Comparison

Emphasis vs Focus App for Study, Work GABA

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

Emphasis is an ADHD-friendly Focus Timer. It is built around the principles of the Pomodoro Technique, which in a nutshell are bursts of intentional focused work followed by short breaks. Every couple of hours you take a longer break to recharge and get ready for the next cycle. Following this approach lets you get into the flow state without much effort. Plan your day ahead with time blocks for focused work and start the timer. Emphasis will take care of blocking out distracting apps like social media or video streaming services. It will also provide you with a steady layer of ambient sound that helps your brain feel anchored instead of hunting for the next distraction, because for an ADHD mind, silence can feel restless. Emphasis tracks the time you spent focused and gives you a nice overview of how you spend your days. Use it long enough and you will see patterns that will help you move towards your goals. Emphasis is fully integrated into the Apple ecosystem with Widgets and a watchOS app. You can also use it on your MacBook, all synced together seamlessly. Here is the full list of features: * Customizable focus timers. You define the duration of your focus time, short and long breaks, as well as the length of the focus cycle. You can also set up reminders for each timer. * Block Distracting Apps. You can select the apps that get you out of your flow and Emphasis will block those apps during your focus sessions. * Sonic Spaces. Emphasis comes with a set of ambient sounds & binaural beats. You can fully customize and create ambients that are aimed to aid your focus or relax you during your yoga session. * Statistics. Emphasis tracks your focused time and displays it in the form of interactive stats. Each focus timer has a color assigned to it so you can see how you spend your days at a quick glance at an Emphasis calendar. * Focus hours schedule. Emphasis lets you block out time-wasting apps during your focus hours. I can't tell you how many times this feature brought me back to what matters when my hand reached out for a phone to scroll some social media, only to get reminded by Emphasis that I'm on focus hours. * Widgets. Emphasis comes with a set of widgets that let you start your timers or have your focus time statistics right on your home screen. * Works on your Apple Watch, MacBook & iPad all seamlessly synchronized. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focus App for Study, Work GABA

A minimalist productivity companion designed for focus and task completion. It offers curated session blueprints and clear visual tracking of work and break intervals to keep you motivated without overwhelming your screen.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Curated session blueprints
  • Visual work/break tracking
  • Customizable settings
  • Personalized audio cues
  • Adaptive to user needs
Features
Read full description

Tired of cluttered productivity apps that overwhelm you with features you’ll never use? Welcome to our Gaba Focus —your new minimalist companion for mastering focus and getting things done.  Designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind, this app redefines how you approach work, study, or any task that requires your full attention. Choose from a curated selection of session blueprints tailored to different work styles and time constraints. Whether you’ve got 30 minutes between meetings or a full morning to dive deep, there’s a session ready to guide you. Track your work and break intervals with a beautiful, clear visual representation. See your progress at a glance, with each block showing how far you’ve come and what’s next. It’s all about keeping you motivated without overwhelming your screen. We keep settings simple but powerful. Adjust your default work session, pick your audio cues, and personalize your experience—all stored effortlessly so you’re ready to focus every time  you launch. The app remembers what works best for you, so you don’t have to. Whether you’re a student tackling study sessions, a professional grinding through tasks, or a creative working on your next big project, this app adapts to fit your needs. No fluff, just what you need to boost your productivity. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: edouarbarbier.com/gaba/privacy

Screenshots

Emphasis4 screens
Focus App for Study, Work GABA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Emphasis at 84% against Focus App for Study, Work GABA's 33%. Emphasis also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). Focus App for Study, Work GABA's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads 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. Emphasis sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Focus App for Study, Work GABA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focus App for Study, Work GABA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emphasis has 1.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Emphasis's written reviews are positive against 33% of Focus App for Study, Work GABA's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Focus App for Study, Work GABA every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Emphasis versus Focus App for Study, Work GABA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmphasisFocus App for Study, Work GABA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAleksandr FiodorovEdouard Barbier

Customer experience

Emphasis

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

Focus App for Study, Work GABA

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

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 App for Study, Work GABA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Focus App for Study, Work GABA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Emphasis free?
Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus App for Study, Work GABA free?
Focus App for Study, Work GABA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Emphasis or Focus App for Study, Work GABA?
Focus App for Study, Work GABA is rated higher. Emphasis averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Focus App for Study, Work GABA averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Emphasis or Focus App for Study, Work GABA have ads?
Neither Emphasis nor Focus App for Study, Work GABA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Focus App for Study, Work GABA?
Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Focus App for Study, Work GABA every 2 days. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on November 11, 2026 and Focus App for Study, Work GABA on November 4, 2026.

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