • Earn XP, level up and build a study streak • Complete daily quests and track your progress • Challenge your Dragon of the Day • Review focus minutes and completed sessions • Use Extreme Focus when distractions need to disappear • Study with calming, lyric free background audio • Explore immersive visual themes • Choose an encouraging Focus Spirit • Follow the guided first time tour to learn the app quickly RELIABLE FOCUSING Your timer continues accurately while the app is in the background. On supported iPhones, Live Activities make it easier to follow an active session from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Controls remain locked during an active session to protect your focus. Your progress and unlocked rewards remain saved when the app is updated. FREE TO USE The core focus features are free. Optional rewarded ads let you unlock additional music, themes and companions. Ads never interrupt an active focus session, and rewards remain unlocked after completion. Make starting easier, turn consistency into visible progress and make studying feel more rewarding with FocusTale.

About

Exam Countdown & Study Planner

This app helps students organize their academic life with an exam countdown, study planner, and focus timer. It breaks down syllabi, tracks progress, and encourages consistent study habits to boost productivity and achieve academic goals.

Highlights
  • Exam countdown timer
  • Study tracker & syllabus manager
  • Study timer & Pomodoro focus
  • AI study planner
  • Daily to-do list & task manager
  • Daily study streaks & motivation
Features
Read full description

Know exactly what to study today — and how many days you have left. Exam Countdown & Study Planner (Poro) puts your exam countdowns, syllabus tracker and focus timer in one app. Track every chapter, study in focused sessions, and build a streak that keeps you going. Upgrade to AI Pro and Diya, your AI study assistant, plans every study day from today until your exam and quizzes you on what you've learned. EXAM COUNTDOWNS Add every exam and see the days, hours and minutes left at a glance. Put a countdown widget on your iPhone or iPad Home Screen so exam day never sneaks up on you. STUDY PLANNER, DAY BY DAY UNTIL YOUR EXAM (AI Pro) Pick the date you want to finish the syllabus, and Diya plans every day from today until then, with revision cycles before the exam. • Fits around your life: tell it the hours school or coaching already takes, your longest study session, and anything else (for example, "I'm weak at organic chemistry") • Keep one day a week free to catch up • Warns you up front if the syllabus can't fit, instead of the night before • See today's tasks or the full month calendar • Fell behind? Push today's tasks to tomorrow, or rebuild the plan around what you've already done • Add a short-term target, like a unit test on chapters 4–6 • Manual edits are unlimited, earlier versions are saved, and you can write your own week instead SYLLABUS & CHAPTER TRACKER Add your subjects and chapters, then check them off as you study. See how much of each subject you've covered and what's still left before the exam. FOCUS TIMER Study with a Pomodoro timer, a goal-based session or a simple stopwatch. Choose your focus length and number of cycles, and every session is logged to the chapter you studied. Calming focus atmospheres help you settle in and stay in the zone. STREAKS, GOALS & STUDY HISTORY Set a daily study goal, build your streak, and see where your hours go with charts and a full study history. TO-DO LIST Keep homework and assignments in one place with due dates, and set tasks to repeat daily, weekly or monthly. DAILY REMINDERS • Morning brief: today's plan and to-dos in one notification • Evening check-in, only when tasks are unfinished or your streak is at risk • Exam milestones 30, 7 and 1 day before each exam MEET DIYA, YOUR AI STUDY ASSISTANT (AI Pro) • Chat with Diya about what to study next. Diya can add tasks and adjust your plan for you. • AI quizzes for every chapter show what you really know • Past-paper analysis highlights the chapters that matter most • Import your syllabus automatically instead of typing it in • Cloud backup and sync across all your devices BUILT FOR • High school and college students • SAT, ACT, AP, MCAT, LSAT and bar exam prep • Finals week, entrance exams and professional certifications • Anyone who wants a countdown, syllabus tracker and focus timer in one app Available in 10 languages. FREE, PERSONALIZE (LIFETIME) & AI PRO Exam countdowns, the syllabus tracker, focus timer, streaks, to-dos and reminders are free, with no ads. Personalize (lifetime) unlocks all widgets, focus atmospheres and ID card styles, plus data import and restore. AI Pro adds Diya, the AI study planner, AI quizzes, past-paper analysis, full syllabus import and cloud sync. Stop guessing what to study next. Download Exam Countdown & Study Planner and walk into exam day prepared. Payment charged to your Apple account. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled 24-hours before the current period ends. Account charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the period end. Manage subscriptions in App Store settings. Any unused free trial is forfeited upon purchase. Privacy Policy: https://lazybyte.in/privacy-policy/exam-countdown--study-planner Terms of Use (EULA): https://lazybyte.in/terms-and-conditions/exam-countdown--study-planner

Screenshots

FocusTale4 screens
Exam Countdown & Study Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FocusTale at none against Exam Countdown & Study Planner's 3. Exam Countdown & Study Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Exam Countdown & Study Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. FocusTale asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusTale ships an update every 6 days, Exam Countdown & Study Planner every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
FocusTale versus Exam Countdown & Study Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusTaleExam Countdown & Study Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShrey SarafIkramul Hossain Mondal

In-app purchases

None

FocusTale

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Exam Countdown & Study Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Ai Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Ai Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Exam Countdown Premium$3.99

Questions

Is FocusTale free?
FocusTale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Exam Countdown & Study Planner free?
Exam Countdown & Study Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FocusTale or Exam Countdown & Study Planner have ads?
FocusTale shows ads; Exam Countdown & Study Planner does not.
Which is updated more often, FocusTale or Exam Countdown & Study Planner?
FocusTale ships an update every 6 days, and Exam Countdown & Study Planner every 5 days. Most recently, FocusTale was updated on October 31, 2026 and Exam Countdown & Study Planner on October 31, 2026.

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