Comparison

Focus vs BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest

This app helps you establish healthier work habits by reminding you to take regular breaks. It features a daily schedule planner, a work timer, and visual statistics to track your progress. Improve efficiency and prevent sedentary-related issues with routine rest.

Highlights
  • Daily schedule planning
  • Work and rest timers
  • Work-break charts
  • Data export and sharing
  • Customizable reminder ringtones
Features
Read full description

BreakingTime helps you improve your work habits, allows you to rest routinely during work, avoiding prolonged screen watching, sedentary lumbar injuries and other bad habits. = Special Feature = 1. Daily Schedule: Enter your work and rest plannning, automatically remind you to rest every day 2. Work Timer: Work every X hours, Rest X minutes, an alarm which can be used at any time 3. Charts Statistics: Intuitive and beautiful work-break chart 4. History: Support data Export and Share 5. Reminds Ringtones: A variety of sound options 6. More: More detailed features await your exploration Resting routinely makes your work more efficient and a better performance! Remember to stretch your body, drink and eat fruits during your break.

Screenshots

Focus4 screens
BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Focus at 4.4 against BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest's 3.1. Focus also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 11) and review sentiment (57% vs 42%). BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence 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. Focus sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focus holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus has 1.8K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Focus's written reviews are positive against 42% of BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus ships an update every 10 days, BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Focus versus BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocusBreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.8K ratings) — better3.1 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews57.0% of reviews — better41.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better11
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size311 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMeaningful Things GmbH & Co. KGiDaily Corp.

Customer experience

Focus

All ratings1,841 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews307 reviews
Positive57.0%
Neutral12.7%
Negative30.3%

BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest

All ratings11 ratings
Positive45.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative45.5%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative41.7%

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
Show 1 more
  • More detailed analytics and reporting

BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Focus

Subscriptions9
  • Focus - Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Focus - 3 Months$14.993 Months
  • Focus Yearly$19.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • 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
None

BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Focus free?
Focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest free?
BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Focus or BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest?
Focus is rated higher. Focus averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest averages 3.1 from 11 ratings.
Do Focus or BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest have ads?
Neither Focus nor BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus or BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest?
Focus ships an update every 10 days, and BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest every 5 days. Most recently, Focus was updated on October 26, 2026 and BreakingTime · Smart Reminder for Work & Rest on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons