The average person checks their phone 96 times per day. That’s once every 10 minutes during waking hours. I spent 30 days testing five focus apps for deep work to see which ones actually reduce that number, and which ones just add another notification to the pile. Here are the results.
How I tested these focus apps for deep work
I ran all five apps over 30 days, keeping my work schedule consistent: writing, research, and admin tasks. Phone usage came from Screen Time on iOS. Focus sessions were logged manually in a spreadsheet. Each app served as my primary focus tool for at least one full week. I tracked phone checks, session length, and total deep work hours. These numbers are not a clinical study. They are a personal before-and-after snapshot based on my own work habits as a freelancer. Take them as directional, not definitive.
My results after 30 days
Before running this test, my average workday looked like this: 96 phone checks, an average focus session of 23 minutes, and roughly 8 hours of genuine deep work per week. I tracked everything using Screen Time on iOS and a simple focus log. After 30 days with the best focus apps for deep work, the numbers shifted noticeably:
| Metric | Before | After 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| Phone checks per day | 96 | 42 |
| Average focus session | 23 min | 51 min |
| Deep work hours per week | 8h | 17h |
These numbers are not scientific. They are based on Screen Time data and a manual work log, but they provide a useful before-and-after snapshot of what happened when I changed my focus habits.
The biggest improvement came from combining Forest (for phone addiction) with Brain.fm (for sustained sessions). Neither alone moved the needle as much as the two together. But more on that later.
Forest: The tree that changed my phone habits
Forest is the simplest idea that works surprisingly well. You set a timer, and a virtual tree grows while you stay focused. If you pick up your phone and leave the app, the tree dies. Dead trees stay in your forest, a visible record of every time you gave in. It sounds childish. It’s not.
The psychology is rooted in loss aversion. People hate losing something they’ve already started building, even if that thing is a pixelated oak tree on a screen. During my 30-day test, I went from killing 3-4 trees per day in week one to zero kills in week three. The competitive element, seeing friends’ forests, adds social accountability without being annoying.
Forest also plants real trees through a partnership with Trees for the Future. Over 2.5 million real trees have been planted so far. That’s a genuine impact, not a marketing gimmick.
Average focus session with Forest: 38 minutes
My sessions averaged 38 minutes during the Forest weeks. Not bad for someone who started at 23 minutes, but not the longest either. Forest is great at getting you to put your phone down and start working. It’s less effective at keeping you in deep work once the timer finishes and there’s no next session queued. I often found myself checking my phone between sessions, which defeats the purpose.
Pricing: free on Android with ads, $3.99 one-time purchase on iOS. That’s lifetime access, not a subscription. Check it out at forestapp.cc.
Brain.fm: Focus music with actual science behind it (Maybe)
Brain.fm generates music designed to stimulate your brain’s neural phase locking, a mechanism that helps neurons fire in synchronized patterns associated with sustained attention. That’s the claim. In practice, it sounds like ambient electronic music that doesn’t get boring or distracting, no matter how long you listen.
I should be honest here: independent research on Brain.fm’s specific claims is limited. Most of the supporting studies are either funded by Brain.fm or conducted by their own science team. Many users, myself included, report longer uninterrupted focus sessions. Whether that’s neural phase locking or just pleasant background noise that blocks distractions, the effect is real. Just don’t treat it as peer-reviewed neuroscience.
Average focus session with Brain.fm: 57 minutes
This was the longest average session of any tool I tested. During Brain.fm weeks, I consistently hit 45-60 minute writing stretches without checking my phone or switching tabs. The “Creative Flow” mode worked best for writing. The “Deep Focus” mode worked better for coding and analytical tasks. The app adjusts its output based on what you’re doing, and the difference is noticeable.
The app also offers relaxation and sleep modes. One unexpected benefit: I stopped using white noise YouTube videos and podcasts as background, which cut my YouTube time significantly. The downside: $9.99/month or $69.99/year after a 7-day free trial. That’s steep for background music, even good background music.
Focus To-Do: Pomodoro timer meets task management
Focus To-Do combines the Pomodoro Technique with a full task manager. You create tasks, set priorities and deadlines, and then start a 25-minute focus timer linked to a specific task. When the timer rings, you log progress on that task. The integration between timer and tasks eliminates the gap that most Pomodoro apps have: you time your work, but forget what you were supposed to be doing.
Average focus session with Focus To-Do: 44 minutes
The statistics are surprisingly detailed. Focus To-Do tracks time distribution across projects, shows weekly completion rates, and displays a daily focus ranking. After two weeks, I could see exactly which tasks consumed the most focus time and which projects I was neglecting. The built-in Pomodoro timer is the main draw for anyone already doing Pomodoro work sessions. Premium features (lifetime purchase around $10-15) unlock advanced reports and custom themes.
Flow: The minimalist Mac timer
Flow (flow.app) is a Pomodoro-based timer for macOS with a clean, minimal interface. No task lists, no statistics dashboards, no social features. Just a timer that counts down 25 minutes, reminds you to take a break, then starts the next session. Over 500,000 users trust it for straightforward deep work.
Average focus session with Flow: 41 minutes
I liked Flow for straightforward deep work sessions where I already knew what I needed to do. Open the app, set 50 minutes, start working. The menu bar integration means it stays out of your way until break time. The limitation: Mac only, no mobile companion, and it doesn’t track what you worked on. Free to use with optional pro features. If you just need a reliable timer without the extras, this is the right pick.
Flown: Virtual focus rooms for remote workers
Flown (flown.com) isn’t a timer app. It’s an accountability platform where you join virtual focus rooms with other people working in real time. You can see who’s in the room, how long everyone has been focused, and use a live chat during breaks. It’s like a coffee shop where everyone is actually working.
Average focus session with Flown: 52 minutes
The social proof effect is real. During my test week, I joined a “Deep Work” room every morning and found myself less likely to check my phone because other people were actively focused. Sessions typically run 50 minutes with a 10-minute break. Free to join with premium options for team rooms. Requires constant internet connection. Not for introverts who find social presence distracting.
Focus apps for deep work: How they compare
| App | Average session | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | 38 min | Phone addiction | Free / $3.99 iOS |
| Brain.fm | 57 min | Long focus sessions | $9.99/mo |
| Focus To-Do | 44 min | Pomodoro + tasks | Free / ~$12 lifetime |
| Flow | 41 min | Simple Mac timer | Free |
| Flown | 52 min | Remote accountability | Free / premium |
My overall winner
If I had to recommend just one focus app for deep work to most people, it would be Forest. Not because it had the longest focus sessions, Brain.fm did that at 57 minutes. But Forest won on a metric that matters more than session length: lasting behavioral change.
After 30 days, my phone checks dropped from 96 to 42 per day. That improvement persisted even on days I didn’t use Forest. No other app produced that effect. The difference is the type of problem each app solves. Brain.fm extends focus sessions once you have already started working. Forest stops you from picking up your phone in the first place. For most people, the phone is the problem, not the length of the session.
Forest costs $4 once and fixes the root issue. Brain.fm costs $120/year and extends sessions for people who already focus well. If your struggle is starting, pick Forest. If your struggle is sustaining, add Brain.fm on top.
Focus To-Do vs Forest: Which one should you pick
This was the comparison I kept going back to during the test. Focus To-Do does more: tasks, Pomodoro tracking, statistics, projects. Forest does less: just plant trees and stay off your phone. But Forest’s simplicity is its strength. Focus To-Do’s extra features add setup time and decision-making, which undermines the goal of reducing friction. If you already have a task system you like (Todoist, Notion, whatever), Forest is the better companion. If you want one app that handles both focus sessions and task management, Focus To-Do wins.
