Focus Bear vs Workrave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Workrave grades higher than Focus Bear: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Focus Bear grades higher on features and platforms. Workrave grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Focus Bear
Distraction blocker and guided routines built for ADHD brains
Which one is for you
Pick Focus Bear if
- Fits if you have ADHD or autism and want routines walked through one habit at a time
- Works for people who want the same sites shut on a laptop and a phone at once
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only want a blocker, at $9.99 a month when the middle of this category is $3.99
- Tight if you're staying free, with 25-minute sessions, 5 blocked sites and apps and 3 habits a routine
- Watch out: AI blocking, focus modes, focus music and meeting detection are all Pro only
- Watch out: no yearly price is published, and the US App Store lists a monthly plan at $2.99, not $9.99
- Not for you if you want it in a browser or wired into your calendar, as there's no web app and no integrations
Pick Workrave if
- Fits if you want RSI breaks and a daily limit on Windows or Linux
- Works for people who want free software with public source code
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac, as that port exists only in the untested development version
- Skip it if you want a phone version, since none is listed
- Watch out: the site describes the features only briefly
- Too light for coaching or exercises beyond the break prompts
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFocus BearFair | 3.0GPAWorkraveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $9.99 a month, billed monthly, when the middle of this category is $3.99. Everything useful sits up there: unlimited blocking, the AI nudges, focus music, meeting detection. No yearly price is published, and the US App Store lists a monthly purchase at $2.99 with no explanation of the gap. | AFree software with no paid plan, source code public. |
| Free plan and trial | CEssentials is free for good, but you'll hit the walls fast: 25-minute sessions, 5 blocked websites and apps, 3 habits to a routine. The 7-day full-feature trial needs no card, at least. | AThe full program is free with no ads or tier. |
| Features | AMost blockers work one device at a time. This one holds a single block list across Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and starting a session on the computer drops your phone into Zen mode too. Add routines walked through a habit at a time, breaks that go quiet on calls, and AI that nudges you back when you drift. | CMicrobreaks, rest breaks, a daily limit and statistics. The basics, with a feature set that dates from its long history. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record for it, and there's real setting up before it helps: routines built habit by habit, block lists, strictness levels. It isn't open-and-go. | BNo rating on record, but it is a program you install and start using. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with the same block list on all four. No web app, though, and no integrations or API are listed. | CWindows and Linux desktop only, with no phone app and Mac only in an untested build. |
| Best for | blocking plus guided routines for ADHD brains | RSI break reminders on Windows and Linux |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Focus Bear and Workrave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Focus Bear starts at $9.99 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Workrave has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Focus Bear scores higher, and starts $9.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other focus apps on the chart, 4 score higher than Focus Bear for less, and none scores higher than Workrave for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Workrave is open source, according to its own site.
- Focus Bear also covers tasks, site & app blocker, Pomodoro timer, focus music and habit tracking.
- Workrave also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| Focus Bear | Workrave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $9.99 / month, billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | Essentials: Pomodoro sessions of up to 25 minutes, blocking for up to 5 websites and apps, routines of up to 3 habits, breaks of up to 3 activities, a browser tab limiter and a to-do list. | Free software with no paid plan. |
| Free trial | 7-day full-feature trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Focus Bear Pty Ltd | Raymond Penners and Rob Caelers |
| Price read from | focusbear.io | workrave.org |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Focus Bear
- The free Essentials plan caps focus sessions at 25 minutes, blocking at 5 websites and apps, routines at 3 habits and breaks at 3 activities.
- AI-powered blocking, focus modes, focus music, meeting detection and accountability partner features need Pro.
- Billing is monthly; yearly billing has to be arranged by emailing support, and no yearly price is published.
- The US App Store lists a Monthly Plan purchase at $2.99, well below the $9.99 on the pricing page, and the vendor's pages do not explain the difference.
Workrave
- The download page lists Windows and GNU/Linux; a macOS port exists only in the untested development version.
- No phone version is listed.
- The interface and feature set date from the project's long history and are described only briefly on the site.
Key features
Focus Bear
- Cross-device distraction blocking
- Block lists and allow lists apply across Mac, Windows, iOS and Android together. By default the app asks whether you really need a site; Grizzly Bear mode blocks anything not explicitly allowed.
- Morning and evening routines
- Set up a routine once and the app guides you through its habits one at a time each day, blocking distractions while the routine runs.
- Break reminders that detect meetings
- Prompts short breaks with stretch and movement demos, recommended every 20 minutes. Reminders are held back while the app detects you are on a call.
- AI distraction detection
- Tell the app what you are working on and it nudges you back when you drift to something unrelated. The vendor says it does not log keystrokes or capture the screen.
- Zen mode for your phone
- Starting a deep work block on the computer puts the phone into Zen mode, where only the apps you need stay reachable until the session ends.
- Pomodoro timer and to-do list
- Timed focus sessions sit alongside a to-do list and a browser tab limiter. Free sessions stop at 25 minutes; Pro can chain consecutive sessions for bigger tasks.
Workrave
- Microbreaks
- Typically a 30-second break every 3 minutes; duration and frequency are configurable.
- Rest breaks
- Typically 10 minutes every 45 minutes, also configurable.
- Daily limit
- Prompts you to stop once a set amount of computer time is reached.
- Statistics
- Counts breaks taken, postponed and ignored, plus daily, weekly and monthly use.
Plans
Focus Bear
Essentials$0
Pomodoro sessions up to 25 minutes, up to 5 blocked websites and apps, 3 habits per routine, 3 activities per break, tab limiter and to-do list.
Pro$9.99
per month, billed monthly
Unlimited website and app blocking, AI-powered blocking, consecutive Pomodoro sessions, focus modes, focus music, meeting detection and strictness levels.
Workrave
Free$0
The full program; source code is public.
Ways to pay less
Focus Bear
- Education
50% discount for students
The pricing page offers students 50% off Pro: enter an official school email address and Focus Bear sends a discount code to use at checkout.
- Other savings
Discounts for financial hardship
Focus Bear says people experiencing financial hardship, including hardship due to disability, can request a discount by emailing its support team. It notes that not every request is granted.
Workrave
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Focus Bear or Workrave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Workrave is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $9.99 a month for Focus Bear. Focus Bear starts at $9.99 / month, billed monthly, and Workrave is free.
Which has a free plan, Focus Bear or Workrave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Focus Bear and Workrave have a free plan.
Which platforms do Focus Bear and Workrave run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Focus Bear lists macOS, iOS and Android apps and only Workrave lists a Linux app. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.