Comparisons · checked August 2026
Six honest comparisons.
If you are shopping for something to help with your attention, you should know what else is out there and when it beats us. Each page below says what the other tool is genuinely best at, and every one of them has a section telling you to buy theirs instead.
The gamified timer
Forest vs Stoiq
The tree that dies. The best-loved focus timer on a phone — and the honest limits of a phone habit when the work is on your Mac.
The screen-time blocker
Opal vs Stoiq
Rules, a block screen and a usage score across your devices. The strongest phone blocker here — and a subscription.
The hardcore lockout
Cold Turkey vs Stoiq
The strictest blocker on a desktop, bought once and owned forever. No phone, no character, no way out.
The cross-device blocker
Freedom vs Stoiq
One block, every device you own, at the same time. The broadest platform coverage on this list.
The friction pause
one sec vs Stoiq
A breath before the app opens. The gentlest mechanism here, and the one that respects you most.
The human body-double
Focusmate vs Stoiq
A real person, on video, for a booked session. The only thing on this list that beats us on presence.
The cozy phone timer
Focus Friend vs Stoiq
Hank Green's knitting bean — the friendliest focus timer on a phone, and the app closest to ours in spirit. The differences are the screen it lives on, and the sad face.
Every name on this page belongs to somebody else and is used only to identify their product. We are not affiliated with any of them, none of these pages is endorsed by them, and no logo of theirs appears anywhere on this site. Prices were read from their own pages in August 2026 and are linked on each comparison — check the number on their page before you buy anything, including ours.