ThruFlow vs NextStep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ThruFlow
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ThruFlow brings task management, a focus timer, history, and statistics together in one place. Choose what you want to do today and start the timer. Your focused time is recorded automatically, so you can review your day on a timeline and see how your time changes across weeks, months, and years. Key features • Organize work, study, health, and other long-term priorities into Areas • Scheduled habits automatically appear in your list on the right days. • Keep today’s tasks and habits in one place • A flexible focus timer — choose the work mode that suits you • Review and edit focus and break records on a timeline • See trends and time distribution by week, month, or year • Follow your consistency with the Focus Calendar • Use ThruFlow on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch • Sync records across devices with iCloud Core features—including Tasks, the focus timer, History, and Statistics—are free. There are no ads, and no account is required. Your data is stored on your devices. When iCloud is enabled, records sync across supported devices through your private iCloud database.
NextStep
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One step on screen and your finish-by time right beside it. NextStep turns getting ready, heading out or winding down into a short run of steps that you follow on iPhone or Apple Watch. Every step counts down its own estimate. When the countdown hits zero, nothing jumps ahead: the step waits for you to tap Done. PLAN THE ROUTINE • Up to 30 steps per routine, each with a time estimate, a short note and an optional flag • Give the routine a finish-by time and keep an eye on the estimated finish while you go • Begin from a starter such as Leave for work, Evening reset or Start a focus block, or write your own • Break a task into steps: NextStep suggests steps and times from its own templates for common tasks and, on iPhones with Apple Intelligence, from the on-device model for the rest. You check every step before it is added • Reorder, duplicate or archive routines • Recurring reminders nudge you at the time you pick; a reminder never starts a routine by itself FOLLOW ALONG, STEP BY STEP • Done, Skip, Pause, Add 1 minute and End are always your call • Running behind? Adjust plan lists the optional steps still ahead and the minutes each one would save. Skip a few, or move the finish time for this run only • Pausing or adding a minute leaves your deadline where you set it, so you see straight away what it does to the plan APPLE WATCH, WIDGETS AND LOCK SCREEN • The Apple Watch app runs saved routines by itself, even with iPhone out of reach, and the two catch up when they reconnect • An optional Live Activity follows routines started on iPhone, with a Done button for the current step • The Home Screen widget shows the current step with a Done button, or your next routine • A Start routine control in Control Center or on the Action button opens your next routine, ready for you to confirm • Watch complications show your current progress at a glance ESTIMATES THAT LEARN YOUR PACE • History lists the routines you completed or ended • After enough real runs, NextStep proposes new step times based on your own pace, and you choose which ones to keep WITHOUT PRO • Two saved routines, run as often as you like • Routine editing, reminders, widgets, the Live Activity, the Start routine control, the last seven days of history, estimate suggestions and file export and import • Three tries of Break a task into steps • Watch complications, if you used NextStep before version 1.1 • A 45-second demo run that stays out of your history NEXTSTEP PRO • No two-routine limit • Full history plus planned-versus-actual time comparisons • Extra ready-made programs, such as Ready to go and A calmer evening, each one open to preview before you buy • Break a task into steps as often as you like • Watch complications, when NextStep was first installed at version 1.1 or later • If Pro ends, every routine you made stays available to view, edit and run • A paywall never interrupts a routine in progress KEPT ON YOUR DEVICES There is no NextStep account, no advertising and no outside AI service; Apple Intelligence suggestions are made on the iPhone itself. Routines and history stay on the devices that run them, and you can export a file whenever you want a copy. PAYING FOR PRO Pro is sold three ways: a monthly subscription, an annual subscription, or a lifetime unlock bought once. Before you confirm, the purchase sheet lists what Pro costs in your region and how often it bills, and payment comes from your Apple Account. A subscription carries on into each new period by itself. To stop that, turn off auto-renewal at least a day before the current period ends, since the coming period is billed in the final 24 hours. Manage or cancel from Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. A lifetime unlock does not end a subscription you already pay for; cancel that separately. Privacy: https://mubaraklabs.com/privacy/nextstep/ Terms: https://mubaraklabs.com/terms/nextstep/ License: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ThruFlow at none against NextStep's 3. ThruFlow also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. NextStep sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ThruFlow asks for nothing beyond the download.
ThruFlow ships an update weekly, NextStep every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ThruFlow | NextStep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | EDUARD SHCHIGOLEV | Mubarak Almahmeed |
In-app purchases
ThruFlow
No in-app purchases
NextStep
- Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$49.99





