Be Focused vs Flow

Be Focused

• Apple users who want a Pomodoro timer tied to a task list
• People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
• Automating focus sessions with the Shortcuts app

Flow

• People who work only on Apple devices and want one timer across them
• A Pomodoro timer that needs no account and shows no ads
• Mac users who run their tools from Alfred or Raycast

Be Focused

• Apple platforms only: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. No Windows, Android or web version is listed.
• The free apps show banners and ads, and sync, tags and filters, and CSV export need Pro.
• There are two ways to pay: Pro inside the free app, or the separate Be Focused Pro app at $19.99 per platform.
• The Focus Matrix integration needs the Pro version of Focus Matrix, which is sold separately.

Flow

• Apple platforms only: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision. There is no Windows, Android or web version.
• App and web blocking, custom durations, session titles, timer sync and Apple Calendar sync all need Pro.
• Flow notes that App Store prices vary by country; the figures here are from the US App Store.
• Organizations buying in volume use a separate app, Flow Pro: Schools & Businesses, which Yugen enables per organization on request.

Be Focused

Interval timer

Set the length of work intervals, short breaks and long breaks, the number of intervals before a long break and a daily target. Intervals can be paused or skipped.

Task list

Tasks take notes and due dates and can be pasted in from other apps. You plan the intervals a task needs, and a task can have its own timer settings.

Reports

Progress is tracked by day, week or a custom period. Exporting the data as a CSV file is listed among the Pro features.

Sync between devices

Pro syncs tasks and progress across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the iOS app includes an Apple Watch app.

Shortcuts automation

Tasks and timers can be controlled from Apple's Shortcuts app, and Pro can run a shortcut when an event happens in Be Focused.

App and website blocking on Mac

The Be Focused Pro listing for Mac includes blocking distracting apps and websites during work sessions, in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Opera and Brave.

Flow

Interval timer with breaks

Work is divided into short focus intervals with recurring breaks, following the Pomodoro method, and notifications mark the end of each one.

App and web blocker

Blocks chosen apps and websites during focus sessions. It is a Pro feature, as are Commitment Mode and the fullscreen break.

Statistics and export

Totals of completed sessions by day, week, month and year. Pro adds timesheet export and syncing sessions to Apple Calendar.

Timer sync between devices

With Pro, the running timer and its session settings stay in step across iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to the same iCloud account, without a Flow account.

Lock screen, widgets and watch

Live Activities and the Dynamic Island show the timer on iPhone, alongside home and lock screen widgets and an Apple Watch app.

Alfred and Raycast control

An Alfred workflow from Yugen covers Flow's controls, such as pausing the timer and skipping or resetting a session, and a community member maintains a Raycast extension.

Be Focused

• Free$0

  Tasks, the interval timer, custom durations and reports on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, with banners and ads.

• Monthly Pro$2.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Sync across devices, tags and filters, CSV export, Shortcuts triggers and no ads. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.

• Yearly Pro$19.99

  per year, after a 7-day free trial

  The same Pro features billed yearly through the App Store.

• Be Focused Pro app$19.99

  one-time purchase per platform (iOS or Mac)

  A separate paid app, listed at $19.99 for iPhone and iPad and $19.99 for Mac. The vendor's site says each is sold separately.

• Lifetime Pro$39.99

  one-time purchase

  Pro unlocked for good inside the free app, on iPhone, iPad and Mac, for a single payment.

Flow

• Free$0

  Interval-based focus timer, a set of duration options, statistics and graphs, break reminders and iCloud sync of statistics.

• Pro (yearly)$17.99

  per year, US App Store; shown on the site as $1.49 / month

  Timer sync, custom session titles and cycles, fully custom durations, app and web blocking, Apple Calendar sync and export.

• Pro (monthly)$2.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  The same Pro features paid month to month. The pricing page labels yearly billing as 50% cheaper.

• Lifetime Pro Access$39.99

  one-time purchase, US App Store

  Pro features for a single payment instead of a subscription.

• Schools & BusinessesCustom

  Volume pricing and organization-wide distribution of Flow Pro through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager, arranged by contacting Yugen.

Be Focused

• Annual discount

  Yearly Pro costs about 44% less than monthly

  The US App Store lists Yearly Pro at $19.99 against Monthly Pro at $2.99, which comes to $35.88 over twelve months.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro for a one-time payment

  A Lifetime Pro in-app purchase is listed at $39.99, and the listing says a single purchase unlocks Pro on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Flow

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing is 50% cheaper than monthly

  Flow's pricing page labels the yearly option "-50%". The US App Store lists Pro at $17.99 a year against $2.99 a month, which comes to $35.88 over twelve months.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro Access for a one-time payment

  The US App Store lists a Lifetime Pro Access in-app purchase at $39.99, paid once instead of a subscription.

• Other savings

  Volume pricing for schools and businesses

  The pricing page offers volume pricing and organization-wide distribution of Flow Pro through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.