Regain vs Stay Focused
We give Regain a 3.0 GPA and Stay Focused a 3.2, out of 4.0. Regain grades higher on the free plan. Stay Focused grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Regain
Study timer that blocks distracting apps until you finish
Stay Focused
App and website blocker with schedules, limits and Strict Mode
How we grade them
| 3.0GPARegainVery good | 3.2GPAStay FocusedVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BHard to pin down. The US App Store lists Pro at $9.99, $14.99 and $19.99 a month, and at seven yearly amounts from $29.99 to $149.99, with nothing to say which one a new subscriber gets. At $29.99 a year it's cheap. At the top end it isn't, for themes, focus music and stricter blocking. | BPremium is $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year on the US App Store, on the cheap side of typical. But the vendor doesn't publish what Premium unlocks, and a purchase is tied to one platform and one device, so paying on Android gets you nothing on iPhone. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe core app is free: unlimited focus sessions, a stopwatch, app blocking during sessions and focus stats. Plenty of students could stop there. On iPhone, though, Pomodoro and Strict Mode need Pro. | BFree to download on Android and iPhone. But the vendor doesn't publish which features need Premium, so we can't say where free stops, and the Google Play listing says the Android app contains ads. |
| Features | BSessions that block chosen apps, a Strict Mode you can't quit early, Pomodoro with adjustable lengths and focus sounds. Solid. But the cleverest parts, limiting YouTube to chosen study channels, blocking Reels and Shorts, and focus groups with a leaderboard, are described for Android only. | AProfiles that block apps, sites and keywords, as a blocklist or a whitelist. Blocks can run on a schedule, after a daily limit, until a goal is met or at a chosen place. Strict Mode locks them until a timer ends, and there's a Pomodoro timer with focus sounds. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as far as we'll go. Pick the apps, start the timer, and they stay shut until it ends. | B4.4 from about 950 App Store ratings, a notch under the top blockers. On iPhone and iPad, iOS caps blocking at 50 apps or websites at a time. |
| Platforms and integrations | CAndroid and iPhone, so phones only: there's no desktop or web version. The iPhone app needs iOS 26 or later, and no integrations are listed. | BAndroid, iPhone, iPad and a Chrome extension that blocks websites and keywords. There's no Mac or Windows app, and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | students who need their phone locked while they study | strict app blocking on an Android phone |
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: Regain and Stay Focused. How we grade
Where they differ
- Regain starts at $9.99 / month or $29.99 / year (US App Store; several amounts listed). Stay Focused starts at $3.99 / month, or $24.99 / year (US App Store).
- Only Stay Focused lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| Regain | Stay Focused | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 / month or $29.99 / year (US App Store; several amounts listed) | $3.99 / month, or $24.99 / year (US App Store) |
| Free plan | The core app is free: focus timer, stopwatch, app blocking and screen time insights, with unlimited focus sessions. On iOS, Pomodoro, Strict Mode, premium themes and focus music need Pro. | Free to download on Android and iOS. The vendor does not publish which features need Premium; the Google Play listing says the Android app contains ads. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | EpowerX Labs Private Limited | Innox Apps |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Regain
- Students preparing for exams who study with a phone nearby
- People who want YouTube limited to chosen study channels
- Friends who want to compete on focus time in a group
Stay Focused
- People who want blocks they cannot switch off on impulse
- Android users who want to block short videos but keep the app
- Students running timed study sessions with distracting apps locked
Worth knowing
Regain
- The US App Store lists Regain Pro at three monthly and seven annual amounts and does not say which one a new subscriber pays.
- The vendor's refund policy quotes Android prices in rupees only: INR 199 a month or INR 999 a year, lower during offers.
- On iOS, Pomodoro, Strict Mode, premium themes and focus music all need Pro, and the app requires iOS 26 or later.
- YouTube Study Mode, Reels and Shorts blocking and focus groups are described for Android; there is no desktop or web version.
Stay Focused
- Prices and the list of Premium features are not on the vendor's site; the dollar figures come from the US App Store, and Google Play shows $0.49 to $99.99 per item.
- Purchases are tied to one platform and one device: an Android purchase cannot be used on iOS.
- On iPhone and iPad, iOS caps blocking at 50 apps or websites at a time, and blocking Reels and Shorts is offered on Android only.
- There is no Mac or Windows app; on a computer it is limited to a Chrome extension that blocks websites and keywords.
Key features
Regain
- Focus sessions that block apps
- Starting a session blocks the apps you picked until the timer ends. On iPhone this runs through Apple's Screen Time, so Regain does not see the names of the apps you block.
- Strict Mode
- With Strict Mode on, a session cannot be ended early, and on Android the app cannot be uninstalled until the focus time is over. On iOS Strict Mode is a Pro feature.
- YouTube Study Mode
- On Android, choose the channels you study from and everything else on YouTube, including Shorts, stays blocked during a session.
- Website, Reels and Shorts blocking
- Blocks distracting and adult websites, and can block Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight and Facebook Reels while the rest of each app stays usable.
- Pomodoro timer and focus music
- Timer, Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes with adjustable focus and break lengths, sessions tagged by subject, and sounds such as lo-fi, rain, white noise and binaural tracks.
- Focus Groups
- Join a group with friends or other students preparing for the same exam, focus at the same time and compare totals on a leaderboard.
Stay Focused
- App and website blocking with profiles
- Pick the apps, sites and keywords to block and group them into profiles for sleep, work or study. Each profile can work as a blocklist or as a whitelist of what stays allowed.
- Schedules, daily limits and goals
- Block during set days and hours, after a daily usage limit is used up, or until you have spent a set amount of time in apps you class as productive.
- Location-based blocking
- Block apps automatically while you are at a place you choose, such as a school, office or library, or while you are away from it.
- Strict Mode
- Locks your blocks until a timer runs out. Turning it off can require a PIN, an expiry date, a QR code scan or typing a randomly generated text.
- Pomodoro sessions and Focus Sounds
- Timed focus sessions with planned breaks keep all but a few chosen apps blocked. Rain, ocean waves, brown noise and other sounds can be mixed into a background track.
- Reels and Shorts blocking
- On Android, hide YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Stories or Snapchat Spotlight while keeping the rest of each app usable.
Plans
Regain
Free$0
Unlimited focus sessions, a stopwatch, app blocking during sessions and focus stats.
Regain Pro (monthly)$9.99 to $19.99
per month, US App Store; three amounts listed
Monthly purchases appear at $9.99, $14.99 and $19.99. The listing does not say which one a new subscriber is offered.
Regain Pro (annual)$29.99 to $149.99
per year, US App Store; seven amounts listed
Annual purchases run from $29.99, labelled Yearly Discount, through $39.99, $49.99, $59.99, $79.99 and $99.99 to $149.99.
Stay Focused
Free$0
The app is a free download. What the free version leaves out is not published.
Monthly$3.99
per month, US App Store in-app purchase
Premium features paid month to month. The listing does not itemize what the subscription unlocks.
Quarterly$9.99
per 3 months, US App Store in-app purchase
The same subscription billed every three months.
Yearly$24.99
per year, US App Store in-app purchase
The same subscription billed once a year. A purchase named Yearly Discounted is listed at the same $24.99.
Ways to pay less
Regain
No public discounts listed.
Stay Focused
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs about 48% less than monthly
The US App Store lists the Monthly purchase at $3.99 and the Yearly purchase at $24.99, so a year paid at once costs about 48% less than twelve monthly payments.
