# Focus vs Work/Break

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Work/Break at none against Focus's 9. Focus's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (57% vs 33%). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Focus sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Work/Break asks for nothing beyond the download.

Focus ships an update every 10 days, Work/Break every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Focus | Work/Break |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-deep-work-timer/id975017240/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **56.9% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 301 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meaningful Things GmbH & Co. KG](https://appshunter.io/developer/896347016) | [Lars Svennbeck](https://appshunter.io/developer/1184573675) |

## What reviewers say

### Focus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-deep-work-timer/id975017240)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Focus - Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Focus - 3 Months | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| Focus Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Focus Yearly | $27.99 | per year |
| Focus Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Focus Early Bird | $29.99 | per year |
| Focus Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Focus Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Patron Subscription | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Time tracking
- 👍 Minimalist design
- 🚀 Seamless cross-device sync
- 👍 Helpful for productivity
- 👍 Great for Pomodoro technique

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Forced to pay for basic functionality

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Ability to duplicate tasks
- Calendar integration
- Background sounds
- Customizable timer lengths
- Automatic focus mode switching


### Work/Break

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/workbreak/id1434589304)

This productivity tool helps users maintain focus by automatically cycling between dedicated work and break periods. It's designed to keep you in a productive flow state without manual timer adjustments.

**Highlights:** Automatic work/break switching, Flow state maintenance, Focus enhancement, Simple timer functionality

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Focus free?

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

### Is Work/Break free?

Work/Break is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Focus or Work/Break have ads?

Neither Focus nor Work/Break shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Focus or Work/Break?

Focus ships an update every 10 days, and Work/Break every 7 months. Most recently, Focus was updated on September 26, 2026 and Work/Break on June 5, 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.*