Be Focused vs Focus - Deep Work Timer

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

Focus - Deep Work Timer

• Apple users who want a timer and a task list in one app
• People who like to review focused time by task in charts
• Mac users who want the timer in the menu bar
• Those who prefer data kept in their own iCloud with no ads

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.

Focus - Deep Work Timer

• Apple platforms only: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. No Windows, Android or web version is listed.
• The vendor does not publish which features need Focus Pro, and its FAQ sends buyers to the App Store for prices.
• The App Store shows yearly items from $19.99 to $49.99, so the price offered in the app may differ from the $39.99 listed first.
• Focus for Mac is a separate App Store listing from the iPhone and iPad app. It needs macOS 14.0 or later, and the iPhone app iOS 18.0.

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.

Focus - Deep Work Timer

Timed focus sessions

Sessions and breaks follow the Pomodoro rhythm, with lengths you set yourself. When a session ends, the app shows a full-screen alarm on iOS 26 and a notification elsewhere.

Tasks and projects

Tasks are collected in the app and grouped into projects. You pick one before starting a session, so each session is logged against the task it was spent on.

Statistics and session timeline

Pie and bar charts break focused time down by task, with calendar views and day, week, month and year ranges. Sessions in the timeline can be added, edited or deleted afterwards.

Goals

A daily time goal or a session goal sets a target for the day, and a compact overview compares focused time with last week or last month.

Mac menu bar timer

Focus for Mac keeps the timer in the menu bar, offers notification styles from subtle to full-screen, and supports desktop widgets on macOS Sonoma or later.

Sync across Apple devices

Tasks, the timer and statistics sync through iCloud between iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, with widgets, Live Activities, Siri and Shortcuts support.

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.

Focus - Deep Work Timer

• Free$0

  The app is free to download and start using. The vendor's pages do not say where the free version stops.

• Focus - Monthly$6.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Focus Pro paid month to month, after a 7-day free trial. The Mac listing shows the same price.

• Focus - 3 Months$14.99

  per 3 months, US App Store in-app purchase

  A three-month Focus Pro term, shown on the iPhone and iPad listing but not on the Mac one.

• Focus Yearly$39.99

  per year, US App Store in-app purchase

  Listed first on both listings. Other items named Focus Yearly appear at $19.99, $27.99, $29.99 and $49.99, plus Focus Early Bird at $29.99.

• Patron Subscription$59.99

  per year (the Mac listing calls it annual)

  A higher-priced subscription item on both App Store listings. The vendor's site does not describe what it adds.

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.

Focus - Deep Work Timer

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing costs about 52% less than monthly

  The US App Store lists Focus Yearly first at $39.99 against Focus - Monthly at $6.99, which comes to $83.88 over twelve months.