Comparison

Nova Record vs Focus

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

Head to head
About

Nova Record

Features
Read full description

Nova Record turns your iPhone and Apple Watch into a private conversation recorder with on-device AI transcription. Your audio and transcripts never leave your device — no accounts, no cloud processing, no tracking. RECORD ANYWHERE • One-tap recording on iPhone, Apple Watch, Control Center, Lock Screen and Action button • Live Activity with timer and controls in the Dynamic Island • External microphone support with input selection • Recordings from your watch transfer to your iPhone automatically • While your iPhone is recording, the watch becomes a remote: mark a moment, pause, stop TRANSCRIBE OFFLINE • Fast on-device transcription in many languages • Choose between the system speech engine and Whisper models (tiny to large) — downloaded once, then fully offline • Speaker detection separates who said what • Tap any sentence to jump playback to that moment NOVA INTELLIGENCE (subscription) • Summarise a conversation into key points • Clean up the wording without filler words — with your own glossary for technical terms • Title suggestions for your recordings • Semantic search: find transcripts by meaning rather than keywords, by voice from your Apple Watch or iPhone (€3.49/year, auto-renews, cancel anytime in Settings) FIND & SHARE • Full-text search across all transcripts, plus Spotlight integration • Export as text, Markdown, SRT subtitles, JSON or PDF • Share audio and transcripts via AirDrop, Files and more • Optional iCloud sync and collaboration — data stays in your private iCloud • Trash: deleted recordings wait 30 days before they are gone for good AUTOMATE (one-time purchase) • Deep Shortcuts integration: start/stop recording, transcribe, search, export and chain your own workflows with Siri PRIVACY FIRST Recording requires the consent of everyone involved — Nova Record reminds you on first launch. No analytics, no ads. See our privacy policy: https://cluster-one.eu/nova-apps/privacy/ Subscription terms: Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focus

Features
Read full description

Make time for what matters, one focused session at a time. Focus brings a Pomodoro timer, tasks, and useful progress tracking together on your iPhone. GIVE EACH SESSION A PURPOSE Choose what you want to work on, then start the timer. Keep reading, writing, revision, and everyday work in a simple task list. Add daily time goals to the tasks you want to make room for. FIND YOUR RHYTHM Use a Pomodoro timer with focus periods and breaks, adjust the durations to suit your day, or switch to the stopwatch when you want to count up. Pause, resume, or end a session as your plans change. SEE WHERE YOUR TIME WENT Review your sessions and weekly focus time. See time by task and follow your progress toward a daily goal, so your next session starts with a clearer picture. KEEP YOUR TIMER IN VIEW Follow an active session with Live Activities on your iPhone. On supported iPhone models, your timer can also appear in the Dynamic Island. BRING YOUR DEVICES TOGETHER Use Focus on iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. Sync your Focus data through your private iCloud database when iCloud is available. Local features work without creating a Focus account. Start with one task. Make a little time. Build from there.

Screenshots

Nova Record4 screens
Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus at daily against Nova Record's every 4 days. Focus also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Record ships an update every 4 days, Focus daily. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Nova Record versus Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova RecordFocus
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarlon MeutersAyush Deolasee

In-app purchases

None

Nova Record

No in-app purchases

None

Focus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nova Record free?
Nova Record is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nova Record or Focus have ads?
Neither Nova Record nor Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nova Record or Focus?
Nova Record ships an update every 4 days, and Focus daily. Most recently, Nova Record was updated on October 13, 2026 and Focus on October 10, 2026.

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