Alternatives guide: focus tools
Focus Friend alternatives: apps, blockers and one desk object
Focus Friend is free with a 120-minute cap and a Pro tier at ₹3,999 lifetime in India. People look elsewhere when they want a PC version, no cap, hard blocking, or something that is not on the phone. Here are eight options, apps and one desk object, Perchi (₹2,999) from MyPerchi, checked on 18 September 2026.
Why are people looking for a Focus Friend alternative?
Focus Friend, by Hank Green, is the best-loved software version of the idea: a bean knits socks while you focus and is interrupted if you quit early, socks buy room decor, and Deep Focus mode blocks other apps. It hit number one on the US App Store in August 2025, was Google Play's App of the Year 2025, and holds 4.8 stars from 7,100 US ratings and 4.9 from 10,300 Google Play reviews. Pro is $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime; in India, ₹399, ₹1,999 and ₹3,999.
The alternative searches come from the app's own reviews: the two-hour free cap ('became pay-to-play'), Deep Focus bugs when other focus apps are installed, decorating that 'completes too quickly', no desktop or web version, and what one guide calls the ADHD app paradox: once the app closes, you forget it exists. The list below runs free first, then blocking, then the one option that lives outside the phone.
Checklist
What to look for in Focus Friend alternatives
Five things the options below are judged on. Decide which two matter to you before reading the list.
- 01Free tier limits: session caps, ads, or a subscription that creeps in
- 02What happens when you break a session: guilt, a dead tree, or a pause
- 03Whether it blocks apps, or only nudges
- 04Whether it lives inside the phone you are trying to avoid
- 05Works offline, and no account required
The ranked list
8 Focus Friend alternatives, ranked by what you asked for
Ranked by the needs in the search: free first, then hard blocking, then off the phone. Perchi (ours) is last on purpose: it costs the most on this list, works only at a desk and blocks nothing; it is here because it is the only option that moves the loop out of the phone entirely.
- 01
Forest
- Price
- Free with in-app purchases; Forest Plus $32.49 to $35.99 a year (₹1,299 to ₹1,499 in India)
- Best for
- The classic tree timer, with real trees planted
Where it wins
- 60 million downloads and more than 2.1 million real trees planted through Trees for the Future
- Tags, analytics and Plant Together for friends
- 4.8 stars from 49,000 US ratings; 4.7 from 7,400 in India
Where it falls short
- The one-time Forest Pro purchase is gone for new users; it is a subscription now
- The tree dies on legitimate interruptions
- Reviews call the friends feature clunky and the app slow with a long history
- 02
Flora
- Price
- Free; optional real-money stake; in-app purchases from $0.99
- Best for
- Forest's mechanic without the subscription
Where it wins
- Free, with 4.8 stars from 83,000 US App Store ratings
- An optional stake: kill the tree and you pay for a real one
- Plant with friends
Where it falls short
- Reviews report background detection 'completely broken', with trees killed while the phone was untouched
- Android is a distant second: 100,000 installs and an older build
- Punishes a pause
- 03
Finch
- Price
- Free; Finch Plus tiers from $5.99 to $69.99
- Best for
- A self-care pet that grows when you do the thing, rather than a timer
Where it wins
- 4.9 stars from 753,000 iOS ratings
- Nurture, never punish
Where it falls short
- Not a focus timer; the bird grows from habits and check-ins
- A trial-to-paid flow reviewers complain about
- An engagement plateau once nothing grows any more
- 04
one sec
- Price
- Free for one app; Pro $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime
- Best for
- Friction instead of blocking: a breath before the app opens
Where it wins
- A peer-reviewed study (Max Planck and Heidelberg) reports 57 percent less social media use
- 4.8 stars on both stores; students get 50 percent off
- You keep the choice every time
Where it falls short
- Relies on iOS Shortcuts
- Priced for professionals more than students
- Still on the phone
- 05
Opal
- Price
- Free for one rule; Pro $19.99 a month, about $99 a year (the pricing page shows two annual figures), Lifetime $399
- Best for
- Hard blocking you cannot turn off mid-session
Where it wins
- Hard Mode: Opal cannot be switched off once a session starts
- Focus Score and a Mac app
- 4.8 stars from 150,000 reviews on its own site
Where it falls short
- The price: one year of Opal costs more than most hardware on this page
- An aggressive upsell reviewers dislike
- Still on the phone
- 06
Study Bunny
- Price
- Free with ads; $14.99 for coins and no ads
- Best for
- Students who want a Pomodoro, flashcards and a to-do list with a pet
Where it wins
- 5 million Android installs; 4.6 stars from 96,000 Play reviews
- Flashcards and a to-do list in the same app
Where it falls short
- Ads on every screen transition, and reviews say some persist after paying
- The iOS version was last updated in December 2024
- Coins in-app purchases run up to $69.99
- 07
Brick
- Price
- $59 one-time (Brick Mount $15)
- Best for
- A physical lock: tap the phone on it and chosen apps are blocked
Where it wins
- No battery, no subscription; one Brick works with several phones; five emergency unbricks
- 55,000+ five-star reviews claimed on its site
- Works anywhere you carry it
Where it falls short
- You must carry it, or leave it at home and cheat
- No timed auto-lock; no website blocking on Android, per long-term reviews
- An Amazon.in listing exists, but its price could not be checked on 18 September 2026
- 08
Perchi
Ours- Price
- ₹2,999 incl. GST, one-time
- Best for
- The same loop, moved out of the phone and onto the desk
Where it wins
- The phone's resting place is the timer: rest it on Perchi and a 25-minute block starts (5 to 120); lift it and the block pauses with a look
- A scarf, sprout or tower grows on the desk during the block and goes into a wardrobe; nothing finished is ever lost, and streaks earn a freeze
- No subscription, no session cap, no ads, no app to remember to open; also a phone stand
- Reacts to real events from 60+ integrations and links to a second Perchi for focus rooms
- Sold in India with a GST invoice and a 12-month warranty
Where it falls short
- Costs the most on this list
- Only works at a desk: no help on the bus or in bed
- Blocks nothing, ever; a Hard Mode buyer will find it too soft
- A new product with no customer reviews yet; delivery is estimated 2 to 3 weeks from the day you reserve
Side by side
How the options compare at a glance
The same options as a table. Yes and no marks are only used where the answer is unambiguous; everything else is spelled out.
| Feature | Forest | Flora | Finch | one sec | Opal | Study Bunny | Brick | Perchi ours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $32.49+ a year | Free | Free / Plus | $19.99 a year | $19.99 a month | Free, ads | $59 | ₹2,999 |
| Mechanic | Tree grows | Tree grows | Pet grows | Breathing pause | Blocks | Timer + pet | NFC lock | Phone rests, project grows |
| Punishes a slip | Tree dies | Tree dies | No | No | Locked out | No | Locked out | Pauses only |
| Blocks apps | Strict mode | Strict mode | No | Friction | Hard Mode | No | Yes | No |
| Works offline | Mostly | Mostly | Mostly | Needs Shortcuts | Mostly | Mostly | Needs the app | Yes |
| Subscription | Yes | No | Optional | Optional | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lives outside the phone | No | No | No | No | No | No | Partly | Yes |
Two markets, two answers
Best for a US buyer, and best for an Indian buyer
Where an import price changes the answer, the guide gives both instead of averaging them into one verdict.
Best for a US buyer
Flora if you want Forest free; one sec ($19.99 a year) if you want friction, not a lock; Brick ($59) if you need the lock.
Best for an Indian buyer
Forest at ₹1,299 to ₹1,499 a year if an app is enough; Perchi (₹2,999, one-time, under Focus Friend's ₹3,999 lifetime price) if the phone itself is the problem.
If you already use Focus Friend
Keep it for the sessions that happen away from a desk; it is still the best free version of the loop on a phone. Perchi does not touch your phone's software, so nothing conflicts: the bean knits in the app, the scarf grows on the desk.
What Perchi fixes is the paradox in Focus Friend's own reviews: a companion inside the phone disappears when the phone goes face-down. A companion on the desk is in sight for the whole block, and the phone's resting place is the timer.
Focus Friend alternatives: your questions, answered
Focus Friend vs Forest: which is better?
Focus Friend if you want a companion that guilt-trips gently and a free tier that covers most sessions (120-minute cap); Forest if you want tags, analytics, real trees and a long history, and can live with a subscription of $32.49 to $35.99 a year (₹1,299 to ₹1,499 in India). Both live in the phone, and both punish an early exit in their own way.
Is there a Focus Friend for PC?
No. Focus Friend is iOS and Android only, with no desktop, web or physical version as of 18 September 2026. On a computer, Opal has a Mac app; the rest of this list is phone-only. Perchi sits on the desk beside the computer and needs no software on it at all.
Is there a free Focus Friend alternative?
Flora is free with an optional real-money stake and the closest mechanic to Forest; one sec is free for one app; Forest is free with in-app purchases; Study Bunny is free with ads. Focus Friend's own free tier is generous until the 120-minute cap. Nothing free lives outside the phone.
Which Focus Friend alternative never punishes you?
Finch never punishes; it is a self-care pet rather than a timer. one sec only adds a pause. Perchi pauses the block when you lift the phone, sighs, and carries on when the phone comes back; whatever stage of the scarf, sprout or tower was finished stays finished, and a streak can be frozen once a week. Forest, Flora, Opal and Brick all punish a slip in some form.
Which Focus Friend alternative has no subscription?
Flora (free), Study Bunny (free with ads), Brick ($59 one-time) and Perchi (₹2,999 one-time). one sec and Finch offer lifetime or optional tiers; Forest and Opal are subscriptions. Focus Friend itself has a $39.99 (₹3,999) lifetime option.
Which focus alternative lives outside the phone?
Perchi fully: the timer starts when the phone rests on it and the progress is on the desk, not on a screen you have turned over. Brick partly: the lock is a physical puck, but the blocking still runs in the phone. Everything else on this list is an app.
Keep reading
Related comparisons and guides
- Perchi vs Focus Friend
- Perchi vs Brick
- Physical pomodoro timers compared
- How Phone Nap works
- How to stop using your phone while studying
- Phone lock box alternatives
Other guides in this group: Phone lock box alternatives. All ten are on the alternatives hub.
Sources
- App Store: Focus Friend (US)
- App Store: Focus Friend (India)
- CancelMates: Focus Friend guide
- forestapp.cc
- flora.appfinca.com
- one-sec.app
- opalapp.com/pricing
- getbrick.com
Competitor names and prices are quoted for comparison only; none of the companies named is affiliated with MyPerchi.
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