Focus Friend Pro: what it costs, and is Focus Friend free?
Marcel Cruz · Updated 2 November 2026
Focus Friend is free to download, and Focus Friend Pro is $19.99 a year in the US as of October 2026. Who it suits, and the options if you want apps locked.
Focus Friend is free to download, and Focus Friend Pro is its paid plan: $19.99 a year in the US, read on the App Store on 14 October 2026. It suits people who want a friendly focus timer. If you want your apps locked until your work is done, that is a different kind of app, and the options and their prices are below.
Is Focus Friend free?
Yes, to download. Focus Friend's US App Store listing sells one plan as an in-app purchase, Focus Friend Pro Yearly, and that is the paid part of the app.
The listing on 29 October 2026 carries the title "Focus Friend, by Hank Green", so the maker's name is part of the app's name on the store. It had 8.8K ratings at 4.8 on the US App Store on 14 October 2026, which is a strong score from a fair number of people.
What does Focus Friend Pro cost?
| Plan | US price | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Friend (download) | free | 14 October 2026 |
| Focus Friend Pro Yearly | $19.99 a year | 14 October 2026 |
The price comes from the in-app purchases section of the US App Store listing. App Store prices can change with offers and by country, so the paywall inside the app is the price you will pay on the day. None of the top search results we read on 29 October 2026 stated the Pro price, which is why this post puts it in a table with its date.
How does Focus Friend work?
Focus Friend is a focus timer with a character. You start a focus session, and the character is the company you keep while the timer runs. The idea is gentle: a reason to stay with the session that feels like care rather than a rule.
That is the part this post can describe from what we have verified. For the details of what Pro adds over the free download, read the listing's description and the paywall in the app, because we have no dated record of the split to quote here.
Does Focus Friend block apps?
We have no verified, dated record that answers this, so this post does not guess. Check the listing's description for the words it uses about blocking, and look at what happens in the app when a session is running and you open a distracting app.
The difference matters. A focus timer helps you start and keep a session. An app blocker uses Apple's Screen Time permission to put a block screen in front of the apps you pick. Some readers want the first; some want the second.
Is Focus Friend Pro worth it?
For some readers, yes. At $19.99 a year in the US (14 October 2026), it is one of the lower yearly prices among the focus and screen time apps below, level with one sec pro.
Pick Focus Friend if you like a friendly timer, you work well in sessions, and a character on screen makes it easier to begin. A timer you enjoy opening is a timer you actually use.
It suits less well if what you want is for your apps to stay closed until your work is done. For that, look at apps built around the lock itself.
What if you want your apps locked?
These apps put a block screen or a pause in front of the apps you choose. Prices are from each US App Store listing, read on 14 October 2026; free tiers and trials were read on 22 October 2026. Beffore is our app, so it comes last and is described from our own product notes.
| App | How it works | US price per year | Free part |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScreenZen | a wait before an app opens, plus a daily goal with an optional block | free, tips only | the whole app |
| one sec | a short pause before a distracting app opens | $19.99 (one sec pro) | one app of your choice |
| Jomo | blocks apps and websites for the times you set | $29.99 (Jomo Plus, 3-day free trial) | not stated on the listing |
| Unrot | "Earn your Screen Time" is its subtitle | $29.99 ("all premium features") | not stated on the listing |
| ClearSpace | a screen time app with a paid Premium plan | $44.99 (ClearSpace Premium) | not stated on the listing |
| Opal | sessions, daily limits and schedules that block apps | $99.99 (Yearly Plan) | free to download, limits not stated |
| Beffore | finished tasks open your apps, a slice per task | $29.99 (3-day free trial), or $9.99 a week | free to download, subscription after setup |
If cost decides it, ScreenZen is the better pick: you pay nothing unless you choose to tip, and whether ScreenZen is safe and really free is checked in its own post. If you are weighing the most established blocker, what Opal costs and whether it is free covers its plans in the same dated way.
Where does Beffore fit?
Beffore is our app, so read this as the maker's view. Beffore, an iPhone app, is a to-do list that unlocks your screen time. You add today's tasks, choose the apps to lock and how much time you want each day, and finishing tasks opens that time: some of it with each task you check off in Progression mode, or all of it once the list is done in Completion mode.
There is no mascot and no timer. The day's list is the mechanism. That makes it the opposite pick to Focus Friend in one way: Focus Friend helps you sit down to a session, and Beffore keeps your apps waiting until the tasks you named are finished.
Locks are defaults, never walls. When a limit runs out, the block screen offers "Unlock for 5 min" for the app you tapped, and the limit itself can be opened with "Open until midnight" from its own screen. Both doors close on their own clock. Beffore needs no account, and how Beffore works walks through a full day.
Beffore needs a subscription after setup; the yearly plan starts with a 3-day free trial. It costs $29.99 a year or $9.99 a week in the US, as of October 2026, which is ten dollars a year more than Focus Friend Pro. For a wider look at this kind of app, see the iPhone apps that lock your apps until you finish tasks.
Tasks first, distractions later. Get Beffore on the App Store.
FAQ
Is Focus Friend free?
Focus Friend is free to download. Focus Friend Pro Yearly is the paid plan, at $19.99 a year in the US as of 14 October 2026.
Who makes Focus Friend?
The US App Store listing on 29 October 2026 is titled "Focus Friend, by Hank Green".
How does the Focus Friend app work?
It is a focus timer with a character: you start a session and the character keeps you company while it runs. The listing's description has the full feature list.
What are the best focus apps?
It depends on what you want the app to do. A timer like Focus Friend helps you start a session; a pause app like one sec slows you down before an app opens; a blocker like ScreenZen or Opal closes apps for a time; and a task-first app like Beffore opens your apps as you finish your list.
