AI focus apps for Mac, compared
Several Mac apps now use AI to tell work from distraction, including Meoz, Fomi, Focen, iPromise, Attention and FocusNod. They differ most on price (subscription or one-time), on what they read (your screen, or just window titles), and on setup (built‑in AI or your own API key). The table compares them.
Last updated 25 September 2026
Which one fits you
If you don’t want another subscription
Try FocusNod
$29 once. iPromise is the cheapest subscription ($14.99/yr), but needs your own AI key.
If you want to be locked in, not asked
Try Meoz
It has a commitment lock, and Attention blocks when you drift. FocusNod only asks.
If you also use Windows or an iPhone
Try Focen
It covers Mac, Windows and iPhone. The rest are Mac only.
If nothing should see your screen
Try FocusNod
It reads window titles. Focen reads addresses and titles, and Meoz says it does no screen capture. Fomi and iPromise work from your screen.
Side by side
Price, how the AI is set up, what each one reads, and where it runs. Each name links to the page we checked.
FocusNod(our app)
- Price
- $29 once for up to 2 Macs; $23 for the first 100 customers
- AI setup
- Built in, no key
- What it reads
- App name and window title; never screen content
- Platforms
- Mac (macOS 14+); launching October 2026
- Price
- Free with your own AI key; Pro $5/mo or $40/yr
- AI setup
- Your own key on the free plan; built in with Pro
- What it reads
- Current tab or app; says “zero screen capture”
- Platforms
- Mac (macOS 14+)
- Price
- $2.99/week, $7.99/mo or $69.99/yr
- AI setup
- Built in
- What it reads
- On-screen context; says screen content isn’t stored
- Platforms
- Mac (macOS 14+)
- Price
- $19.99/mo or $149.99/yr
- AI setup
- Built in (Google Gemini)
- What it reads
- Domain, URL path and page title; never page content
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, iPhone
- Price
- $14.99/yr after a 14-day trial
- AI setup
- Your own key (OpenAI, OpenRouter, or local models)
- What it reads
- Screenshots, sent to the AI provider you choose
- Platforms
- Mac (macOS 14.2+)
- Price
- Not published
- AI setup
- Built in, as far as the site shows
- What it reads
- “On-screen activity” (not specified further)
- Platforms
- Mac (macOS 13+)
Every price, platform and data claim comes from the app’s own site or Mac App Store listing, checked on 25 September 2026. Where a vendor doesn’t say (Attention’s price, for one), we say so rather than guess. Found something out of date? Write to hello@focusnod.com and we’ll fix it.
Where the others win
Each of them does something FocusNod doesn’t. If one of these is what you need, pick that app.
- Meoz
- A commitment lock: no pausing or changing settings until midnight.
- Fomi
- Session reports on your distraction patterns.
- Focen
- One subscription across Mac, Windows and iPhone.
- iPromise
- Cheap, and can run fully on your Mac with a local model.
- Attention
- Learns your exceptions, such as a site you use for work.
Blockers, timers, trackers, and a nudge
Before comparing AI apps, it helps to see what each kind of focus tool acts on. That, more than any feature list, decides whether you’ll keep it switched on.
Blockers
Freedom, Cold Turkey
Act on access. But the same site is work one minute and a detour the next, so the list gets switched off.
Timers
Pomodoro apps
Act on time. They make the block feel important, with no idea what’s on screen during it.
Trackers
RescueTime, Timing
Act on hindsight. Tonight you learn where the day went, after it’s gone.
FocusNod (our app)
A nudge, not a wall
Acts on the moment you drift: asks once, and lets you decide. No lists to maintain, nothing to switch off.
Head to head
One app against FocusNod, with who each one is for.
Leaving a blocker or a tracker instead? Alternatives to Freedom, Cold Turkey, RescueTime and SelfControl.
Launching October 2026
Try the nudge instead of the wall
FocusNod reads window titles, never your screen, and costs $29 once. The first 100 pay $23 (refundable), or get one email when it’s ready.
- No card for the waitlist
- Full refund until 7 days after launch
- No subscription, no account
Questions
What is the best AI focus app for Mac?
It depends on what matters most to you. For no subscription and nothing reading your screen, FocusNod ($29 once, launching October 2026). For a lock you can’t undo, Meoz. For Mac, Windows and iPhone together, Focen. For the lowest price with your own AI key, iPromise.
Which AI focus apps don’t read your screen?
FocusNod reads only the app name and window title. Focen reads the domain, URL path and page title, and Meoz says it does no screen capture. Fomi analyses on-screen context, iPromise sends screenshots to the AI provider you choose, and Attention judges “on-screen activity” without saying more.
Is there an AI focus app without a subscription?
Yes. FocusNod is $29 once for up to two Macs. Meoz is free if you bring your own AI key; its built-in AI is a subscription. The others compared here are subscriptions, or don’t publish a price.
Do I need my own AI key?
Only for iPromise, and for Meoz’s free plan. FocusNod, Fomi and Focen have the AI built in.