Be Focused vs Focus To-Do

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 To-Do

• People who want a Pomodoro timer and a to-do list in one app
• Students and workers tracking focus time per task or project
• Using the same task list on phone, tablet, watch and computer

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 To-Do

• The store listings do not say which features need Premium, so the limits of the free version could not be confirmed.
• The Focus To-Do Premium purchase carries no billing period on the US App Store and is listed at $1.99 for iOS and $3.99 for Mac.
• Prices appear only in the app stores; the vendor's site lists downloads but has no pricing page.
• The Windows version is a direct download from the vendor's site, and no web app or Linux version is listed.

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 To-Do

Pomodoro timer

Pomodoro and break lengths are adjustable, with short and long breaks, pause and resume, a skip-break option, a continuous mode and a warning before a session ends.

Tasks and projects

Tasks take due dates, recurring schedules, reminders, subtasks, color-coded priorities, notes and an estimated number of pomodoros.

Reports

Statistics cover total focus time, completed to-dos and time per project, with trend charts, a Gantt chart of focus time and a calendar view.

Sync across devices

Lists and focus records sync between phone and computer; the listings name iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android and Windows.

White noise and alarms

A choice of white noise can play during a session, and an alarm or vibration marks the end of each pomodoro.

Forest and App Whitelist

The Android listing adds a Forest view, where focused time grows a plant, and an App Whitelist that limits which apps can be used while focusing.

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 To-Do

• Free$0

  The app as downloaded, with or without an account. The listings do not spell out where the free version stops.

• Focus To-Do Premium$1.99

  billing period not shown on the US App Store listing

  An in-app purchase listed with no period at $1.99 for the iPhone and iPad app and at $3.99 for the Mac app.

• 3 Months$3.99

  per 3 months, US App Store in-app purchase

  Premium for three months, listed at the same price for the iOS and Mac apps.

• Lifetime$11.99

  one-time purchase, US App Store in-app purchase

  Premium for a single payment, listed at the same price for the iOS and Mac apps.

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 To-Do

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Premium for a one-time payment

  The US App Store lists a Lifetime in-app purchase at $11.99 for both the iOS and Mac apps, against $3.99 for 3 months.