Health, home and travel decision
focusedOS
A basic Mac-only focus app (timer + blocking/dimming + audio) is realistic for a competent developer to implement using existing open-source projects, but reproducing the full cross-device polish, iOS integration, and App-Store-grade UX of focusedOS is larger and better served by continuing to pay for the product.
Visit website↗Not priced
No pricing page we fetched carried a figure, so there is nothing to compare against. The build side is still real.
$100one-off160 h to build
$0/mo3 h/mo upkeep
No published price to break even against.
No open-source build does this yet
Nothing published replaces this one, so a replacement starts from an empty file. Here is what it would have to cover.
What a replacement has to do
- User starts a focus session (timer), the app dims or hides non-focused apps, blocks configured apps and websites, plays ambient sound, and optionally syncs session state across devices.
What it still won’t have
- Polish and cross-device UX maturity (App Store distribution, onboarding)
- Curated ambient audio library and built-in assets
- Tight Shortcuts/iOS system integration polish
- Ongoing developer updates and support convenience
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
No published price
focusedOS does not publish a price we could read, so there is nothing to compare against. What building costs is below.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a macOS menubar app in Swift/SwiftUI with a bundled background agent in Swift. In scope: start/stop focus sessions with configurable timer/Pomodoro flows, dim/inactivate non-focused windows using Accessibility APIs, block websites via hosts file or NetworkExtension, play local ambient audio, show local notifications and timers, integrate basic CloudKit syncing for environment presets, and expose Shortcuts/AppleScript hooks and a Toggl integration (OAuth + tracked events). Out of scope: native iOS app and App Store submission. Require robust error handling for permission failures (Accessibility, network/hosts updates, CloudKit) and unit/UI tests for timer logic, syncing, and blocking enforcement.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- 2 cited sources+1
- 3/3 assessment runs agreed+4
- Evidence score57
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 2
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productfocusedOS - official product page
- official docsfocusedOS - Features
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
