Stillscape vs Foci: Which Focus App Wins in 2026?

Foci is one of the most popular focus timer apps on Product Hunt and indie hacker circles. It's well-designed, has great analytics, and is loved by people who love data. But is it the right choice for you? And how does it compare to Stillscape?

Let's break down the differences, feature by feature, and figure out which one is right for your workflow.

What Is Foci?

Foci is a Mac/Windows desktop app that combines a pomodoro timer with detailed analytics. It tracks your focus sessions, shows you graphs of your productivity over time, and helps you understand your work patterns. It's aimed at people who love data and want to optimize their focus habits.

Foci's big selling point is its analytics — it shows you heatmaps of when you're most productive, tracks your completion rate, and gives you detailed reports. It also integrates with calendar apps and has team features for companies.

Feature by Feature Comparison

Who Should Use Stillscape?

Stillscape is for you if:

• You want a focus tool that's free and doesn't require an account
• You want ambient sounds built right in — no need to juggle between Spotify and your timer
• You work on different devices and want something that works in any browser
• You like the flexibility of multiple timer modes (pomodoro, flowtime, stopwatch)
• You want an all-in-one tool: timer + sounds + tasks + editor
• You don't need advanced analytics or team reporting

Who Should Use Foci?

Foci is for you if:

• You love detailed data and want to see heatmaps of your productivity
• You need team reporting for your company
• You already have ambient sounds from another source (like Spotify)
• You're willing to pay for a polished desktop experience
• You want calendar integration

The pricing math

Let's put the cost difference in concrete numbers. Foci's $79/year plan works out to about $6.58 per month if paid annually, or $7.99 month-to-month — roughly $96 a year if you never commit to the annual plan. Over three years, that's $237 to $288 for a focus timer. Stillscape costs nothing and includes the ambient sound layer that Foci leaves out.

There's a second, hidden cost: Foci requires a desktop install, so every machine you work on needs its own setup. A browser tool follows you — office desktop, home laptop, a borrowed machine, a tablet on the couch — with zero setup. For people who switch devices during the day, that convenience alone is worth more than the subscription.

How do they actually feel to use day-to-day?

Feature lists are one thing, but the real difference shows up in how the app feels after a month of daily use. Here's what it's like to actually live with each one:

Stillscape feels like a room. When you open it, you're not just looking at a timer — you're looking at a rainy cafe window, hearing rain on glass. The interface fades into the background after a few minutes, and you stop noticing it. It feels less like "using an app" and more like "sitting down to work in a nice environment." That sounds fluffy, but it matters: the less you think about the tool, the more mental space you have for the actual work.

Foci feels like a dashboard. It's clean, well-designed, and data-forward. When you open it, you immediately see your stats for the day, your weekly trend, your completion rate. It's satisfying if you love looking at numbers, but it can also feel like you're working for the app instead of the app working for you. Some people find that motivating; others find it stressful.

The friction difference is the biggest surprise. With Stillscape, you open a browser tab, hit start, and you're focused — that's it. No login, no sync wait, no "updating in the background." With Foci, you have to launch the app, wait for it to load, make sure it's synced, and then start. That 10 seconds of friction feels small, but it adds up over hundreds of sessions. The easier a tool is to open, the more likely you are to actually use it when you need it.

Do ambient sounds actually matter that much?

If you've only ever used a bare timer like Foci, you might be wondering: are ambient sounds really that big of a deal? Can't I just play rain on Spotify in the background?

The short answer: yes, they matter — and having them built in is meaningfully better than a separate tab. Here's why:

First, integrated sounds transition with the timer. When your work block ends, the rain automatically softens into a quieter break sound. When the next block starts, it ramps back up. That subtle audio cue trains your brain to settle into focus and relax out of it, without you having to think about it. If you're running a separate Spotify tab, you have to manually adjust the volume during breaks — which breaks the flow.

Second, layered sounds work better than single tracks. Stillscape lets you mix rain + cafe chatter + fireplace at independent volumes, so you can create exactly the sound environment you need. A single Spotify rain track is fine, but it can't be layered and adjusted the way a purpose-built sound engine can.

Third, and most importantly: one tab means fewer distractions. When your timer and your sound are in the same window, you don't have to alt-tab between them. You don't see the Spotify "what's new" sidebar. You don't accidentally click a related video. The fewer tabs you have open, the fewer opportunities there are to get distracted.

That said: if you already have a perfect rain playlist on Spotify that you love, Foci + Spotify works fine. You're just paying for two tools instead of one. The integrated approach is more convenient, not necessarily more effective.

Common questions when choosing between them

Can I use both at the same time?

Some people do — they run Foci in the background for its detailed analytics, and use Stillscape as the visible timer with ambient sound. It works, but it's overkill for most people. If you need Foci's team reporting or heatmap analytics, fine — but if you're just tracking your own personal focus, Stillscape's basic stats are enough.

Does Foci work on Windows? Does Stillscape work on Mac?

Foci has native Mac and Windows apps, which feel more polished than a browser tool on those platforms. Stillscape works in any browser on any operating system — Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS — and it installs as a PWA that feels almost native. The experience difference is small, but Foci does feel more "native" on desktop.

What about mobile?

Foci is desktop-only — there's no mobile app. Stillscape is a responsive PWA that works great on phones and tablets, and installs to your home screen like a native app. If you want to use your phone for focus sessions (when you're out at a coffee shop, or studying at a library), Stillscape is your only option here.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the best focus app is the one you'll actually use consistently. If you're just starting out with focus techniques, try Stillscape first — it's free, no signup, and it has everything you need to get started. You can always upgrade to a more advanced tool like Foci later if you find you need more analytics or team features.

But here's a secret: the app isn't what makes you productive. What makes you productive is showing up every day, starting your timer, and doing the work. The right app just removes friction from that process. Stillscape removes the most friction — it's free, it's in your browser, and it has everything you need in one place.