Emphasis: Flow & Focus Timer
What is Emphasis?
A Pomodoro timer with ambient sound, customizable focus sessions, and progress tracking.
Emphasis is a productivity timer described as ADHD-friendly and based on the Pomodoro technique. It offers ambient soundscapes, customizable session and break lengths, progress charts, and syncing across Apple devices.
Pricing. Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases on the App Store.
Good for
- Starting a focused study session with ambient sounds
- Adjusting focus and break lengths to fit a work routine
- Reviewing focus patterns with charts and calendar stats
Screenshots
Why this app is in S tier
S tier follows from that score within this list. The full explanation, as data.
Emphasis scores 92 out of 100: rating 94, rating count 78, App Store search rank 97, update recency 100. The four parts are averaged and S tier follows from that score within this list.
Description
Emphasis is an ADHD-friendly Focus Timer. It is built around the principles of the Pomodoro Technique, which in a nutshell are bursts of intentional focused work followed by short breaks. Every couple of hours you take a longer break to recharge and get ready for the next cycle. Following this approach lets you get into the flow state without much effort. Plan your day ahead with time blocks for focused work and start the timer.
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Emphasis will take care of blocking out distracting apps like social media or video streaming services. It will also provide you with a steady layer of ambient sound that helps your brain feel anchored instead of hunting for the next distraction, because for an ADHD mind, silence can feel restless.
Emphasis tracks the time you spent focused and gives you a nice overview of how you spend your days. Use it long enough and you will see patterns that will help you move towards your goals.
Emphasis is fully integrated into the Apple ecosystem with Widgets and a watchOS app. You can also use it on your MacBook, all synced together seamlessly.
Here is the full list of features
- Customizable focus timers. You define the duration of your focus time, short and long breaks, as well as the length of the focus cycle. You can also set up reminders for each timer.
- Block Distracting Apps. You can select the apps that get you out of your flow and Emphasis will block those apps during your focus sessions.
- Sonic Spaces. Emphasis comes with a set of ambient sounds & binaural beats. You can fully customize and create ambients that are aimed to aid your focus or relax you during your yoga session.
- Statistics. Emphasis tracks your focused time and displays it in the form of interactive stats. Each focus timer has a color assigned to it so you can see how you spend your days at a quick glance at an Emphasis calendar.
- Focus hours schedule. Emphasis lets you block out time-wasting apps during your focus hours. I can't tell you how many times this feature brought me back to what matters when my hand reached out for a phone to scroll some social media, only to get reminded by Emphasis that I'm on focus hours.
- Widgets. Emphasis comes with a set of widgets that let you start your timers or have your focus time statistics right on your home screen.
- Works on your Apple Watch, MacBook & iPad all seamlessly synchronized.
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Questions about Emphasis
Can I customize focus sessions and breaks?
Yes. The listing says session lengths and restorative breaks can be customized.
Does the app include ambient sounds?
Yes. It includes ambient soundscapes such as rhythmic pulses and nature tones.
Does it sync across Apple devices?
It syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Is Emphasis free?
Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases.
Is Emphasis right for me?
Emphasis is built for starting a focused study session with ambient sounds, adjusting focus and break lengths to fit a work routine, reviewing focus patterns with charts and calendar stats. It sits in the focus management list on AppTierList.
Is Emphasis worth it?
Emphasis is S tier, ranked #6 of 40 focus management apps with a score of 92 out of 100, from a 4.7 App Store rating across 6,335 ratings. It is in the list's top tiers; 5 apps rank above it.
How does Emphasis compare to FocusFlight?
Emphasis is S tier at 92; FocusFlight is S tier at 92. They score the same. Emphasis is free to download, with in-app purchases, FocusFlight is free to download, with in-app purchases.
How often is Emphasis updated?
Emphasis was updated 5 days ago, which counts in its favour.
Alternatives
Top rated in Focus Management
Categories
All the facts
Ranking
- Lists
- Focus Management (S tier, #6) · Pomodoro Timer (A tier, #13) · Focus Timer (A tier, #13) · Focus (B tier, #32)
- Tier
- S (Best in class)
- Score
- 92 / 100
- Rank in list
- #6 of 42
- Ranking certainty
- settled
Ratings
- App Store rating
- 4.7 out of 5, every App Store country
- Ratings
- 6,335
App
- Price
- Free + IAP
- App Store category
- Productivity
- Current version
- (5 days ago)
- Size
- 96 MB
- Requires
- iOS 17.0 or later
- Age rating
- 4+
- Languages
- 1
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Links
- Developer pages
- Support · Privacy policy
- Maker
- not verified
- As data
- JSON · why it ranks here
App Store data read · ranking