Comparison

Star Writer vs one sec | screen time + focus

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

Head to head
About

Star Writer

Create mesmerizing psychedelic art with this drawing tool. The speed of your finger movements directly influences the flow of energy in your creations. Explore endless visual possibilities by adjusting star sizes.

Highlights
  • Psychedelic imagery creation
  • Finger-drag responsive energy flow
  • Adjustable star sizes
  • Intuitive drawing interface
Features
Read full description

Star Writer is the essential tool for creating beautiful psychedelic imagery. The flow of energy through your drawing is directly responsive to how fast you drag your finger across the screen. Adjust the size of your stars for endless possibilities!

About

one sec | screen time + focus

This app introduces intentional friction to distracting apps and websites, helping users reduce screen time and improve focus. It delays access rather than blocking, promoting long-term behavioral change. Integrates with other apps for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Adds friction to distracting apps
  • Delays app access instead of blocking
  • Reduces app usage significantly
  • Doom Scroll Emergency Brake (Re-Intervention)
  • Free Safari extension for websites
  • Integrates with other productivity apps
Features
Read full description

Willpower is not enough against social media algorithms! That’s why I made one sec: one sec adds friction to distracting apps to make them less appealing…long-term! This principle works really well: we have gained scientific evidence in numerous research studies with the Max-Planck Institute, with the German and Danish government, and in dozens more scientific collaborations: one sec has incredible effects on your screen time: app usage drops by 57% on average! …just read our App Store reviews or try it for yourself if you don’t believe me (…you should really try it)! How is one sec different from Screen Time limits or app blockers? - one sec DELAYS access to distracting apps instead of blocking apps completely – that’s an important difference psychologically. - This way, we solve the screen time problem at its roots: long-term & sustainably! - one sec is always on, and makes using social media just slightly more annoying…so you’ll end up using it only when you actually have a reason! Which apps can I use with one sec? - You can set up one sec with any app you’d like to use less / more intentional. - Most popular use-cases are: social media, games, video streaming, dating, stock/coin trading, adult content. - Using one sec with one app of your choice if completely free, for more you’ll need to purchase one sec pro (we also need to finance development of our app!). What if I get stuck scrolling? - No worries, one sec offers a Doom Scroll Emergency Brake: We call it Re-Intervention. - After a set time (e.g. 5 minutes) you’ll be kicked out of social media, and you’ll have to go through an intervention again to unlock more time. Where can I learn more about the scientific background of one sec? → https://one-sec.app/research Can I use one sec to interrupt access to websites as well? → Yes, one sec offers a free Safari extension as well. How does one sec work technically? - one sec uses Shortcuts Automation to toggle a deep breath animation whenever you open one of the configured apps (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube…). - This breaks unconscious social media habits short-term (literally, as soon as you have set it up) and even helps long-term by adding more friction when opening these apps. Integrations: - Structured: one sec blocks apps during unfinished tasks. - LENGO: learn vocabulary to unlock social media. I developed one sec for myself in 2020…and it worked so well I decided to upload it to the App Store. Especially for people with ADHD one sec is a great tool to gain back control for incredible focus and concentration. – Frederik Legal information: Available Subscription Options: one sec pro (annual / monthly / lifetime unlock) one sec can contribute mindful moments to the Health App via HealthKit. one sec is covered by U.S. Patent 12,468,828 B2. Terms (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://one-sec.app/privacy/

Screenshots

Star Writer1 screens
one sec | screen time + focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Star Writer at none against one sec | screen time + focus's 6. Star Writer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). one sec | screen time + focus's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 42 months) and ratings volume (24K vs 6). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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. one sec | screen time + focus sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Star Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Star Writer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: one sec | screen time + focus has 24K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Star Writer's written reviews are positive against 76% of one sec | screen time + focus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Writer ships an update every 42 months, one sec | screen time + focus every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Star Writer versus one sec | screen time + focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar Writerone sec | screen time + focus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.8 (24K ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better75.8% of reviews
Number of ratings624K — better
Update frequencyEvery 42 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB367 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRainbow Brainskull LLCriedel.wtf apps S.L.

Customer experience

Star Writer

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

one sec | screen time + focus

All ratings23,626 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews1,624 reviews
Positive75.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative14.8%

Bugs and requests

Star Writer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

one sec | screen time + focus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App switching issues
  • Interventions not triggering properly
  • Inconsistent behavior with shortcuts
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to block more apps for free
  • Customizable intervention timers
  • Scheduled app blocking/access
  • Passcode protection for settings
  • Sync settings across devices
Show 1 more
  • More intervention types (e.g. games)

In-app purchases

None

Star Writer

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

one sec | screen time + focus

Subscriptions4
  • one sec pro (1 Month)$6.991 Month
  • one sec pro | Family Plan (1 Month)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • one sec pro (1 Year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • one sec pro | Family Plan (1 Year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • one sec pro | Lifetime$99.99
  • one sec pro | Family Lifetime$149.00

Questions

Is Star Writer free?
Star Writer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is one sec | screen time + focus free?
one sec | screen time + focus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Writer or one sec | screen time + focus?
Star Writer is rated higher. Star Writer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while one sec | screen time + focus averages 4.8 from 24K ratings.
Do Star Writer or one sec | screen time + focus have ads?
Neither Star Writer nor one sec | screen time + focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Writer or one sec | screen time + focus?
Star Writer ships an update every 42 months, and one sec | screen time + focus every 2 weeks. Most recently, Star Writer was updated on October 3, 2026 and one sec | screen time + focus on October 20, 2026.

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