An ADHD brain does not struggle to focus because it lacks willpower. It struggles because the parts of attention that filter distractions, hold a task in mind and switch gears on demand work differently. The NHS describes adult ADHD as trouble with concentrating, sitting still and controlling impulses, often with a tendency to start things and drift off before finishing them. An app cannot fix that, but a good one takes some load off your attention so you are not running on raw effort every minute.

The phrase “best focus apps for ADHD” covers at least four different jobs, and most roundups blur them together. Blocking distractions is not the same as remembering what you were meant to do, which is not the same as actually starting, which is not the same as masking background noise so you can think. Below I have grouped apps by the job they do, with real UK pricing. Several are sold in US dollars, and the in-app figure can run higher than the website price because of store fees, so check the live listing before you subscribe.

How to pick the right type of app

Spend two minutes working out where you lose time. Most people with ADHD traits leak attention in one place.

  • You reach for your phone or open a new tab without deciding to. You need a distraction blocker.
  • You forget tasks within seconds of thinking of them, or your to-do list has become a graveyard. You need fast capture and reminders.
  • You know exactly what to do and still cannot make yourself start. You need a body doubling or accountability tool.
  • Silence makes you restless and noise breaks your concentration. You need focus audio.

Buying the wrong category is the most common mistake. A task manager does nothing for someone whose real problem is that Instagram opens itself.

Best for blocking distractions

Freedom

Freedom blocks apps and websites across your devices at the same time, so you cannot just pick up your phone when your laptop is locked down. You build blocklists, schedule recurring sessions and turn on a locked mode that stops you cancelling a block early, which helps in impulsive moments.

The free plan gives you a limited number of sessions to test it. Premium is $8.99 a month, dropping to about $3.33 a month if you pay annually, and there is a one-off “Forever” licence that heavy users find cheaper over a few years. There is a 7-day free trial, and for UK buyers the annual plan works out around £30 to £35 a year.

Forest

Forest is the gentler, gamified end of distraction blocking. You set a timer, a virtual tree grows while you stay off your phone, and the tree dies if you leave the app. The stakes are small but oddly effective for ADHD brains that respond to immediate feedback rather than abstract consequences.

Forest used to be a one-off paid app on iOS, but it now runs as a free download with in-app purchases and an optional paid subscription on both platforms, so check the live App Store or Google Play listing for the current price. Spend enough in-app coins and it plants real trees through its partner Trees for the Future, a non-profit Forest says it has funded more than two million real trees with since 2014. It will not hard-block a determined user, but for mild phone-checking it is enough.

Best for capturing tasks before you forget them

Todoist

The single most useful feature for an ADHD brain is being able to dump a task the instant it appears, before it evaporates. Todoist is built around that. You can add a task from almost anywhere in plain language like “email Sam Friday 4pm” and it parses the date for you.

The Free plan is usable but caps you at 5 active projects and has no reminders, which is a real limitation if reminders are the whole point for you. Pro is $5 a month billed annually (about $60 a year) or $7 month to month, and adds reminders, file attachments, 300 projects and better filters. Todoist raised its prices in December 2025, so older guides quoting $4 are out of date. For most people, Pro at roughly £4 to £5 a month is worth it because the reminders sit behind the paywall.

If remembering tasks is your main problem rather than blocking sites, start here. A blocker keeps you off social media but will not remind you to renew your car insurance.

Best for actually starting (body doubling)

Focusmate

Body doubling means working alongside another person so their presence pulls you into the task. The formal evidence is thin and mostly anecdotal, and at least one controlled study found no measurable effect, so treat it as a practical habit that helps some people rather than a proven intervention. The idea is that external accountability does some of the work your follow-through cannot, and many people with ADHD say it is the only thing that reliably gets them started.

Focusmate pairs you with a real person over video for a 50-minute session. You both say what you will work on, keep cameras on, mute your microphones and check in at the end. A stranger expecting you to show up is the point.

The free plan includes 3 sessions a week, enough to find out whether it works for you. Plus is $8 a month billed annually or $12 month to month for unlimited sessions. If a couple of sessions a week is all you need, the free tier may be all you ever pay for.

Best for focus audio

Brain.fm and Endel

If silence makes you fidget and music with lyrics pulls your attention to the words, functional audio sits in between. Both Brain.fm and Endel generate continuous soundscapes meant to play in the background rather than be enjoyed as songs, with a focus mode for restless attention.

Endel has a free tier with sessions capped at around 10 minutes. Its paid plans vary by platform: the website annual price has been listed around $59.99 a year, while the in-app price often runs higher, sometimes close to $99 a year.

Brain.fm is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year with a free trial. Evidence for functional music helping focus is mixed and individual, so use the free trials before paying. For some ADHD listeners a plain rain or brown-noise track from a free app does the same job for nothing.

Best structured ADHD programme

Inflow

Where the apps above each do one job, Inflow is a guided programme built on cognitive behavioural therapy and designed with ADHD clinicians, covering focus, procrastination, emotional regulation and routines rather than a single timer or blocklist. CBT has reasonable clinical support for adult ADHD, which sets Inflow apart from the productivity tools.

It is the most expensive option here by a wide margin. The full programme with coaching is around $47.99 a month or $199.99 a year, with a tier without coaching at roughly $22.49 a month. There is a 7-day free trial, and Inflow runs an access programme offering free or discounted use for people who cannot afford it. Treat it as a learning programme, not a quick fix.

The free stack that costs nothing

You can build a workable setup without spending a penny: Forest’s free timer (or any Pomodoro timer) for structure, Todoist Free for capturing tasks, Focusmate free for three accountability sessions a week, and Endel free or a brown-noise track for audio. Spend money only when one specific leak keeps beating the free tool, and put it there rather than spreading a small budget thin.

A final reality check: no app diagnoses or treats ADHD. If concentration problems are seriously affecting your work, study or relationships, the next step is an assessment, not a subscription. These tools are scaffolding, not a cure. If you want the technique that underpins half of this list, our guide to body doubling for focus explains how to do it for free with one other person and no software.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free focus app for ADHD? It depends on your weak point. Focusmate’s free plan (3 sessions a week) is the strongest free tool for people who cannot start, Todoist Free is best for capturing tasks you keep forgetting, and Forest’s free timer suits gentle phone-blocking. Most people do best combining two or three free tiers.

Do focus apps actually work for ADHD, or is it a placebo? They work as external scaffolding, not as treatment. Distraction blockers reduce phone checking by adding friction, and accountability tools like Focusmate help some people get started, though the formal evidence for body doubling is thin. The effect is making a task easier to begin and stick with, not changing your underlying attention. Evidence for “focus music” is mixed, so try free versions first.

Is Forest a one-time payment or a subscription? It used to be a one-off paid app on iOS, but it has moved to a free download with in-app purchases and an optional paid subscription on both iOS and Android. The core timer is still free, so check the current store listing for the price of the paid extras.

Why is the app store price higher than the website price? Apple and Google take a cut of in-app subscriptions, and some companies pass that on by pricing higher in the app than on their own website. Endel is a clear example. Compare the website price before tapping subscribe in the store.

Can an app replace ADHD medication or a diagnosis? No. Focus apps are management tools, not medical treatment, and none of them diagnose anything. If your concentration problems are significantly affecting daily life, speak to your GP about an assessment. Apps work best alongside whatever treatment you already have.

Which app is best if I keep forgetting tasks the moment I think of them? Todoist, because fast capture and reminders are its main strengths. The catch is that reminders sit behind the Pro plan at around £4 to £5 a month, so the free version will not be enough if reminders are the feature you need.