Focus5 vs Notion: a simpler Notion alternative
Notion makes you build your own task system. Focus5 gives you one you cannot change, and a Focus mode that decides what you do next.
Notion is not a to-do app. It is a set of blocks and databases you build a to-do system out of yourself, or install someone else's template. The free plan is generous. Plus is $10 per person a month.
That flexibility is real, and it has a cost: you have to build the system, then keep it working. A lot of people rebuild theirs more than once.
Focus5 has one layout and you cannot change it. Open Focus and it hands you the next task with a timer already running, for $29 once. Here is how the two compare.
| Notion | Focus5 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Blocks and databases you assemble into a system | One opinionated app with no assembly |
| Setup | Build it, or install someone else’s template | Sign in and pick five things |
| Choosing what to do | Whatever you build. Usually you decide | Focus queues them for you, 5 on screen at a time |
| Maintenance | Your system is yours to keep working | Nothing to maintain |
| Also does | Docs, wikis, notes, databases, whole intranets | Tasks. Only tasks |
| Price | Free plan; Plus $10, Business $20 per member a month | $29 once, lifetime |
Why people pick Focus5 over Notion
No system to build
The honest pattern with Notion task systems is that people build one, use it for a few weeks, feel it drift, and rebuild it. The rebuild is enjoyable and it looks like productivity, which is what makes it hard to stop.
Focus5 has one shape and you can’t change it. That sounds like a limitation and it is the entire point: there is no version of your setup to go and improve instead of working.
It picks the next task, you just work
A Notion dashboard shows you everything and asks you to choose. Choosing is the part people are bad at when there is a lot on.
Focus5 has one screen that removes the choice: open Focus and the next task is up with the timer running, 5 visible at a time, refilling as you finish them.
You talk, it writes
Adding a task to a Notion database means the page, the right database, and whatever properties you decided were required when you built it.
In Focus5 you ramble about your day and it writes the tasks down, dates them, and files them into the right book. Nothing has to be organised to get out of your head.
$29 once, no monthly fee
Notion’s free plan is generous for one person, and Plus is $10 per member a month with Business at $20.
Focus5 is $29 once. If Notion’s free tier covers you, price isn’t the reason to switch, and we’d rather say that than pretend otherwise. The reason to switch is that the blank page is the problem.
Where Notion is the better fit
Notion does a dozen things Focus5 will never attempt, and most of them are things Focus5 shouldn’t attempt.
You need docs and tasks together. Notes, specs, wikis, and the tasks that come out of them, all linked. Focus5 stores a task title and a date and nothing else.
Your team already lives there. If work is assigned and discussed in Notion, moving your own tasks out of it just adds a second place to look.
You genuinely enjoy building the system. Some people think best inside a structure they made. That’s a real preference and Focus5 refuses to accommodate it.
You need it on an iPhone. Notion runs everywhere. Focus5 is on Google Play for Android and runs in a desktop browser, so on iPhone you are waiting.
Keep Notion for what it’s uniquely good at. This isn’t an argument for deleting it, it’s an argument for not making it your to-do list.
Who Focus5 is for
Choose Focus5 over Notion if:
- You’ve rebuilt your task setup more than once and it never quite stuck.
- Your dashboard looks great and you still don’t know what to do next.
- You want opinions handed to you, not options.
- You want to open one screen and see five things.
- You want a bad day to just end, not to trigger a redesign.
See Focus5 in action
Frequently asked questions
Is Focus5 a Notion replacement?
No, and it isn’t trying to be. Notion holds documents, wikis, databases and half a company’s knowledge. Focus5 holds tasks. Keep Notion for the rest and let something opinionated own your day.
How much does Notion cost?
Notion has a free plan. Plus is $10 per member per month and Business is $20 per member per month.
Can you connect Focus5 to Notion?
No. Focus5 has no integrations at all, with anything, on purpose. If your tasks live in a Notion database, using Focus5 means retyping them, and if that sounds bad then it probably is for you.
Why not just use a Notion template?
A good template skips the building, but not the maintaining. The template still expects properties filled in, and it still has no opinion about how much a day should hold. Both of those are the things Focus5 is for.
Is $29 really the whole price?
Yes. One payment, no renewal, no expiry date. Your account keeps every premium feature, including the ones that aren’t built yet.
Can you try Focus5 without paying?
Every feature is unlocked for your first 7 days, with no card. After that, Today, Agenda, Calendar and 2 books stay free with no time limit.
Compare Focus5 with another app
Focus5 vs Sunsama
Sunsama costs $204 a year and connects to 21 other tools. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time, one at a time, in the right order.
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Focus5 vs Todoist
Todoist organises your whole list from $5 a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time so you never decide what to do next.
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Focus5 vs TickTick
Both apps have a focus timer. TickTick costs $35.99 a year and leaves you to choose what to work on. Focus5 costs $29 once and chooses for you.
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Focus5 vs Motion
Motion uses AI to build your calendar, from $19 per person a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and just queues your tasks in order, 5 on screen at a time.
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Focus5 vs Things 3
Neither app charges a subscription. Things 3 is Apple only and costs up to $79.97 across devices. Focus5 is $29 once for every device, with a focus queue Things does not have.
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Focus5 vs Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is free and syncs with Outlook. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues your tasks and times them.
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Focus5 vs Google Tasks
Google Tasks is free and sits inside Gmail. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that picks your next task and times it.
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Focus5 vs Trello
Trello shows all your work on a board at once. Focus5 shows 5 at a time and one on screen, in an order it picks for you.
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Focus5 vs ClickUp
ClickUp runs a whole company’s work. Focus5 runs your next hour: it picks the next task and starts the timer.
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Focus5 vs Superlist
Both apps let you add tasks by talking. Superlist is $59 a year. Focus5 is $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues them and times them.
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