Comparison

Focus vs Scroll Ladder

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

Head to head
About

Focus

This app helps you reclaim your time by blocking distracting applications during dedicated focus sessions. It allows you to set goals, track progress, and build better habits by turning scrolling hours into productive ones.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Set and track goals
  • Strict focus sessions
  • Recurring focus schedules
  • Progress recap movies
  • Standalone timer with alarms
Features
Read full description

Focus is the app blocker that turns scrolling hours into goal hours. Pick a goal, set a duration, and hold to start. From that second, the apps that pull you in are locked. No snooze, no "five more minutes", no way around it. Every hour we block goes into your goal. WHY FOCUS WORKS WHEN WILLPOWER DOESN'T Every distracting app is built by teams whose whole job is to keep you scrolling. Focus levels the field: once you commit, the decision is out of your hands. Open a blocked app and Focus answers: "Instagram is blocked by Focus." PUT YOUR HOURS INTO YOUR GOALS • Study, work, business, fitness, reading, art, or a goal of your own • Every session counts toward the goal you chose • Watch your hours gained grow, goal by goal IT'S YOU VS. YOU • Your goal scoreboard shows where your hours go • Beat last week's score and start a new lap • See how much faster you're moving than in week 1 • Best week, streaks, and blocked time by app YOUR FIRST RECAP MOVIE IN 48 HOURS Two days in, Focus plays a short personal movie of your progress: the apps that tried to take your time, the hours you put into your goals, and how much faster you're moving. A full recap lands every month. STRICT SESSIONS • Hold to start: a deliberate gesture, not an accidental tap • Blocked apps stay blocked until time is up • A live countdown on your Lock Screen keeps the goal in sight • One Emergency Pass per session: unlock a single app for five minutes, then the wall returns FOCUS ON A SCHEDULE • Recurring focus windows for work, study, or sleep, so your mornings block themselves • Real alarms that ring from a locked phone • Every rule runs on Apple's Screen Time system, enforced by iOS itself TIMER & ALARMS • A clean standalone timer with proper, full-volume alarms • Pick a classic ring or a song you love as your alarm sound PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account required. Blocking runs on Apple's Screen Time framework, and your activity never leaves your iPhone. The only thing we keep is anonymous usage statistics, never your content. WHO IT'S FOR Students who lose evenings to their phone. Founders, makers, and creators guarding deep work. Anyone chasing a goal who keeps losing the hours to scrolling. Your time is the only thing you truly spend. Focus makes sure it goes into your goals. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ · Privacy Policy: https://itsfocusapp.github.io/focus-legal/privacy.html

About

Scroll Ladder

Read full description

One ladder is now free forever, with no 24-hour limit. Pro unlocks up to eight ladders. Paid skips are always available without a Pro subscription and are charged separately. Stop opening distracting apps on autopilot. Choose how you earn your next 15 minutes. Scroll Ladder blocks the apps and websites you choose, then opens a timed access window when you complete an allowed unlock method. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose apps, websites, or categories. Start blocking immediately or after a daily free allowance. 2. Set your allowed unlock methods and a 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60-minute access window. 3. When blocked, choose an enabled method to open access. Return to the protected app yourself. A LITTLE MORE EACH TIME The first math unlock asks for 1 question; the first movement unlock asks for 5 reps. Each completed unlock raises the daily step. Choose from five math difficulty levels and 10 movement exercises, including squats and jumping jacks. The ladder resets each day. Paid skips are separate consumable purchases. Each opens one access window, with the price shown before purchase. The price rises with the daily step and caps at step 4. No account is required. Protected selections and activity history stay on your iPhone. Movement video is processed on device and is not saved or uploaded. Screen Time authorization is required and can be revoked in iOS Settings. Set up your first ladder and make the next open intentional. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms: https://www.moonscape.party/terms Privacy: https://www.moonscape.party/privacy

Screenshots

Focus4 screens
Scroll Ladder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Scroll Ladder at none against Focus's shown. Focus's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). 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. Focus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and Scroll Ladder sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus ships an update every 2 days, Scroll Ladder weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Focus versus Scroll Ladder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusScroll Ladder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMustafa Anıl KayaAleksandr Popov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Focus

Subscriptions2
  • Focus Pro Weekly3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Focus Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
7 purchases

Scroll Ladder

Subscriptions2
  • Scroll Ladder Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Scroll Ladder Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Paid Skip — Step 1$0.99
  • Paid Skip — Step 2$1.99
  • Paid Skip — Step 3$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Paid Skip — Step 4$3.99
  • Scroll Ladder Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scroll Ladder free?
Scroll Ladder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Focus or Scroll Ladder have ads?
Focus shows ads; Scroll Ladder does not.
Which is updated more often, Focus or Scroll Ladder?
Focus ships an update every 2 days, and Scroll Ladder weekly. Most recently, Focus was updated on November 13, 2026 and Scroll Ladder on November 7, 2026.

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