Focus vs Vitamin-R

Focus

• Mac users who want websites and apps blocked on a fixed schedule
• People who want a session they cannot switch off once it starts
• Parents or teachers who lock settings behind a password
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

Vitamin-R

• People who keep postponing vague or intimidating tasks
• Mac users who want more structure than a bare countdown timer
• Light time tracking by project or client with CSV export
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

Focus

• Mac only: the vendor lists no Windows, iPhone or Android version.
• There is no free plan; after the 7-day trial a license costs $49, or $129 with lifetime updates.
• The $49 Focus 2 license covers one year of major updates and three years of minor updates.
• Firefox needs the Focus add-on installed; Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera and Vivaldi work without one.

Vitamin-R

• Mac only: the current version needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. No iPhone, Windows or web version is offered.
• There is no free plan: the trial stops working after 14 days until an unlock code is bought.
• The standard license stops before version 5.0; covering all future upgrades costs a further $29.95 for the Forever Upgrade.
• It is not a task manager. The vendor positions it alongside to-do apps such as OmniFocus and Things.

Focus

Website blocking

Blocks chosen websites in the popular Mac browsers, or blocks the whole internet apart from an allow list. Rules can also target specific pages and words.

App blocking

Hides a blocked Mac app and, if it keeps reappearing, closes or force quits it. Apps and sites can be added by dragging them onto the menu bar icon.

Timers and Pomodoro mode

Built-in timers, including a Pomodoro mode with a chosen number of work rounds, pair blocking with planned breaks.

Schedules

Daily, weekly or weekend schedules start blocking at set times without any action from you, and schedules can run overnight.

Locked Mode and password locks

A locked session or schedule cannot be stopped until it ends, even after quitting the app or restarting the Mac. Profiles can be locked behind a password.

Statistics and scripting

Tracks focused time by day, week, month and year for each profile. Workflows run Bash scripts when a session or break starts or ends, alongside URL handlers and AppleScript.

Vitamin-R

Objectives and time slices

Each session starts with one specific, reachable objective and a time slice of 15 to 25 minutes. Visual, audio and spoken prompts keep it in view, and the app can shrink to a menu-bar countdown.

Now & Later Board

A stray thought, such as an email to send or an errand, is written down as one line on the board so you can return to the task and pick it up afterwards.

Log book and analytics

Every completed time slice is recorded. Charts show a week of focused time and the hours when you focus best, and slices can be tagged by project or client and exported to CSV.

Breaks and Pomodoro timing

Time slices alternate with timed breaks, which can lock the screen. The timing and rhythm of the classic Pomodoro Technique are built in as an option.

Keyboard command window

A global shortcut opens a command window from any app, where a time slice can be set up and controlled by typing instead of using the mouse.

Focus soundscapes

White noise and ambient soundscapes, from busy coffee shops to quiet beaches, can play while you work to mask distractions.

Focus

• Focus 1$29

  one-time purchase

  The original version with core blocking features, still sold on the checkout page as an older release.

• Focus 2$49

  one-time purchase

  Website and app blocking, schedules, timers and Pomodoro, locked sessions, profiles, password locks, statistics and scripting, with a year of free updates.

• Lifetime$129

  one-time purchase

  Everything in Focus 2, plus early access to new versions and lifetime updates.

• Bulk licensesCustom

  Special pricing for teams and organizations, by custom quote from the vendor.

Vitamin-R

• Single User$29.95

  one-time purchase

  Any number of installations for one person, minor updates up to but not including version 5.0, and a free Noise Machine license.

• Family$59.95

  one-time purchase, up to 5 people

  Any number of installations for up to 5 people in the same family. The order page lists it as $30.00 on top of the Single User price.

• Small Business$149.95

  one-time purchase, up to 20 people

  Up to 20 people in the same family or organization, listed as $120.00 on top of the Single User price.

• Business$299.95

  one-time purchase, up to 50 people

  Up to 50 people in the same organization, listed as $270.00 on top of the Single User price.

• Enterprise$749.95

  one-time purchase, unlimited people

  An unlimited number of people in the same organization, listed as $720.00 on top of the Single User price.

Focus

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license with every future update

  The Lifetime license is a one-time $129 payment that adds lifetime updates and early access to new versions; the $49 Focus 2 license includes one year of free updates.

• Other savings

  Bulk pricing for teams and organizations

  The checkout page's FAQ says Focus offers special pricing for teams and organizations and asks them to get in touch for a custom quote.

Vitamin-R

• Lifetime license

  Forever Upgrade for a further $29.95

  Adding the Forever Upgrade option on the order page costs $29.95 on top of the license and includes all future product upgrades.

• Other savings

  Upgrade pricing for existing owners

  Owners of any earlier version can buy the Single User upgrade to version 4 for $19.95, and anyone who bought after 1 January 2021 gets version 4 free.