# Emphasis vs NoCognito

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: NoCognito at 15.0 against Emphasis's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emphasis sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and NoCognito sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emphasis | NoCognito |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 91 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Aleksandr Fiodorov](https://appshunter.io/developer/571378481) | [Rohan Nayak](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776087363) |

## What reviewers say

### Emphasis

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

This app helps you achieve deep focus using the Pomodoro Technique. It blocks distracting apps, provides ambient sounds, and tracks your focused time to help you understand your work patterns and reach your goals.

**Highlights:** Customizable focus timers, Distracting app blocking, Ambient soundscapes, Focus time statistics, Focus hours scheduling, Home screen widgets, Cross-device synchronization

**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


### NoCognito

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nocognito/id6776087361)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NoCognito Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| NoCognito Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emphasis free?

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

### Is NoCognito free?

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

### Do Emphasis or NoCognito have ads?

Neither Emphasis nor NoCognito shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emphasis or NoCognito?

Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, and NoCognito fortnightly. Most recently, Emphasis was updated on November 11, 2026 and NoCognito on November 5, 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.*