Comparison

TrueFocus vs Diary

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

Head to head
About

TrueFocus

Features
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Did you know the average adult checks their phone over 100 times a day—mostly on autopilot? That’s over 5 hours of your day spent scrolling without ever consciously deciding to. TrueFocus is here to help you take your life back. By protecting your mornings, focus sessions, and sleep, TrueFocus replaces frustrating hard blocks with intentional daily guards and mindful pauses. Build true self-discipline, reclaim up to 2 hours every single day, and put your time where it actually matters. Why Other Screen Time Control Apps Fail We know you’ve tried to fix this before. But rigid locks only lead to frustration (and instant bypasses), while endless usage charts don't stop autopilot taps. TrueFocus is different. Instead of trapped restrictions, it gives your day structure, interrupts habit loops, and trains your brain to step away naturally. The Benefits You’ll Have • Reclaim 1–2 Hours Daily: Turn wasted scroll time into hobbies, family, and rest. • Break Autopilot Taps: Stop impulsive app-opening habits before they start. • Sleep Deeper & Rest Better: Gain up to 50 extra minutes of quality sleep every week. • Supercharge Productivity: Complete tasks faster without constant digital noise. 3 Smart Guards for Your Critical Routines • Morning Guard: Stop losing your first 30 minutes in bed to doomscrolling. Start your morning with clarity before social feeds pull you in. • Focus Guard: Eliminate constant app notifications during deep work or study. Protect your flow state and finish tasks in less time. • Night Guard: End the "just 5 more minutes" bedtime trap. Keep screens out of bed, wind down peacefully, and protect your sleep quality. A Mindful Pause, Not a Cold Hard Wall When you reach for a guarded app on autopilot, TrueFocus doesn't just slam the door—it interrupts the urge with interactive friction to help you wake up your prefrontal cortex: • Intention Check-In: Answer one honest question: "What are you here for?" • Guided Breathing: Take a 5-second deep breath to let the dopamine rush settle. • Brain Micro-Tasks: Solve a quick math challenge or tap a mini-task to reset your impulsive brain. • Science-Backed: Research published in PNAS found that adding a mindful pause before opening distracting apps helped reduce actual app openings by 57% over six weeks. Most times, you'll realize you didn't need the app at all! Precision Rules: Allowlists, Blocklists & Categories Tailor your limits to your actual lifestyle with maximum flexibility: • Blacklists & Whitelists: Block specific distracting apps (Social, Games, Shopping, Video) or lock everything except essential tools like Maps, Work Chat, and Calls. • Category & App-Level Control: Group and guard entire categories with one tap, or pick individual apps with surgical precision. Detailed Control Logs: Track Every Attempt & Victory • Open vs. Resisted Counts: See exact daily metrics—how many times you reached for an app versus how many times you successfully resisted and walked away. • Precise Timestamps: View a complete Control Moments timeline showing the exact time of every attempt, pause, and breakthrough. • Daily Victory Summaries: Get positive, encouraging feedback ("You resisted 14 impulsive taps and reclaimed 1h 32m for yourself today!"). Private, Safe & In Your Control • Powered by Apple’s Screen Time API: Built natively for iOS with zero battery drain. • 100% Private: Your browsing history, messages, and personal data never leave your device. • You Hold the Key: Turn any guard on or off whenever you choose. Unlock TrueFocus Pro Upgrade to TrueFocus Premium for smarter screen time control, distraction blocking, and tools to build healthier digital habits. TrueFocus Pro is available as an auto-renewable subscription. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your Apple ID settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.qstonelabs.com/screen-time-control-privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.qstonelabs.com/terms.html

About

Diary

Features
Read full description

Keep your thoughts, memories, and everyday moments private with a simple diary designed for personal journaling. Write freely, add photos and moods, and protect your memories with a passcode and Face ID or Touch ID. PRIVATE & SECURE • Protect your diary with a 4–6 digit passcode • Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID • Automatic locking keeps your entries private • Privacy mask protects your screen when the app goes to the background • Your diary data is stored locally on your device • No account and no cloud storage required WRITE YOUR WAY • Write, edit, and read diary entries • Add titles, text, dates, and times • Quickly record a thought, photo, or mood • Add multiple photos, tags, locations, weather, and categories • Use writing templates for today, gratitude, weekends, travel, and more • Customize paper colors, font size, and text color • Favorite important entries • Export an entry as an image to your Photos FIND & RELIVE YOUR MEMORIES • Search titles, entries, categories, tags, and locations • Filter entries by date or photos • Use the calendar to see your journaling history • Discover memories from this day in previous years • Review your month at a glance • Travel through your memories with Time Machine by year • Browse your favorite entries • View statistics for entries, photos, writing streaks, moods, categories, and popular tags BUILD A DAILY JOURNALING HABIT • Track consecutive journaling days • Set a daily reminder • Look back on your writing and memories whenever you want PERSONALIZE YOUR DIARY • Light mode, dark mode, or follow the system • Multiple themes • Customize the look and feel of your journal BACKUP & EXPORT • Back up and restore your diary, photos, and tags • Export your memories as JSON, TXT, or PDF • Keep a copy of your personal memories whenever you need it A private space for everyday thoughts, feelings, photos, and memories—without an account or subscription.

Screenshots

TrueFocus4 screens
Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TrueFocus at none against Diary's shown. On price, in-app purchases, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
TrueFocus versus Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrueFocusDiary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB33 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperQuillstone Limited思宇 赵

In-app purchases

None

TrueFocus

No in-app purchases

None

Diary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TrueFocus free?
TrueFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Diary free?
Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do TrueFocus or Diary have ads?
Diary shows ads; TrueFocus does not.

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