Comparison

Emphasis vs Focus Lock

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

Focus Lock

This app helps you reduce screen time and block distracting applications to improve focus and productivity. It offers customizable blocking sessions, scheduling, and progress tracking to support digital detox and better presence.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Set screen time limits
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Digital detox without deleting apps
  • Track progress and streaks
  • Save custom session shortcuts
Features
Read full description

For over 7 years, Focus Lock is the original #1 app for limiting screen time and the easiest way to block distracting apps on your phone. With Focus Lock, you can block all or selected apps for a period of time, allowing you to focus, get more done, and simply be present without distractions. Whether you’re working from home, studying, focusing, reading, sleeping, hanging with family, or taking a detox from social media, Focus Lock will make your life a whole lot easier. HEAR IT FROM OUR COMMUNITY: // “I am a better person, friend, mother, and employee because of this app. I flip it on at outings with friends and family and it has truly restored my ability to break away from the chains of cell phone addiction. I could never recommend this app enough.” // “It’s honestly the best app ever. I appreciate how much it helps me focus. That I’m able to block my apps for an hour a day helps me be more productive and feel better.” // “Total insulation from distractions.” // “It prevents any and all distractions without deleting apps.” // "It saved my life, I got so much work done, and it changed my relationship with my phone." THE BENEFITS OF FOCUS LOCK - reduce your screentime select distracting apps to block - set up an automatic schedule to make Focus Lock part of your daily routine - take a digital detox without needing to delete any apps from your phone - heighten your productivity, focus, and ability to be more present HOW IT WORKS - Block Your Apps: start a session by selecting the apps you want to block and the duration of your session - Save Shortcuts: easily save a session to quickly access the same setup again for future blocks - Whitelist Apps: select all or specific apps you want to block, organized by app category - Tagged Goal: add a tag to your session to remember what you did - Activities: view your recent sessions organized by date, tag, and duration - Weekly Progress: view your progress by completed days of the week - Day Streak: stay on track and compete against yourself with a day streak - Daily Goal: set up a goal for how much screentime you’d like to improve GO PREMIUM Focus Lock is created by the team behind Flipd (App of the Day 2021). It takes a team to build and maintain our apps, which is why we ask for a subscription to support our work. Your initial trial will give you up to five free sessions, after which you’ll need to upgrade to continue using Focus Lock. We never sell data and we don’t serve ads, so your premium subscription will go toward supporting the services we provide you. Without your premium subscription, Focus and Flipd wouldn’t be able to exist! If you were previously a Flipd subscriber and are wondering about a subscription migration, contact us at info@flipdapp.co. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew at the subscription price unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the current subscription once activated during the subscription period. Manage your subscriptions in your iOS Account Settings after purchase. Terms and Conditions: http://www.flipdapp.co/terms-privacy Support Contact: info@flipdapp.co

Screenshots

Emphasis4 screens
Focus Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Emphasis at 84% against Focus Lock's 23%. Emphasis also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Focus Lock sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Emphasis holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 295 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Emphasis's written reviews are positive against 23% of Focus Lock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Focus Lock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Emphasis versus Focus Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmphasisFocus Lock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better4.3 (295 ratings)
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews — better22.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better295
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAleksandr FiodorovFlipd Apps

Customer experience

Emphasis

All ratings1,063 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,110 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.1%

Focus Lock

All ratings295 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative16.3%
Written reviews329 reviews
Positive22.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative66.3%

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

Focus Lock

From 295 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps with focus and productivity
  • 🔒 Effective at blocking distracting apps
  • 👍 Useful for studying and work
  • 💡 Customizable lock durations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Apps don't return to original order
  • 🐛 Inconsistent app locking functionality
  • 🐛 Resets notification settings
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model

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

Focus Lock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Apps not returning after lock duration
  • Inability to unlock or reactivate apps
  • Frequent crashes or glitches

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow selective app locking
  • Provide scheduling options for automatic locks
  • Improve app organization after lock ends

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
10 purchases

Focus Lock

Subscriptions9
  • Weekly subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Monthly subscription$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • The Success Bundle$12.491 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription - 3 days free3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription - 7 days free7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Yearly subscription$49.991 Year
  • The Success Bundle$87.991 Year
One-time1
  • Focus Lock Premium Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Emphasis free?
Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Lock free?
Focus Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Emphasis or Focus Lock?
Emphasis is rated higher. Emphasis averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Focus Lock averages 4.3 from 295 ratings.
Do Emphasis or Focus Lock have ads?
Neither Emphasis nor Focus Lock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Focus Lock?
Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Focus Lock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on November 1, 2026 and Focus Lock on November 3, 2026.

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