# Pond vs Kick

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kick at none against Pond's 3. Kick also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Pond's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (848 vs 1). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pond sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Kick asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kick holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pond has 848 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, Kick every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pond | Kick |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (848 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pond-screen-time-and-pomodoro/id830466924/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kick-focus-timer-on-things/id6444948863/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **848** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 350 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PIXO Incorporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/541568418) | [晓康 丁](https://appshunter.io/developer/828818003) |

## What reviewers say

### Pond

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pond-screen-time-and-pomodoro/id830466924)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pond Plus 1 Month | $7.99 | per month |
| Pond Plus 1 Year | $49.99 | per year |
| Pond Plus Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and effective
- 👍 Customizable
- 🚀 No in-app purchases
- 👍 Minimalist design
- 👍 Helpful for focus and productivity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Timer stops when app is in background
- 🐛 Bugs with color selection and settings
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔒 Developer stored unrelated app data in user's iCloud

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Auto-reset option
- Ability to assign tasks to Pomodoros
- Project/focus area tracking
- Cross-device sync
- Apple Watch support


### Kick

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kick-focus-timer-on-things/id6444948863)

This minimalist focus timer utilizes the Pomodoro Technique to help users enhance productivity and motivation. By organizing tasks into timed intervals, it aims to reduce stress and improve concentration for work, study, or programming.

**Highlights:** Pomodoro focus timer, Minimalist design, Dark mode compatibility, Task completion focus, Learning and programming aid

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pond free?

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

### Is Kick free?

Kick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pond or Kick?

Kick is rated higher. Pond averages 4.6 out of 5 from 848 ratings, while Kick averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pond or Kick have ads?

Kick shows ads; Pond does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pond or Kick?

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, and Kick every 4 days. Most recently, Pond was updated on November 1, 2026 and Kick on October 24, 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.*