Comparison

Pensieve vs Focus Timer & Tracker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pensieve

Easily capture fleeting thoughts, ideas, and to-dos by emailing them to yourself. This app provides quick capture tools like audio recording, photo attachments, and text pasting, ensuring your ideas are saved without interrupting your flow. It prioritizes user privacy with no data mining or ads.

Highlights
  • Audio recording with speech-to-text
  • Built-in camera for photo attachments
  • Attachment picker for photos and files
  • Quick paste for text, links, and images
  • Email from Apple Watch
  • Share extension for in-app capture
  • Customizable email formatting
  • Offline capture
Features
Read full description

If you’ve ever emailed yourself, Pensieve is for you. Just capture, send, and remember! Pensieve is the perfect Idea Inbox companion, a Magic Warp Zone for your mind. Ideas, to-dos, and inspiration pop into your head throughout the day, often at the wrong time and in the wrong place. You want to capture those thoughts somehow, but you’ll forget to check your other notes app, texting yourself won’t work, and writing an email is clunky. You need to get these ideas out of your mind and off of your phone now, so you can get back to what you’re doing and stay in the moment with a clear head. You need a powerful, easy-to-use tool that can teleport your thoughts from here and now to the time and place where they belong. You need an idea warp zone. You need Pensieve, the notes app you'll actually use. == Features == Powerful capture tools, deep customization, and lightning-fast email delivery: • Record audio memos and get automatic speech-to-text transcripts. • Built-in camera that attaches photos as soon as you take them. • Attachment picker with quick access to your photo library and files. • Quick paste button for emailing yourself text, links, and images. • Email yourself from your Watch using the Pensieve watch app. • Email yourself from within other apps using Pensieve Share. • Custom rules put you in control over how emails from Pensieve are formatted. • With the power of Pensieve you can send to multiple inboxes with one tap. • Works offline. Capture thoughts without the internet and send them later. == Privacy & Security First == Pensieve is committed to your privacy and security. The app doesn't contain any of the icky practices of big tech or other companies! - NO data mining. - NO advertisements. - NO attention-grabbing tactics. Only respect for you and your time, attention, and data. Learn more at https://privacy.pensieve.io. == Get in Touch == Tweet to @PensieveTweets with questions, feedback, etc. == Terms == By using Pensieve you agree to the Pensieve Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Focus Timer & Tracker

This app uses a unique brick-building system to motivate focus sessions. Earn bricks by completing 15-minute work or study blocks to visualize progress and build habits. Designed for deep work, ADHD management, and consistent productivity.

Highlights
  • Visual brick-building progress
  • Distraction-free focus timer
  • Pomodoro-style sessions
  • Habit building
  • ADHD focus support
  • Goal tracking
Features
Read full description

Build your wall. One focus session at a time. STAKD turns every 15 minutes of real work into a brick, and your wall grows with you. See your consistency stack up visually, day by day. Built for students, remote workers, and anyone managing ADHD who needs a system that actually feels rewarding. Why STAKD Works Visual progress that feels real. Every completed focus session adds a brick to your wall. Watch your consistency grow, not just a streak number, but something you can actually see building over time. The simplest pomodoro timer you will ever use. Clean, distraction-free design. Tap, start, and focus. No setup, no configuration, no friction. Built for ADHD and deep work. Short feedback loops, clear visual rewards, and a minimal interface that makes it easier to start and harder to stop. Exactly what ADHD brains need. Your study timer that rewards effort. Whether you are doing homework, prepping for exams, or grinding through coursework, every 15-minute session earns you a brick. The wall does not lie about how hard you have worked. Block distractions before they start. The App Blocker is built directly into STAKD. Choose which apps to block, start your session, and lock in. No leaving the app, no extra subscriptions. Habit building you can actually see. Streaks, heatmaps, and cumulative charts show you exactly how consistent you have been. On the days you do not feel motivated, looking at the wall usually helps. Great For: Studying and homework ADHD focus sessions Deep work and productivity Beating procrastination Habit building and tracking Time management Staying off your phone STAKD Pro unlocks Stats and Charts, Home Screen Widgets, Unlimited Tags, App Blocker, Custom Milestones, Custom Reminders, and Custom Wallpaper. Free to download. Start building your wall right now, no subscription required to get started. Build consistency. Build discipline. Build your wall Terms of Use: https://monroyindustries.xyz/STAKD/STAKD-termsofservice.html 
 Privacy Policy: https://monroyindustries.xyz/STAKD/STAKD-privacy.html

Screenshots

Pensieve4 screens
Focus Timer & Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Focus Timer & Tracker at every 5 days against Pensieve's every 6 weeks. Pensieve's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Pensieve sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Focus Timer & Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pensieve against 4.8 for Focus Timer & Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 29 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Pensieve's written reviews are positive against 83% of Focus Timer & Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, Focus Timer & Tracker every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pensieve versus Focus Timer & Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPensieveFocus Timer & Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (82 ratings)4.8 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.2% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings82 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB363 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperWindow Seat Labs, LLCMonroy Industries, LLC

Customer experience

Pensieve

All ratings82 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive91.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.9%

Focus Timer & Tracker

All ratings29 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Pensieve

Subscriptions4
  • Boost Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • All Access Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Boost Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • All Access Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
5 purchases

Focus Timer & Tracker

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Premium$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium$7.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Early Supporter AccessFree
  • Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Pensieve free?
Pensieve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Timer & Tracker free?
Focus Timer & Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pensieve or Focus Timer & Tracker?
Focus Timer & Tracker is rated higher. Pensieve averages 4.7 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Focus Timer & Tracker averages 4.8 from 29 ratings.
Do Pensieve or Focus Timer & Tracker have ads?
Neither Pensieve nor Focus Timer & Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pensieve or Focus Timer & Tracker?
Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, and Focus Timer & Tracker every 5 days. Most recently, Pensieve was updated on October 15, 2026 and Focus Timer & Tracker on October 14, 2026.

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