Short answer: the paid focus-music apps cost $4.99 to $14.99 a month, from focus.music to Brain.fm. Timer apps cost $3 to $9 a month. Several tools have useful free tiers, and a few are entirely free. The table below lists what each costs and what you get without paying.
Every price was read on the official pricing page or App Store listing on 2026-09-30, in US dollars as shown to a US visitor. We make Nova Focus, which is listed too.
Prices and free tiers
| App | Type | Monthly | Yearly | Lifetime | Free tier | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brain.fm | Focus music | $14.99 | $99.99 | Not listed | None | 14 days (App Store); 30 days on a web landing page |
| Endel | Adaptive soundscapes | $2.99–$19.99 (App Store offers) | $34.99–$119.99 | $124.99 | Free Edition (contents not listed) | Offered on some plans; length not stated |
| focus.music | Focus music | $4.99 | $39.99 | Not listed | None | 7 days |
| Noisli | Sound mixer + timer | Behind a toggle (unconfirmed) | $10/month billed yearly (Pro) | Not listed | 16 sounds, 1.5 h/day, simple timer | None stated |
| myNoise | Noise generators | $5 donation (optional) | – | $10–$30 one-time donation (website access) | Free, no ads, curated selection | – |
| Pomofocus | Pomodoro timer | $3 | $18 | $54 | Full timer, tasks, 3 templates, reports; ads | 7 days |
| Flocus | Focus dashboard | Behind a toggle (unconfirmed) | $5/month billed yearly (early bird; normally $9) | $149 (a $99 offer ended 2026-09-30) | Timer, 3 tasks, 1-day stats, some sounds and playlists; no ads | None stated |
| Nova Focus | Timer + ambient sound + playlists | Free | Free | – | Everything; no ads, no account | Not needed |
Nova Focus Plus, the Nova Sounds catalogue inside the timer, is planned but not on sale and has no announced price, so it is not included in the comparisons below.
What the free tiers leave out
- Stats and history are the most common paid feature: Pomofocus (yearly report), Flocus (anything beyond one day).
- The full sound library: Flocus and Noisli limit sounds on the free plan; myNoise shows a curated selection until you donate.
- Time caps: Noisli’s free plan allows 1.5 hours of streaming a day.
- Ads: Pomofocus shows ads until you upgrade; Flocus says “no ads, ever” on its free plan.
- Everything: Brain.fm and focus.music have no free plan, only trials.
- Offline and apps: Nova Focus is browser-only and needs a connection; Brain.fm and Endel have apps that play offline.
Cost over a year
| If you pay yearly | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Pomofocus Premium | $18 | $1.50 |
| focus.music | $39.99 | $3.33 |
| Flocus Plus (early bird) | $60 | $5 |
| Brain.fm | $99.99 | $8.33 |
| Noisli Pro | $120 | $10 |
| Endel (highest US yearly offer) | $119.99 | $10 |
How to choose
- You only need a timer: start free with Pomofocus, Flocus or Nova Focus. Pay only if you miss stats or task features.
- You want sound while you work: try free sound first (Nova Focus, myNoise, Noisli free). Pay for a mixer if you use it daily for longer than the free limits.
- You want paid focus music: trial Brain.fm, Endel and focus.music one at a time, each for a week of real work, and cancel the ones you do not keep.
Detailed comparisons: Brain.fm alternatives, Endel alternative, Noisli alternative, Pomofocus alternative, Pomofocus vs Flocus.