# Emphasis vs Pomodoro Timer

The clearest difference is update cadence: Emphasis at fortnightly against Pomodoro Timer's every 8 months. Pomodoro Timer's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 Pomodoro Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Pomodoro Timer every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emphasis | Pomodoro Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 73 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aleksandr Fiodorov](https://appshunter.io/developer/571378481) | [Manuel Worlitzer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1785527240) |

## 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


### Pomodoro Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pomodoro-timer-focus-and-study/id6746667687)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PROmodoro | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| PROmodoro | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emphasis free?

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

### Is Pomodoro Timer free?

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

### Do Emphasis or Pomodoro Timer have ads?

Neither Emphasis nor Pomodoro Timer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Pomodoro Timer?

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Pomodoro Timer every 8 months. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on September 19, 2026 and Pomodoro Timer on September 20, 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.*