Comparison

Emphasis vs Session

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

Head to head
About

Emphasis

This app helps users achieve deep work by providing customizable focus intervals and ambient soundscapes. It tracks your focus progress and offers personalized statistics to help you reclaim your time from distractions.

Highlights
  • Customizable focus intervals
  • Ambient background sounds
  • Focus-O-Meter for distraction tracking
  • Personalized progress statistics
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Highly customizable sessions
Features
Read full description

You sit down to work. 40 seconds later, your hand is already reaching for your phone. Familiar? You’re not lazy. Modern life is engineered for distraction, and trying to force yourself to focus through sheer willpower simply doesn't work. Emphasis doesn’t force you to fight your own brain. One tap, a gentle ambient sound, a steady rhythm—and you’re already in a session. Ended a focus block after 12 minutes instead of 25? That’s 12 minutes of deep work you didn't have before. In Emphasis, every minute counts. 4.7 · 20,000+ reviews · Lightweight at just 75 MB Whether you’re navigating an ADHD brain, tackling a heavy study load, or trying to find clarity in a chaotic work week, Emphasis is a sanctuary from the digital noise. We took the science of the Pomodoro technique and turned it into a gentle, intentional rhythm that respects your natural energy levels. DESIGNED FOR YOUR FLOW STATE: * Immersive Sonic Spaces: Silence background distractions with curated ambient soundscapes. From subtle rhythmic pulses to meditative nature tones, create an environment where getting started feels effortless. * The Focus-O-Meter: Awareness is the first step to change. Select the apps that pull you away from your work and watch your Focus-O-Meter rise as you choose presence over the scroll. It’s not about restriction—it’s about reclaiming the time that belongs to you. * Tailored Focus Blueprints: No two brains work the same. Our onboarding learns your workflow needs from the start, letting you fully customize your session lengths and restorative breaks to prevent burnout before it begins. * Progress, Not Perfection: Focus is a practice, not a destination. Use beautiful, minimalist progress charts and calendar stats to recognize your personal patterns of success and celebrate your consistency. * Apple Ecosystem Sync: Your focus journey shouldn't be tied to one desk. Emphasis syncs seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch to keep your rhythm steady wherever you go. At just 75 MB, Emphasis won’t bloat your device, but it will help clear your mind. Join thousands of us who are choosing a kinder, more intentional way to live and work. Download Emphasis today and let’s find your rhythm together. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Session

Track your progress towards mastering skills by logging dedicated practice time. Manually log sessions or use the automatic timer to record your efforts. Start making measurable progress on your goals today.

Highlights
  • Create custom activities
  • Manual session logging
  • Automatic timer
  • Track progress towards goals
  • Skill mastery tracking
Features
Read full description

ty for 5+ years of Session! but it's time to start a new arc. search timespent on the app store to see what's next. —cal --- "The secret to getting ahead is getting started." ―Mark Twain They say it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill, but who's counting? Now, you can with Session. Create an activity, and log sessions manually or with the automatic timer. Whether it's for 10 hours, 100, 10,000 or more – start making progress towards your goals today.

Screenshots

Emphasis4 screens
Session4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Session at none against Emphasis's 6. Session also leads on iOS requirement (13.2 vs 17.0). Emphasis's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Emphasis sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Session asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Emphasis against 4.7 for Session. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 937 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Emphasis's written reviews are positive against 77% of Session's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Session every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Emphasis versus Session: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmphasisSession
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings)4.7 (937 ratings)
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews — better76.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better937
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAleksandr FiodorovGlasshouse Studio, LLC

Customer experience

Emphasis

All ratings1,058 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews1,108 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.0%

Session

All ratings937 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive76.8%
Neutral10.1%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

Emphasis

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Minimalistic and simple design
  • 👍 Customizable timer settings
  • 💡 Helpful for productivity and focus
  • 🚀 Sleek and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Visually appealing countdown timer

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Subscription model required for full features
  • 🐛 Sync and login issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes after updates
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications and alerts

Session

From 937 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Aesthetically pleasing
  • ⏱️ Helpful for time management
  • 💻 Simple and easy to use
  • 🧠 Motivating for productivity

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when trying to edit activities
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options (e.g. color, icon, order)
  • 🗑️ No ability to delete activities
  • ⏱️ Timer issues (stops unexpectedly, doesn't continue in background)

Bugs and requests

Emphasis

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Timer not working correctly after breaks
  • Task lists not saving properly
  • App crashing on launch for some users
  • Sync issues causing data loss

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to track individual tasks and time spent
  • Landscape mode support
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • More color theme options
  • Improved statistics and progress tracking

Session

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Timer inconsistencies when exiting the app
  • Inability to add time manually (only minutes, not hours)
  • App crashes when trying to add a session manually

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add delete and rename session functions
  • Implement activity editing (color, icon, name, description)
  • Provide activity reordering capability
  • Include activity time tracking by day/week/month/year
  • Add Pomodoro timer functionality
Show 1 more
  • Integrate music playback or nature sounds

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Emphasis

Subscriptions4
  • Emphasis Premium Subscription$3.491 Month
  • Emphasis Premium Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Premium Feature (Yearly Promo)$12.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Emphasis Premium Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime premium$29.99
  • Lifetime premium$59.99
None

Session

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Emphasis free?
Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Session free?
Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Emphasis or Session?
Emphasis and Session are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.1K and 937 ratings respectively.
Do Emphasis or Session have ads?
Neither Emphasis nor Session shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Session?
Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Session every 4 months. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on October 3, 2026 and Session on October 3, 2026.

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