Comparison

Pond vs Smart Sloth

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

Head to head
About

Pond

This app helps you regain control of your screen time and digital wellbeing. It offers mindful app blocking, tracks your digital balance, and provides a visual representation of your focused time. It's designed to foster healthier phone habits without guilt or gamification.

Highlights
  • Mindful app blocking
  • Screen time tracking
  • Daily balance score
  • Scheduled focus sessions
  • Lotus garden visualizer
  • Breathing prompts
Features
Read full description

Pond - Your Digital Sanctuary A mindful app blocker for screen time balance and digital wellbeing You already know the feeling. Another evening lost to scrolling. Reaching for your phone during dinner. The exhaustion of being always on. Your phone promised connection. Instead, it scattered your attention into a thousand pieces. Pond is different. A gentle app blocker and screen time tracker that helps you reclaim your time. Not through guilt or gamification, but through quiet intention and mindful awareness. Three Things That Matter: Daily Balance Score One number that shows the quality of your digital day. Are you creating or consuming? Connecting or scrolling? Resting or stimulating? Not to judge—to help you notice. Track your digital wellbeing and build healthier phone habits. Mindful Blocking Set focus sessions for work, meditation, meals, or sleep. Block distracting apps and social media automatically. Your scattered attention becomes whole again. Just you and what you chose to do. Your Lotus Garden Each moment of presence blooms a lotus in your pond. Not points or streaks—just quiet beauty that grows with your practice. A visual reminder of time well spent and focus reclaimed. What You Can Do: • Block distracting apps during focus time • Set daily limits on social media and screen time • Schedule recurring sessions (work, sleep, meals, study) • Track your balance and phone usage without judgment • Take mindful breaks with breathing prompts • See weekly patterns in your digital life This Isn't Another Productivity App Pond won't buzz you to work harder. Won't shame you for a bad day. Won't turn presence into competition. Just a quiet space. A gentle reminder. A place to return to stillness. Perfect for those seeking digital detox, building healthier phone habits, improving focus, or simply using their phone more intentionally. Pond — a calmer way to use your phone. Your Privacy Matters Everything stays on your device. No tracking. No social comparison. No data collection. Terms & Conditions https://go.pixo.co/pond-terms

About

Smart Sloth

This app combines a Pomodoro timer with task management to boost efficiency and focus. It helps users overcome procrastination and conquer tasks with science-based techniques and customizable settings. Achieve your goals and become more time-conscious with this productivity tool.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro timer integration
  • Task management
  • Customizable task lengths
  • Time-based notifications
  • Gesture-based controls
  • Notification center task management
Features
Read full description

Smart Sloth is a task manager that helps you be more efficient with YOUR TIME. We combine Pomodoro Timer with Task Management, it is a science-based app that will motivate you to stay focused and get things done. - Set length of each task - Get notified when time runs out - Simple gesture-based control - Whiz through tasks without leaving the notification center - Customization options Smart Sloth is perfect if you’re looking to: - Sharpen focus - Overcome procrastination - Conquer perfectionism - Create a personal or work routine - Make a dent in big tasks - Be more time conscious Pomodoro ™ and Pomodoro Technique ® are registered trademarks of Francesco Cirillo. This app is not affiliated with Francesco Cirillo. Users have been focused on our app for 1 million hours, join us and we help you to be focused and increase your productivity, reducing procrastination and anxiety. Privacy Policy: https://jafarnajafov.com/privacy-policy EULA: https://getsmartsloth.com/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

Pond4 screens
Smart Sloth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pond at 4.6 against Smart Sloth's 4.1. Pond also leads on ratings volume (844 vs 33) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Smart Sloth's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Pond sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Smart Sloth sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pond holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pond has 844 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Pond's written reviews are positive against 73% of Smart Sloth's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, Smart Sloth every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pond versus Smart Sloth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPondSmart Sloth
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (844 ratings) — better4.1 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings844 — better33
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size350 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPIXO IncorporationJafar Najafov

Customer experience

Pond

All ratings844 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews346 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral8.1%
Negative22.0%

Smart Sloth

All ratings33 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral3.8%
Negative23.1%

Bugs and requests

Pond

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Timer inaccuracies
  • Interface issues on Mac
  • Inability to share audio with other apps
  • Unreliable auto-reset functionality
  • Subscription issues

Requested features

7 requests
  • Auto-reset option
  • Ability to assign tasks to Pomodoros
  • Project/focus area tracking
  • Cross-device sync
  • Apple Watch support
Show 2 more
  • Ability to skip long breaks
  • Playlist support for sounds

Smart Sloth

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pond

Subscriptions2
  • Pond Plus 1 Month$7.991 Month
  • Pond Plus 1 Year7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pond Plus Lifetime$99.99
4 purchases

Smart Sloth

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$1.491 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$4.491 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is Pond free?
Pond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Sloth free?
Smart Sloth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pond or Smart Sloth?
Pond is rated higher. Pond averages 4.6 out of 5 from 844 ratings, while Smart Sloth averages 4.1 from 33 ratings.
Do Pond or Smart Sloth have ads?
Neither Pond nor Smart Sloth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pond or Smart Sloth?
Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, and Smart Sloth every 2 months. Most recently, Pond was updated on September 24, 2026 and Smart Sloth on June 10, 2026.

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