Otti vs Focus Friend: which cozy pet app do you need?
Focus Friend and Otti both have a small creature you’ll want to look after, but they help with different things. Focus Friend is a focus timer: your Bean knits while you work. Otti is a self-care pet: your otter grows as you take tiny steps for yourself. Some people use both.
Updated October 20, 2026 · By the Otti team (yes, we make Otti, so read with that in mind)
Choose Focus Friend if…
- You need help focusing on work, study or chores, and a cute Bean makes it easier to start.
- You want a gentle app blocker, Pomodoro breaks and a count-up timer.
- You love decorating: rooms, a garden, a street view and outfits for your Bean.
- You want an app on your Mac or iPad too, or a lifetime price.
Choose Otti if…
- You’re after self-care rather than productivity: small steps like drinking water, stepping outside or naming a feeling.
- You want a pet to care for tamagotchi-style, which never gets sick or dies.
- You’d like a story, a mood journal, calm breathing and friends whose otters hold paws.
- You already have a focus timer you like, and want something gentle for the rest of your day.
At a glance
| Feature | Otti | Focus Friend |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OttiA cozy self-care pet: tiny daily steps help your otter grow up on a journey down the river | Focus FriendA focus timer with a pet: your Bean knits socks while you focus |
| Pet or character | OttiYes. Hatch one of six 3D otters, each with its own look and personality, and care for it tamagotchi-style (feeding, naps, baths, play) | Focus FriendYes. A Bean whose home you decorate, with skins and outfits |
| Missing a day | OttiYour otter may get hungry or sleepy, but never sick, and it never dies. A day count restarts, but growth and story progress never reset | Focus FriendNo daily streak or decay found. The Bean becomes very sad if you interrupt it by turning off the timer |
| Price (US) | OttiFree during the beta. Pricing will be announced before launch | Focus FriendFree to download. Focus Friend Pro is $3.99/month, $19.99/year or $39.99 lifetime; paid Bean skins $2.99–$5.99 |
| Friends | OttiOptional Raft: friends’ otters hold paws, send cheers and small gifts. No chat, no public profiles | Focus FriendNone found |
| In-app currency | OttiPebbles, earned only through self-care. They can’t be bought | Focus FriendSocks, earned by focusing. Scarves are a Pro perk |
| Privacy | OttiJournal and mood check-ins stay on your phone. No ads, no selling data. No account needed to start | Focus FriendApp Store label: no tracking, no data linked to you. Google Play: no data collected or shared. No ads |
| Platforms | OttiiPhone and Android (in beta) | Focus FriendiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Android |
| Store ratings (US) | OttiNew: in beta, not rated yet | Focus FriendApp Store 4.8 (about 9K ratings). Google Play 4.9 (11.8K reviews, 1M+ downloads) |
What Focus Friend does well
Focus Friend, by Hank Green and Honey B Games, is a cozy focus timer. While your timer runs, your Bean knits socks, and you spend the socks decorating its home. Around that sit Deep Focus Mode to block distracting apps, Pomodoro breaks, a count-up timer, tagged sessions and a Live Activity, plus hundreds of decorations across rooms, a garden and a street view, Bean skins, outfits and widgets. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Android, and it’s an Editors’ Choice on the US App Store.
- It makes focusing feel cozy, with a timer, Pomodoro breaks, a count-up timer and Deep Focus Mode for blocking distracting apps.
- Lots to decorate: hundreds of items across rooms, a garden and a street view, plus Bean skins and outfits.
- Strong privacy. Its App Store label shows no tracking and no data linked to you, and Google Play says no data is collected or shared.
- No ads, and an affordable Pro plan, including a $39.99 lifetime option.
- Reviewers say it genuinely helps them focus and cut screen time, including many people with ADHD, and they like its soft rather than hard blocking.
- Loved by a lot of people: 4.8 stars from about 9K ratings on the US App Store and 4.9 on Google Play.
How Otti is different
- A different job. Otti isn’t a focus timer or app blocker; it helps with small self-care steps, like drinking water, stretching or writing one kind thing about yourself.
- Tamagotchi-style care. Your otter gets hungry, sleepy, messy or wants to play, and you feed it, tuck it in for naps, give it bubble baths and play together. It never gets sick and never dies.
- A 3D otter you can touch: tap its head, rub its belly or squish its cheeks, and it rolls and does little tricks. You hatch one of six, each with its own look and personality.
- A story instead of a room. Your otter grows from pup to grown-up on a journey down the river in six chapters, with an evening story to unlock on days you take care of yourself. Its wardrobe of outfits and accessories is bought with pebbles you earn through self-care.
- Friends, if you want them. The optional Raft lets friends’ otters hold paws and send cheers and small gifts. We found no social features in Focus Friend.
- A mood journal that stays on your phone, and calm breathing with your otter.
- Otti has no timer, no stats beyond a week view and no Mac or iPad app, and it’s new and in beta.
Pricing
Focus Friend is free to download and has no ads. Focus Friend Pro costs $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 for lifetime access on the US App Store, and there’s also a $29.99 “Pro Welcome Offer” whose terms we couldn’t confirm. Scarves are a Pro perk. Paid Bean skins cost $2.99 to $5.99, and on Google Play individual items range from $0.99 to $39.99. Socks, which you spend on decorations, are earned by focusing.
Otti is in beta and free to try. Pebbles, the currency for outfits and treats, are only earned through self-care and can’t be bought. We’ll share full pricing before launch.
Missing a day
We found no daily streak in Focus Friend, and nothing says the Bean suffers if you skip a day. The stakes are inside each session: the App Store listing says your Bean becomes very sad if you interrupt it by turning off the timer.
In Otti, your otter can get hungry, sleepy or a bit messy if you’ve been away, but it never gets sick, never dies and is always happy to see you. Its growth and story progress never reset. There is a simple day count, but nothing is taken away when it restarts.
Sources
Facts about Focus Friend come from its own website, app store listings and help pages, checked on October 20, 2026. Prices and features change, so check the app store for the latest. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@ottiapp.com and we’ll fix it.
- Focus Friend on the US App Store
- Focus Friend on Google Play
- Focus Friend official site
- Focus Friend FAQ
- Focus Friend privacy policy
- NBC: Hank Green’s Focus Friend tops Apple’s free apps chart (August 2025)
Focus Friend is a trademark of its owner. Otti isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Hank Green and Honey B Games.
Questions people ask
Is Otti like Focus Friend?
A little. Both have a cozy creature, no ads and a gentle feel. But Focus Friend is a focus timer, where your Bean knits socks while you work, and Otti is a self-care pet, where your otter grows as you take tiny steps for yourself. Pick the one that matches what you need help with.
Is Focus Friend free?
Focus Friend is free to download, with no ads. Focus Friend Pro costs $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime on the US App Store (checked October 2026), and some Bean skins cost extra.
Does the Bean get sad in Focus Friend?
Its App Store listing says the Bean becomes very sad if you interrupt it by turning off the timer. We found no daily streak and nothing saying the Bean suffers if you skip days.
Focus Friend vs Finch: what’s the difference?
Focus Friend is a focus timer with a pet. Finch and Otti are self-care pet apps, where small self-care goals help a pet grow: Finch has a bird and lots of features, and Otti has a 3D otter you feed, bathe and play with on a river journey. Some people use a focus pet and a self-care pet side by side.
Is Focus Friend good for ADHD?
Many reviewers say it genuinely helps them focus and cut screen time, including people with ADHD, and they like that its blocking is soft rather than strict. Otti isn’t a focus tool or a medical service; it helps with small self-care steps instead.
Can I use Focus Friend and Otti together?
Yes. They do different jobs, so they don’t really overlap: Focus Friend for focus sessions, Otti for tiny self-care steps and mood check-ins. If two apps feels like too much, start with the one that helps with what you need most.