Focus vs Flow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focus
This app helps users improve concentration and productivity by breaking work into structured intervals with scheduled breaks. It offers task management, detailed statistics, and syncs across all Apple devices, including Apple Watch and widgets.
- Customizable Pomodoro timer
- Unlimited to-do lists
- In-depth productivity statistics
- iCloud sync across Apple devices
- Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets
- Apple Watch app
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Do your best work. Focus helps you concentrate with timed focus sessions built on the Pomodoro technique, track your tasks and projects, and see real progress — across all your Apple devices. A calm, proven rhythm: plan, work, break, review. “[…] a tool that can genuinely make people more productive” – MacStories.net “[…] a must-have for anyone who finds themselves easily getting distracted or forgetting to take occasional breaks.” – iDownloadBlog.com I always use Focus when… … I need to start a deep-work session … I want to stop procrastinating and finally begin … I want to break a big project into focused sprints … I’m studying and need to concentrate … I want to protect my time from distractions … I want to build a daily focus habit … I want to see what I actually got done today … I want structure without a heavy, complicated system Benefits * Start focusing in seconds: pick a task, start a session, get to work * The proven Pomodoro rhythm — plan → work → break → review — that gives your attention somewhere to go * Sessions and tasks together: a focus timer plus real task, project, and time tracking (most apps split these into two) * See your progress: daily and weekly activity and goals make focus feel earned, never nagged * Restful breaks that are part of the rhythm, not slacking * Calm and encouraging — momentum, never hustle, grind, or guilt Features * Timed focus sessions with flexible session and break lengths * Tasks, projects, and time tracking * Daily and weekly activity and goals * In-app Learning: short, friendly guides you can apply as you read * Widgets, Live Activities, and Dynamic Island * Siri, Shortcuts, and Spotlight via App Intents * Seamless iCloud sync * Built-in accessibility * Privacy first: your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud * Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro * Handcrafted by real humans :-) Focus is free to start. Focus Pro unlocks everything with a 7-day free trial. Thanks for doing your best work with us! We’re always improving Focus. If you have feedback or an idea, we’d love to hear it. About us Focus is made by Jan & Kerstin, two independent app developers based in Germany. We built Focus for our own workdays — to concentrate, make real progress, and still keep things calm. Our goal: a productivity app that’s a joy to use every day. We built this tool for ourselves — and now we’d love to share it with you! Questions? We offer friendly support. Just drop us a note at support@meaningful-things.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can. Privacy & Terms https://meaningful-things.com/privacy https://meaningful-things.com/terms
Flow
Enhance your concentration and productivity with a scientifically proven method. This app divides your workflow into focused work intervals and scheduled breaks, helping you reduce stress and stay motivated. Ideal for work, study, or any task requiring deep focus.
- Pomodoro timer with work intervals and breaks
- App and web blocking
- Statistics tracking
- Commitment mode
- Inspirational quotes
- Home & Lock Screen Widgets
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Join hundreds of thousands of happy users who enjoy this simple way to stay focused and productive. Use Flow to get things done. Flow is a tiny but mighty app that helps you work on a task, study for school or simply stay focused without being distracted for a certain amount of time. Flow divides your workflow into sections with defined breaks, making it easy to stay focused. This method has been scientifically proven to be an effective way to increase your concentration and motivation while reducing your stress levels. The use of a Pomodoro timer can be a huge boost to your productivity. Use Flow to ... ... concentrate ... work on a task ... study for school ... code all night ... work from home Benefits of this technique • Improved focus and motivation • Increased productivity • Less stress and better health • Better management of interruptions Features • Pomodoro timer with work intervals and breaks • Statistics to keep track of your completed sessions • Notifications to remind you of short breaks • App and web blocking to combat distractions • Commitment mode for self-control • Inspirational quotes for motivation • Metronome for deep focus • Multiple duration options • Custom session title • Apple Calendar sync • Apple Health sync • iCloud sync of stats • Home & Lock Screen Widgets • Support for Live Activities & Dynamic Island YOU MATTER TO US We want to make Flow even better! Please give us your honest feedback in order to help us fix bugs and improve the app. We will regularly update Flow based on your feedback. Thank you! ABOUT US Yugen is a small independent developer studio based in Frankfurt, Germany. Our team is devoted to making great apps that we want to use ourselves. We strive to create products that help people in their everyday life with intuitive user experiences and minimalistic design. QUESTIONS? If you have any questions or problems, feel free to email us. We provide awesome support and love to help! www.flow.app support@flow.app Twitter: flow__app Facebook: flowapp.info Instagram: flowapp.info FLOW PRO Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period through your Apple account. For more information, see our Terms of Use at https://www.flow.app/legal and Apple's Terms of Use (EULA) at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Flow at free with in-app purchases against Focus's subscription. Flow also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 57%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). Focus's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Focus sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Flow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Flow holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Focus's written reviews are positive against 86% of Flow's.
Focus ships an update every 10 days, Flow every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Focus | Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.8K ratings) | 4.8 (1.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | 1.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 301 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meaningful Things GmbH & Co. KG | Yugen GmbH |
Customer experience
Focus
Flow
User reviews
Focus
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Time tracking
- 👍 Minimalist design
- 🚀 Seamless cross-device sync
- 👍 Helpful for productivity
- 👍 Great for Pomodoro technique
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Forced to pay for basic functionality
Flow
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Minimalist and uncluttered design
- 💡 Customizable work and break durations
- 🔒 No ads or unnecessary features
- 🤖 Responsive and helpful developers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔇 Notification sound could be louder
- 📊 Lack of detailed statistics and analytics
- 🔀 Inability to pause or resume a flow session
- 🖥️ Inability to minimize the timer window
Bugs and requests
Focus
Reported bugs
5 issues- Infinite intro screen
- Prompts to set up app on every open
- Timer resets unexpectedly
- Sync issues between iPhone, iPad, and Watch
- Notifications not working as expected
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to duplicate tasks
- Calendar integration
- Background sounds
- Customizable timer lengths
- Automatic focus mode switching
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- More detailed analytics and reporting
Flow
Reported bugs
4 issues- Live activity feature not working consistently
- Timer not recording sessions accurately
- App blocking functionality not working as expected
- Crashes and freezes on certain macOS versions
Requested features
6 requests- Allow custom work and break durations
- Add option to pause and resume flow sessions
- Implement real-time sync across devices
- Provide more detailed productivity tracking and reporting
- Include an Apple Watch app with complication support
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- Add ability to block notifications from certain apps during flows
In-app purchases
Focus
- Focus - Monthly$6.991 Month
- Focus - 3 Months$14.993 Months
- Focus Yearly$19.991 Year
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- Focus Yearly$27.991 Year
- Focus Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Focus Early Bird7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Focus Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Focus Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Patron Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Flow
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Yearly Plan14 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro Access$39.99









