Focus Friend review: price, free version and privacy

Our verdict

Focus Friend suits students who need a friendly nudge to start and finish study sessions. If you need strict, detailed app blocking or want to know exactly what you pay for, a more transparent blocker is a better fit.

What Focus Friend is

Focus Friend, by Hank Green, gives you a bean companion that works alongside you during focus sessions. Turn the timer off early and the bean is "really really sad"; complete the session and you earn prizes to decorate its room. The app adds break timers for the Pomodoro method, a Deep Focus Mode that locks distracting apps, and a Live Activity that shows the timer on the Lock Screen.

Who it suits

• Gentle motivation to focus
• Students who respond to cute rewards rather than strict blocking

Strengths

• A playful reward loop: finished sessions earn decorations for the bean's room.
• Deep Focus Mode locks distracting apps during a session.
• Live Activity shows the timer on the Lock Screen, with break timers for Pomodoro.
• An Apple Editors' Choice, with no tracking and no data linked to you.

Limits

• The listing does not say what Pro adds over the free version.
• Bean skins and packs are sold separately, from $2.99 to $5.99.
• Launched in July 2025, so it has a short history.
• English only, and rated 9+.

What the free version does

The app is free to download with a Pro subscription, but the listing does not say which features need Pro.

Price

On the US App Store in November 2026, Focus Friend Pro is listed at $3.99 monthly and $19.99 yearly, with lifetime items at $29.99 and $39.99 and a "Welcome Offer" at $34.99. Bean packs and skins cost $2.99 to $5.99.

Privacy

The privacy label declares no tracking. Usage data and diagnostics may be collected but are not linked to your identity.

What the screenshots show

The screenshots show the bean standing in an empty room above a 25-minute flip-clock timer, and the same room later filled with furniture, plants and a desk.