Comparison

Focus Canvas vs SBL Cue Timer

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

Head to head
About

Focus Canvas

This app turns your focus sessions into art. As you concentrate, characters of your chosen artwork are revealed, creating a visual representation of your dedication. Completed masterpieces are saved in a gallery, showcasing your focus journey.

Highlights
  • Character-by-character artwork reveal
  • Permanent artwork gallery
  • Custom ASCII art creation from photos/emoji
  • Customizable focus modes and durations
  • Detailed focus statistics
  • Live Activity and widget support
  • Shareable session summaries
Features
Read full description

Description Focus Canvas transforms your focus sessions into ASCII art. Start a timer, and watch as every second of concentration unlocks one character of your chosen artwork. Complete a masterpiece, and it joins your permanent gallery β€” a visual trophy of your dedication. HIGHLIGHTS β€’ Character-by-Character Unlock β€” Every second of focus reveals 1 haracter. See your progress in real time as artwork comes to life. β€’ Artwork Gallery β€” Completed works become permanent trophies. Build a collection that represents your focus journey. β€’ Create Custom Art β€” Transform emoji or your own photos into unique ASCII art. Background removal built in. β€’ Focus Tags β€” Multiple modes with custom colors and durations. Perfect for study, workout, reading, or deep work. β€’ Rich Statistics β€” Daily, weekly, and monthly calendar views. Track total minutes, sessions, and completed artworks. β€’ Live Activity & Widget β€” Monitor your timer from the Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, or Home Screen. β€’ Session Summary β€” Beautiful recap after each session with shareable artwork preview and stats. Terms of Use: https://jiangsanjie.github.io/doc/focuscanvas/term

About

SBL Cue Timer

Read full description

SBL Cue Timer keeps your live show on schedule: concerts, recitals, weddings, talks, streams and theater. A big countdown and a timed cue sheet show what is happening now, what is next, and whether you are running behind or ahead. FOUR FEATURES RUN TIMER - Big remaining time. Colors warn when time is short or over - Each cue sheet row is one act. Start by time, right after the previous act, or manually - Turn on AUTO to move to the next act on schedule. Behind ("push") and ahead ("pull") are calculated for you - Tap -1 / +1 minute to adjust on the spot. Undo and redo supported - Messages: show "Please speed up" and more on performers' screens in one tap - Full-screen performer display, readable from the wings SHARING - Anyone who enters a share code sees the same run screen live (viewing is free) - Nearby sync: iPhone, iPad and Mac sync with each other even with weak internet (Local Network permission required) - Creating a share (hosting) requires Pro CREATE RUN SHEETS WITH AI - Turns a PDF, photo, Excel, CSV or text schedule into a cue sheet with start times and durations - Review and edit the result before you use it LIGHTING AND SOUND SYNC (OSC) - OSC is a signal for controlling lighting, audio and video gear or software - Sent when each act starts, so it works with QLab, Resolume, TouchDesigner, Bitfocus Companion and more (Pro) USE IT FOR Concerts, school events and recitals, weddings and parties, talks, seminars and presentations (show speakers their remaining time in big type), corporate events and streams, theater and dance WORKS OFFLINE Shows are stored on your device. Edit and run without internet (sharing, AI and restoring purchases need a connection). Export and import .showcue files too. FREE AND PRO Free: up to 3 shows and 2 sheets per show / editing, running, full screen and messages / watch a show with a share code Pro: unlimited shows and sheets / host sharing and nearby sync / OSC output / CSV import and export / AI creation with a monthly allowance included - Monthly or yearly (yearly costs the same as 9 months). New subscribers get a 2-week free trial - Prices are in JPY, tax included. The price shown in the App Store applies AI CREDITS - Credits are uses for AI creation. Buy a pack of 5 or 10 in the app (also on the free plan) - Purchased credits never expire - Pro's monthly allowance is used first, then your credits - One use is spent when you tap "Create from this result". Retry up to 3 times for free if you don't like it SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the period - Manage or cancel in Settings > your name > Subscriptions after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription - Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ - Privacy Policy: https://showbuildlabs.com/privacy/ - Contact: support@showbuildlabs.com Show Build Laboratories (SBL) makes tools for people who work on the floor.

Screenshots

Focus Canvas4 screens
SBL Cue Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Focus Canvas at none against SBL Cue Timer's shown. SBL Cue Timer's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.2). On price 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. Focus Canvas sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and SBL Cue Timer sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 4 level
Focus Canvas versus SBL Cue Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus CanvasSBL Cue Timer
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS17.215.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size2 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer鹏 θ’‹Takashi Funama

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Focus Canvas

Subscriptions2
  • monthly$3.991 Month
  • annual$15.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$25.99
5 purchases

SBL Cue Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pro Annual14 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time3
  • AI Credits 5$0.99
  • Pro 1 Day$0.99
  • AI Credits 10$1.99

Questions

Is Focus Canvas free?
Focus Canvas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SBL Cue Timer free?
SBL Cue Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus Canvas or SBL Cue Timer have ads?
SBL Cue Timer shows ads; Focus Canvas does not.

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