Comparison

Emphasis vs Eclipta

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

Eclipta

This app helps you regain focus by locking distracting applications until you complete a short meditation session. It uses system-level blocking with no in-app bypass options, encouraging consistent attention training.

Highlights
  • Non-bypassable app blocking
  • Integrated meditation timer
  • System-level blocking via Screen Time API
  • Focus Score and streaks
  • Apple Health sync
  • Per-app rules and time-of-day windows
Features
Read full description

You don't have a willpower problem. You have an off-switch problem. Every blocker puts its escape hatch where the temptation is. Eclipta asks you first: switch on Strict mode and the block holds until you meditate. "Ignore Limit." "15 more minutes." A switch buried three menus deep. Every app that promised to guard your attention also shipped the button that hands it back. In Strict mode, Eclipta ships no such button. You train your attention, then you unlock. That is the entire mechanism. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps that own you: social, news, games, anything you open on reflex. 2. Choose how they're held: a scheduled window, a daily allowance that runs out, or time you earn by meditating. 3. Open Eclipta and meditate. The apps open when you've done the work. FOUR KINDS OF BLOCK • Scheduled block: a window you set. It can run overnight, end at a fixed time, or stay shut until you've meditated. • Daily allowance: a budget for the day. It shows what's left, counts down as you spend it, and closes when it runs out, whether or not Eclipta is open. • Earned time: every minute you meditate buys app minutes at a rate you set. Meditate longer, get longer. • Instant block: one tap, blocked now, for when you can feel it starting. Each block picks its own apps and its own days. Set once, runs on its own. Need one app for a moment? Without Strict mode, open an app you picked for 1 to 15 minutes, up to 15 minutes a day, and the rest of the block stays on. WHAT ELSE YOU GET • Guided sessions: a calm voice leads you into deep rest in 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes. Or choose breathwork, or a quiet unguided timer, timed or open-ended, with a bell or in silence. • System-level blocking built on Apple's Screen Time (FamilyControls): not a timer you can swipe away. • Clarity: one daily number from your meditation, focus and recovery, with streaks that show your attention compounding week over week. • Apple Health (Mindful Minutes) sync and cloud backup, offline-first, across your devices. • No courses, no mood sliders, no sleep stories. It looks like a tool because it is one. WHY MEDITATION AND NOT JUST A BLOCKER Feeds have spent years training your brain to crave the next swipe. A blocker alone stops the damage but builds nothing back. Ten focused minutes a day trains the attention itself. In Strict mode, Eclipta forces the trade: no session, no apps: so the two compound instead of taking turns. PRIVATE AND SECURE Eclipta uses Apple's Screen Time API, so your app usage is read on your device and stays there. Your browsing data never leaves your phone. Eclipta does not sell or share your data for advertising. Eclipta is free to download and needs a subscription to use. There is no free tier and no ads; the annual plan begins with a free trial. This is for people who have already tried Screen Time, grayscale, and three other blockers, and watched themselves switch every one of them off. With Strict mode on, this is the version with no door. Subscription Information: Service: Eclipta Premium (Weekly, Monthly or Annual access) Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen plan. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off in Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://eclipta.app/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://eclipta.app/terms-of-service/

Screenshots

Emphasis4 screens
Eclipta4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Emphasis at 1.1K against Eclipta's 11. Emphasis also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Eclipta's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). 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 Eclipta sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Eclipta 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 11, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Eclipta every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Emphasis versus Eclipta: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmphasisEclipta
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better11
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAleksandr FiodorovBingen Larranaga

Customer experience

Emphasis

All ratings1,058 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews1,109 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.1%

Eclipta

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Eclipta

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
5 purchases

Eclipta

Subscriptions5
  • Eclipta Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Eclipta Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Eclipta Pro Annual14 Days trial$79.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Eclipta Pro Annual1 Month trial$79.991 Year
  • Eclipta Pro Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Emphasis free?
Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Eclipta free?
Eclipta is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Emphasis or Eclipta?
Eclipta is rated higher. Emphasis averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Eclipta averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Emphasis or Eclipta have ads?
Neither Emphasis nor Eclipta shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emphasis or Eclipta?
Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and Eclipta every 9 days. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on October 23, 2026 and Eclipta on October 24, 2026.

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