The short answer
Whether you searched "focus todo" or "focus to do app", you know the idea: a timer and a list together. People move on when they want one of three things: distraction blocking, a calmer design, or a list that fills itself from their real work.
- SayBriefly: best for client work. The focus timer runs on tasks from calls, Gmail and projects, each linked to its source.
- TickTick: best like-for-like swap on every device.
- Pomofocus: best free browser timer.
- Forest: best for keeping you off your phone.
- Session: best for blocking sites on Mac.
- Flow: best minimal timer on Apple devices.
We build SayBriefly, so keep that in mind. We checked Focus To-Do and every alternative on its own website or App Store listing in September 2026. Focus To-Do is a capable app with a loyal following, and for a lot of people it is the right choice. This guide is for the people it no longer fits.
The timer is the easy part. The list is where focus is won or lost.
Why people leave Focus To-Do
1. No blocking
Focus To-Do times your work and reports on it. Its site does not list blocking apps or websites. If your problem is the tab you open without thinking, you need an app that closes it for you.
2. A lot on one screen
Timer, projects, reports, subtasks, recurring tasks, reminders: it is a full app. Some people love that. Others want a timer that does one thing and gets out of the way.
3. Every task is typed by you
Like most to-do apps, Focus To-Do knows only what you put in. For students and personal work that is fine. For client work, many tasks start on a call or in an email, and copying them in is the step people skip.
4. Tasks without context
A task like "Fix the pricing table" gives you no link to the email where the client explained what was wrong. You open the timer, then go hunting through Gmail for five minutes. The focus session starts with a search.
All 6 Focus To-Do alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Platforms | Task list | Blocks apps or sites | Price to start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Focus To-Do | Timer and tasks everywhere (for reference) | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Watch, Chrome | Full, typed in | Not listed | Free download |
 SayBriefly | Client work | Mac, Windows, web | One list from calls, Gmail, projects | No | Paid plans |
 TickTick | Like-for-like swap | All major platforms | Full, typed in | No | Free, Premium $49.99 a year |
 Pomofocus | Free browser timer | Web, desktop apps | Simple | No | Free, premium extras |
 Forest | Staying off your phone | iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox | No | Deep Focus on phone | Free, Plus extras |
 Session | Blocking on Mac | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Intentions per session | Yes, on Mac | Free download, subscription |
 Flow | Minimal timer | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch | No | Yes | Free core, paid extras |
Checked on each tool's own website or App Store listing, September 2026. Prices change; check before you buy.
The 6 best Focus To-Do alternatives, reviewed
1. SayBriefly: best for client work
SayBriefly keeps the part of Focus To-Do that works, a timer on a task, and changes where the tasks come from. Your client calls, Gmail and projects feed one to-do list. Each task keeps a link to the call, email or project it came from. Pick one, start a round (25 minutes of focus, 5 minute breaks, a 15 minute long break) and the focus card can take over the window so only that task is in view.
Around the timer, the list has Today, Upcoming, Reminders, Completed and All tabs, and Plan My Day. Tasks with a time show on the calendar, synced with Google Calendar. The agent decides how many reminders a task needs by how serious it is: a 4,800 EUR penalty due in a month got four reminders in our testing, a simple reply got two. Manual reminders always win.
Good
- Tasks arrive from calls and Gmail
- Timer on tasks with their source one click away
- Calendar and project boards in the same app
Worth knowing
- No phone app
- No blocking, no recurring or location reminders
- No auto-scheduling
Pick SayBriefly if your focus time goes to clients.
2. TickTick: best like-for-like swap
TickTick is Focus To-Do's closest rival: tasks, a pomodoro timer, a habit tracker and calendar views, on every device. The free plan covers 9 lists with 99 tasks each. Premium adds more calendar views, task durations and email reminders, according to its own site.
Good
- Habits and calendar in one app
- Strong sync
Worth knowing
- Calendar views on Premium
- Tasks typed by hand
Pick TickTick if you want Focus To-Do with a calendar and habits.
3. Pomofocus: best free browser timer
Pomofocus is a free pomodoro timer at pomofocus.io with a simple task list, pomodoro estimates and reports. Premium adds projects, CSV export and a Todoist sync. If Focus To-Do feels like too much, Pomofocus is the lighter answer. See our Pomofocus alternatives guide too.
Good
- Free, no install needed
- Every interval adjustable
Worth knowing
- No phone app
- Ads on the free tier
Pick Pomofocus if you want simple and free.
4. Forest: best for staying off your phone
Forest grows a tree while you focus. Leave for another app in Deep Focus and it withers. Its site says it has funded over 2 million real trees. If the phone in your hand is the distraction, Forest is the fix.
Good
- Makes distraction feel costly
- Focus with friends
Worth knowing
- No task list
- Phone first
Pick Forest if your phone steals your focus.
5. Session: best for blocking on Mac
Session asks you to name your focus, blocks distracting apps and websites on Mac while you work, and asks what you learned afterwards. Its site says there are no current plans for Windows or Android.
Good
- Real blocking
- Reflection built in
Worth knowing
- Apple only
- Subscription
Pick Session if you need the distractions switched off.
6. Flow: best minimal timer
Flow is a quiet pomodoro timer with app and web blocking and session logs to your calendar. Core features are free with no sign-up, per its site. It is everything Focus To-Do is not: small.
Good
- Very calm
- Blocking built in
Worth knowing
- Apple only
- No task list
Pick Flow if you want less app.
Three kinds of focus app
Most people pick a focus app on looks. Pick on what it does with your tasks instead.
Blockers
Forest, Session, Flow. They stop you drifting, but do not know your tasks.
Timer plus list
Focus To-Do, TickTick, Pomofocus. Great when you type your tasks in.
Timer plus your work
SayBriefly. Tasks arrive from calls, Gmail and projects, with a link back.
Some people use two: a blocker on the phone and a task app on the computer. That is a perfectly good setup.
One client week, two apps
Lena is a freelance UX designer in Berlin with three clients. On Monday she has a call with a fintech client who asks for "a quick look at the onboarding drop-off before Thursday". On Tuesday an email arrives from an agency: "can you send the Figma file and your invoice?" On Wednesday her tax adviser emails that her quarterly VAT filing is due on the 10th.
In Focus To-Do, Lena adds each item herself, estimates pomodoros and runs the timer. It works when she remembers. The onboarding review, said out loud on a call, is the one she nearly forgets.
In SayBriefly, all three are already on her list:
Example of the layout. Real tasks only show what was said on calls and in email.
She gives the onboarding review a slot on Wednesday morning, it shows on her calendar, and at 10:00 she starts a focus round on it. The link back to Monday's call is right there when she needs the details.
Where Focus To-Do still wins
Focus To-Do runs on nearly everything: Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Apple Watch and a Chrome extension. It has recurring tasks, reminders and project reports. It is a free download. For students and anyone whose tasks come from their own head, it does the job well. SayBriefly has no phone app and no recurring reminders, so if those are daily needs, stay.
How to choose a Focus To-Do alternative
| Your situation | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks come from clients | SayBriefly | Timer on tasks from calls and Gmail |
| Same idea, more polish | TickTick | Timer, habits, calendar |
| You want free and light | Pomofocus | Browser timer, no install |
| Your phone distracts you | Forest | Deep Focus |
| Websites distract you on Mac | Session or Flow | Blocking built in |
Switch without losing tasks
- Finish today in the old app. Do not switch mid-afternoon.
- Copy open tasks only. Leave history and finished tasks behind.
- Note your recurring tasks. Recreate them, or keep them in a phone app.
- Keep your rhythm. Same 25 and 5 in the new app for the first week.
- Review after a week. Did you focus on the right things, not just more things?
Rounds this week: ____ Rounds on my most important task: ____ Tasks I found out about late (from a call or email): ____ Distractions that broke a round: ______________ Change for next week: ______________
Mistakes when switching
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Judging an app on day one | Give it a full week of real work |
| Moving to a blocker and losing your list | Keep a list somewhere, or pick a timer plus list |
| Counting rounds, not results | Track rounds on the task that mattered most |
| Rebuilding every project | Move active work only |
More on focus and lists: pomodoro to-do list, pomodoro timer for Mac, pomodoro timer and our to-do list app.
Who this is for
Freelancers
Clients ask for things on calls and in email. You want those on the list before the timer starts.
Students
Your tasks come from a syllabus. Forest, Pomofocus or Focus To-Do itself will serve you well.
Easily distracted on Mac
You need blocking more than a list. Try Session or Flow.
How long should a focus round be?
The classic pomodoro is 25 minutes of work and a 5 minute break, with a longer 15 to 30 minute break after four rounds. It works well for tasks you are avoiding, because 25 minutes feels short enough to start. For deep work like design or writing, many people move to 50 minutes and 10 minute breaks after a few weeks. Admin work, like invoices and replies, often fits better in one batched round than spread through the day.
Whatever the length, the round only helps if it is spent on the right task. That is why we care more about the list than the timer. A perfect 25 minutes on a low-value task is still a low-value 25 minutes, and a request you forgot from Monday's call will not show up in any timer's reports.
What to look for in a focus app
- Where tasks come from. Typed in, synced from another app, or picked up from your calls and email.
- Where you work. Phone, Mac, Windows, or a browser you do not own.
- What distracts you. The phone, the browser, or other people.
- What you want to measure. Rounds, time per project, or simply whether the important thing got done.
How we made this list
We checked Focus To-Do and each alternative on its own website or App Store listing in September 2026. We only state what a vendor says about itself. SayBriefly is our product, and we have said where Focus To-Do and the others are the better choice.
Questions people ask about Focus To-Do alternatives
What is the best Focus To-Do alternative?
For client work, SayBriefly, because the focus timer runs on tasks that arrive from your calls, Gmail and projects. For a like-for-like pomodoro to-do app on every device, TickTick. For a free browser timer, Pomofocus. For blocking distractions on Mac, Session or Flow.
What is Focus To-Do?
Focus To-Do is an app that combines a pomodoro timer with a task list. Its site lists reminders, due dates, subtasks, notes, recurring tasks and reports, with sync across Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Apple Watch and a Chrome extension.
Is 'focus todo' the same as Focus To-Do?
Yes. 'Focus todo', 'focus to do app' and 'focus to-do pomodoro' all point to the same app, Focus To-Do: Pomodoro & Tasks.
Is Focus To-Do free?
It is a free download on the app stores, with paid upgrades inside the app. Check the store listing on your device for current prices.
Does Focus To-Do block apps or websites?
Its site does not list blocking. For blocking, Session blocks apps and websites on Mac, Flow has app and web blocking, and Forest's Deep Focus works on phones. SayBriefly does not block apps either.
Does SayBriefly have a pomodoro timer?
Yes. Any task on your SayBriefly list can start a focus timer: 25 minutes of focus, 5 minute short breaks and a 15 minute long break, with a full-window focus card.
Does SayBriefly have recurring tasks like Focus To-Do?
No. SayBriefly has no recurring or location reminders yet. If repeating tasks are most of your list, TickTick or Focus To-Do fit better.
Is there a Focus To-Do alternative for Mac?
Yes: SayBriefly, TickTick, Session, Flow and Be Focused all run on Mac. See our pomodoro timer for Mac page for more.
Is there a Focus To-Do alternative for Windows?
SayBriefly, TickTick and Pomofocus all work on Windows. Session, Flow and Things are Apple only.
Which focus app is best for students?
Forest if the phone is the problem, Pomofocus if you want free and simple, Focus To-Do or TickTick if you want homework tasks and a timer together.
Which focus app is best for freelancers?
SayBriefly, because client requests from calls and Gmail become tasks with a link back, and you can run a focus timer on each one inside the client's project.
Can I see how long I spent on each project?
Focus To-Do and Pomofocus premium both report time by project. In SayBriefly focus sessions run on tasks that sit inside projects.
Does SayBriefly have a phone app?
No. SayBriefly runs on Mac, Windows and the web. If you start most focus sessions on your phone, Focus To-Do, TickTick or Forest will suit you better.
