# Emphasis vs Focus Master.

The clearest difference is ads: Emphasis at none against Focus Master.'s shown. Emphasis also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). Focus Master.'s advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 84%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emphasis sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and Focus Master. sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Focus Master. every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emphasis | Focus Master. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emphasis-flow-and-focus-timer/id733300214/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 73 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aleksandr Fiodorov](https://appshunter.io/developer/571378481) | [LINKLINKS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/600375781) |

## What reviewers say

### Emphasis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emphasis-flow-and-focus-timer/id733300214)

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:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emphasis Premium Subscription | $3.49 | per month |
| Emphasis Premium Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Feature (Yearly Promo) | $12.99 | per year |
| Emphasis Premium Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime premium | $29.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime premium | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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 Master.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-master/id1575026306)

Enhance productivity with a Pomodoro timer and activity logger. Customize focus sessions, breaks, and tasks, track progress, and export logs. Offers passcode protection and cloud backup.

**Highlights:** Customizable Pomodoro and break times, Task management, Activity logging and statistics, Log export (PDF, HTML, CSV), Passcode protection, Dropbox backup and restore, Today Widget support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - 6 months | $2.99 | per 6 months |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emphasis free?

Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Focus Master. free?

Focus Master. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Emphasis or Focus Master. have ads?

Focus Master. shows ads; Emphasis does not.

### Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Focus Master.?

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Focus Master. every 7 months. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on October 11, 2026 and Focus Master. on October 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*