Comparison

FocusFlow vs StartKind

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

Head to head
About

FocusFlow

Features
Read full description

FocusFlow isn't here to push you harder. It's here to make starting easier. Built for ADHD brains โ€” and anyone who finds "just focus" easier said than done โ€” FocusFlow lowers the barrier at the hardest moment: getting started. WHY IT FEELS DIFFERENT โ€ข Start the smallest step. Stuck? FocusFlow hands you a 2-minute first move, not a lecture. โ€ข Work with your energy, not against it. Pick tasks by how you feel right now โ€” high, steady, or low. Every state has its place. โ€ข Rewards for showing up, not output. Every focus session grows your Focus Garden. Miss a day? No penalty, no shame โ€” your garden remembers every minute you came back. โ€ข See time pass. A calm countdown, plus a Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, so time stops quietly slipping away. โ€ข Catch every thought. Zero-friction Quick Capture โ€” type it or just say it out loud โ€” so ideas don't disappear before you use them. GENTLE BY DESIGN No streak guilt. No monitoring. No "you're behind." FocusFlow is a warm coach, never a taskmaster โ€” because shame is the number-one reason focus apps get deleted. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Your tasks, energy, and garden stay on your device, optionally synced through your own private iCloud. No accounts. No tracking. No third-party analytics. BRING YOUR OWN AI (OPTIONAL) Want a hand breaking a big task into tiny steps? Add your own API key (works with major AI models). Your key lives in your device's Keychain โ€” never on our servers. FocusFlow is free. Open it, and start with one small thing.

About

StartKind

Features
Read full description

Starting is the hard part. StartKind is for adults whose difficulty isn't knowing what to do โ€” it's beginning. You say or type the messy thing in your head, and you get back one small action you can start right now. Not a plan. Not a list. One step. WHAT IT DOES โ€ข One next step โ€” Speak or type "I have a stack of unopened mail and a bill I keep avoiding" and get a concrete first action with a clear place to stop. โ€ข A timer that expects you to stop โ€” 5, 10, 15 or 25 minutes, with a stop condition so finishing is defined and small. โ€ข No-shame outcomes โ€” Done, partial, or "I got interrupted" all lead somewhere kind. Nothing is scored. Nothing is lost. โ€ข I'm stuck โ€” One tap turns whatever you're avoiding into something smaller. โ€ข Recovery โ€” Paused work comes back with a note about where you were, so returning doesn't mean starting over. โ€ข Patterns โ€” A quiet summary of when starting has actually worked for you. Observations, not grades. โ€ข Co-start โ€” Work alongside a friend for 25 minutes with a six-digit code, or start quietly on your own. WHAT IT DOESN'T DO No streaks. No overdue piles. No badges, no guilt, no productivity scores. Missing a day costs you nothing. PRIVACY Your history lives in your own iCloud and syncs across your devices. There is no account, no email, no password. When you ask for a next step, what you typed passes through our server to our AI provider to write it. We don't store that text, and we keep no copy of your history. FREE Five next steps a day, the full timer, recovery, patterns, templates, widgets, the share extension, and one Admin Quick Start a day. STARTKIND PLUS Unlimited next steps, unlimited Admin Quick Starts for bills and letters, deeper calibration, unlimited recovery, and unlimited co-start rooms with friends. $9.99/month or $89.99/year. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. StartKind is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, or cure ADHD or any health condition. For diagnosis, medication, or treatment decisions, consult a qualified clinician. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://startk.livepet.ren/privacy.html

Screenshots

FocusFlow4 screens
StartKind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StartKind at every 3 days against FocusFlow's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. FocusFlow sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and StartKind sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FocusFlow ships an update weekly, StartKind every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
FocusFlow versus StartKind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusFlowStartKind
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size8 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperๆฑŸ ๅดไฟŠ ่™ž

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FocusFlow

One-time1
  • Garden Seasons$14.99
2 purchases

StartKind

Subscriptions2
  • StartKind Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • StartKind Plus Yearly$89.991 Year

Questions

Is FocusFlow free?
FocusFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StartKind free?
StartKind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FocusFlow or StartKind have ads?
Neither FocusFlow nor StartKind shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FocusFlow or StartKind?
FocusFlow ships an update weekly, and StartKind every 3 days. Most recently, FocusFlow was updated on October 28, 2026 and StartKind on October 31, 2026.

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