Comparison

Pond vs Focus+

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

Focus+

This app provides customizable interval reminders to help you stay focused and on track. It can be used as a standalone timer or integrated with Apple Focus for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Interval reminders
  • Customizable periods
  • Notification alerts
  • Apple Focus integration
  • Minimalist design
Read full description

Focus+ sends reminder notifications on a set interval over a chosen period to keep you on track. Use it alone as an interval timer or with Apple Focus to remind you to check your notifications.

Screenshots

Pond4 screens
Focus+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Focus+ at none against Pond's 3. Focus+ also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Pond's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (844 vs 11). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Focus+ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pond against 4.5 for Focus+. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pond has 844 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Pond's written reviews are positive against 67% of Focus+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, Focus+ every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pond versus Focus+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPondFocus+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (844 ratings) — better4.5 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews71.3% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings844 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size350 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPIXO IncorporationTodd Brady

Customer experience

Pond

All ratings844 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews449 reviews
Positive71.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative20.3%

Focus+

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

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

Focus+

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
None

Focus+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pond free?
Pond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus+ free?
Focus+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pond or Focus+?
Pond is rated higher. Pond averages 4.6 out of 5 from 844 ratings, while Focus+ averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Pond or Focus+ have ads?
Neither Pond nor Focus+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pond or Focus+?
Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, and Focus+ every 4 months. Most recently, Pond was updated on October 4, 2026 and Focus+ on October 1, 2026.

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