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App Imp

Pomodoro focus timer.

Sync & data runs in 8 of the 10 apps here — nobody on this shelf has fixed it.

10 apps · 3,380 reviews held · 725 negative · 2026-08-24 snapshot

61/100 opportunity

6 of 6 factors · not advice
Nobody's fixed it8 of 10 apps80
How far above typical6.3% vs 2.2% typical73
How angrystar3.3 · 46 reviews0
People in the market223,093 ratings45
Room to enterleader holds 37% of ratings63
Willingness to pay9 of 9 checked charge · $1.99 entry100

Mostly solved: login & auth. 7 of 9 apps run below the store’s typical rate on it — while 8 of 10 still carry sync & data complaints.

How this is scored

Weighted mean of the sub-scores, weights re-normalized over whatever is computable (nobody's fixed it 25 · how far above typical 20 · how angry 15 · people in the market 15 · room to enter 15 · willingness to pay 10). Fixed anchors map each count to 0–100: breadth and willingness-to-pay are straight shares; the gap’s heat tops out at 4times the store’s typical rate; anger scores star3 as 0 and star1.5 as 100; reach runs 104 to 107ratings on a log scale; room to enter is one minus the leader’s share of shelf ratings. A factor that cannot be counted is dropped and named — never imputed. The site’s one composite (#115, owner decision 2026-08-15); cited industry benchmarks are never blended in.

5 gaps.

01

Sync & data — unfixed in 8 of 10 apps

high · 6.3% of this shelf’s 725 negative reviews, against 2.2% typical store-wide, at 3.33star average anger.

What they said · 46 reviews
  • Sync fails between devices8 of 46
  • Everything gone at once3 of 46
“Good app but too many glitches — I love the concept of the app and have been using it for years, but there are just too many glitches, including times when my plus subscription was disabled, or cannot sync, or cannot open daily challenges. It’s just frustrating. The in-app support function was also unable to load when I have these issues, so there’s literally no help I can get. Already reconsid”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 3star · Aug 12, 2026
“Serious Sync Issues Between Mac and iOS — I’m extremely disappointed with the synchronization reliability between the Mac and iOS versions. I enabled the option to sync data to Calendar, but the data never appeared in my calendar. Even worse, the data inside the Flow app itself became inconsistent — I originally had three records for today, but now only the middle one remains. There are also ser”Flow: Focus & Pomodoro Timer · 1star · Aug 5, 2026
“Recommended by OT but not quite doing the job. — I have AUDHD with some OCD, anxiety and exhaustion. I am dealing with physical disability as well from nervous system and autoimmune issues. I’m in occupational therapy for speech, physical rehab, and soon will be adding visual OT. My speech therapist thinks that the root of a lot of my problems is actually exhaustion from excessive screen time. My”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 2star · Aug 1, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
6.3%
46 of 725
store-wide
2.2%
typical
breadth
80%
8 of 10 apps
02

Limits & caps — unfixed in 8 of 10 apps

high · 5.9% of this shelf’s 725 negative reviews, against 2.8% typical store-wide, at 2.90star average anger.

What they said · 43 reviews
  • Core feature locked behind the paywall4 of 43
“nice app but — I feel like a lot of features are locked behind pay walls…”Focus Friend, by Hank Green · 2star · Aug 16, 2026
“Lost 5 Years of Progress! — I bought this app in 2021 and used it devotedly since. Recently, it’s gotten more & more greed centric. Recently, it’s logged me out without my permission. It won’t let me sign in! I had earned so many trees, participated in limited social events, & now it’s all GONE! I have been robbed and I’m avail gutted.”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 8, 2026
“paywall ruined it — i’ve used this app since I was in middle school. I’m 26 now and it’s impossible to use without paying for something. sad to see you go.”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 2star · Jul 17, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
5.9%
43 of 725
store-wide
2.8%
typical
breadth
80%
8 of 10 apps
03

Ads — unfixed in 8 of 10 apps

elevated · 17.2% of this shelf’s 725 negative reviews, against 10.7% typical store-wide, at 2.72star average anger.

What they said · 125 reviews
“Used to be a great app — It just got way, way, way too busy and convoluted. More bells and whistles. I used to be able to compile a list and immediately adjust the duration. Now it immediately goes to a timer that starts clicking loudly without your permission. You have to take about 3 steps to go into the menu , edit, adjust the time or delete. More bells and whistles is not better. Also you get”Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer · 1star · Aug 11, 2026
“Bloatware Garbage — I’ve used this app from the beginning almost 10 years ago. Even got offers as the 1% user from the developer to test beta features… It used to be cool. Now, it’s turned into corporate, bloatedware garbage where planting a tree feels easier to do in real life than by navigating this app. Having derailed from its original mission of providing the user with a simple interface to”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 2, 2026
“Was helpful at first, now spams ads via notifications — Install if you want your phone to buzz frequently in hopes of getting you to buy something”Focus Friend, by Hank Green · 1star · Jul 31, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
17.2%
125 of 725
store-wide
10.7%
typical
breadth
80%
8 of 10 apps
04

UX — unfixed in 7 of 10 apps

elevated · 3.6% of this shelf’s 725 negative reviews, against 2.9% typical store-wide, at 3.64star average anger.

What they said · 26 reviews
“New update (Aug 2026) is unusable! — I usually avoid reviews, but the previous update(s) have made the app usability worse. This most recent one has made the app’s features extremely glitchy. I could get used to the new interface, but it doesn’t feel like any UX/UI improvement. Hoping there will be a new update soon to fix all the errors!”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 14, 2026
“Serious Sync Issues Between Mac and iOS — I’m extremely disappointed with the synchronization reliability between the Mac and iOS versions. I enabled the option to sync data to Calendar, but the data never appeared in my calendar. Even worse, the data inside the Flow app itself became inconsistent — I originally had three records for today, but now only the middle one remains. There are also ser”Flow: Focus & Pomodoro Timer · 1star · Aug 5, 2026
“Bloatware Garbage — I’ve used this app from the beginning almost 10 years ago. Even got offers as the 1% user from the developer to test beta features… It used to be cool. Now, it’s turned into corporate, bloatedware garbage where planting a tree feels easier to do in real life than by navigating this app. Having derailed from its original mission of providing the user with a simple interface to”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 2, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
3.6%
26 of 725
store-wide
2.9%
typical
breadth
70%
7 of 10 apps
05

Billing — unfixed in 9 of 10 apps

33.2% of this shelf’s 725 negative reviews, against 32.1% typical store-wide, at 2.40star average anger.

What they said · 241 reviews
  • Price judged too high for the value17 of 241
  • Trial converted without clear consent3 of 241
“Rating changed from five stars to one. — This app used to be so good. Now they somehow think that anyone is going to pay for their subscription service when every update the app gets buggier and buggier. If I close the app, it crashes. I don’t mean close it and open something else. I mean if I go back to the home screen or literally any other app. When the timer hits zero… Nothing happens. The w”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 12, 2026
“Good app but too many glitches — I love the concept of the app and have been using it for years, but there are just too many glitches, including times when my plus subscription was disabled, or cannot sync, or cannot open daily challenges. It’s just frustrating. The in-app support function was also unable to load when I have these issues, so there’s literally no help I can get. Already reconsid”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 3star · Aug 12, 2026
“Cannot restore subscription under different email — I have the same Apple account and got a yearly subscription. I decided I wanted to start fresh and deleted my original account. Typically when I do this I can use a new email and click “restore purchase” and my subscription will be back. Instead, the support team Has told me my only options are to A) request a refund from Apple or B) wait until M”Forest: Focus for Productivity · 1star · Aug 10, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
33.2%
241 of 725
store-wide
32.1%
typical
breadth
90%
9 of 10 apps

Is there a market for a new pomodoro focus timer app?

10 apps compete on this shelf, holding 3,380 App Store reviews — and the widest unfixed complaint, sync & data, runs in 8 of 10 of them at 6.3% of negative reviews against 2.2% typical. Those are counts, not a verdict — the page shows what is unfixed, not whether to build.

What do users complain about most in pomodoro focus timer?

1. Sync & data — in 8 of 10 apps, 6.3% of negative reviews; 2. Limits & caps — in 8 of 10 apps, 5.9% of negative reviews; 3. Ads — in 8 of 10 apps, 17.2% of negative reviews; 4. UX — in 7 of 10 apps, 3.6% of negative reviews; 5. Billing — in 9 of 10 apps, 33.2% of negative reviews.

How many pomodoro focus timer app reviews did App Imp count?

3,380 US App Store reviews across 10 apps, 725 of them negative — counted on the 2026-08-24 snapshot, never estimated.

Searched on the App Store.

Apple’s own suggestions for pomodoro focus timer terms, in their order.

focus timerpomodoro focus timerpomodoro focus timer for studyfocus timer for studyingsession pomodoro focus timerfocus timer freefocus timer multi-scene timer

Searched, but no app on this shelf says it in its name.

Who’s in it

All 10 apps counted on this shelf · 2026-08-24.

App
Flora - Green Focus82,4865%———
Forest: Focus for Productivity49,0675%12%17%3%
Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer31,5506%4%3%8%
Study Bunny: Focus Timer21,1851%3%77%1%
Focus To-Do: Focus Timer&Tasks14,55317%2%3%6%
Pomodoro - Focus Timer10,7994%3%13%3%
FocusPomo · Pomodoro Timer7,4946%3%3%3%
Focus Friend, by Hank Green4,201—15%6%—
Flow: Focus & Pomodoro Timer1,74026%6%6%3%
Pomodoro — Focus Timer18————

Each cell: that app’s share of its own negative reviews. Bold from 1.15 times the store’s typical rate for that complaint, and only where an app holds 20+ negative reviews. Click a column to sort.

What they charge, and what it costs them

Prices from Apple’s public pages; the share counts payment-mechanics language only.

AppMoney complaints
FocusPomo · Pomodoro Timer$3.99–$59.99 · 10 tiers8.6% of 35
Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer$3.99–$199.99 · 7 tiers3.4% of 145
Forest: Focus for Productivity$0.99–$35.99 · 9 tiers2.1% of 191
Flora - Green Focus$0.99–$1.99 · 3 tiers0% of 22
Study Bunny: Focus Timer$0.99–$69.99 · 6 tiers0% of 87
Focus To-Do: Focus Timer&Tasks$1.99–$11.99 · 3 tiers0% of 66
Pomodoro - Focus Timer$0.99–$9.99 · 5 tiers0% of 110
Focus Friend, by Hank Green$2.99–$39.99 · 10 tiers0% of 34
Flow: Focus & Pomodoro Timer$2.99–$39.99 · 3 tiers0% of 35

What each one owns, where each is exposed

Productive - Habit Tracker

Owns. Polish, habit-layer depth, 91,110 ratings reach

Exposed. 57% negative; forces $3.99–$79.99 paywall before any free trial; data loss on update

Forest: Focus for Productivity

Owns. Gamification, brand warmth, 48,647 ratings reach

Exposed. 47% negative; retroactively paywalled features users paid for; frequent session bugs and data resets

Study Bunny: Focus Timer

Owns. Cute aesthetic, loyal student base, 20,834 ratings reach

Exposed. 23% negative but ads now trigger on every app open — long-term loyalists publicly uninstalling

Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer

Owns. Classic pomodoro simplicity, 31,453 ratings reach

Exposed. 38% negative; post-update removed paid features, now demands subscription; notification UX regressed

Flora - Green Focus

Owns. Ad-lite, 82,370 ratings — largest reach in set; low 8% negative

Exposed. Monetization ceiling at $1.99 max IAP; thin feature set limits conversion upside

Focus To-Do: Focus Timer&Tasks

Owns. Task integration, 14,508 ratings, 18% negative — second cleanest anger score

Exposed. Paid lifetime buyers locked out of features; support silent on billing errors

Browse the apps behind these counts

Every app we count, with the complaint it runs furthest above the store’s typical rate.

Open the app library
How this is counted

Every number is arithmetic over the reviews we hold, re-counted weekly — nothing modelled, nothing scored. Themes come from a frozen pattern classifier rather than a model reading reviews, so the same review always lands in the same bucket. A shelf rate is pooled across every app here; the store rate is the same count across 12,122 apps. A complaint is only called a gap when at least half the shelf carries it and at least 20 reviews are behind it — a problem concentrated in one app is that app’s bug.