Focus Tools That Sync Across Devices (2026)

Last updated: 2026-10-04

Quick answer: Freedom is the pick when a block has to hold on your phone and your laptop at the same moment, because one session covers every device you've added, and that is on the free plan. TickTick syncs a running Pomodoro, so pausing it on your laptop pauses it on your phone. Forest and Focus To-Do sync your account and history. Opal's help center says its sessions stay on the device where they run. Routinery carries routines between iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

On a feature page, "syncs across devices" can mean several things. In Freedom the block itself follows you, and the laptop locks when the phone does. TickTick syncs the running timer. Other apps bring your stats up to date afterward, which won't stop you from opening a browser tab on the second screen. We read each company's pricing page, help center and store listings to sort the six apps below into those groups, and we have marked anything their documentation does not settle.

Switching screens and attention: what recent studies found

Frequent phone checking goes with weaker attention control in a recent study that measured both, though that study cannot show the phone caused it. Researchers logged iPhone Screen Time every hour for two weeks in 79 students aged 11 to 18. They checked their phones a mean of 64.46 times during school hours and spent 2.22 hours of the school day on them, and those who checked more often scored lower on a go/no-go task of inhibitory control. The study is cross-sectional and covers teenagers, and both authors have done consulting work in social media litigation.

Having a phone nearby is not always the problem, either. A 2025 experiment randomly assigned adults aged 18 to 25 to work with or without their phone in the room, and the phone's presence did not significantly impair their scores on the Attention Network Test. The authors say the picture is "more complex than previously hypothesized."

Tools that interrupt you at the moment of reaching for an app have some trial evidence. In a three-week randomized trial of 70 iPhone users, an app that showed a full-screen prompt when people passed limits they had set themselves cut daily use of their most problematic app by about 29 minutes. One co-author co-founded the company behind that app. None of these studies tested the six apps below or looked at switching between phone and computer.

Focus tools that sync across devices: the comparison table

Platforms, price and each company's own description of what moves between devices sit in the table below. Apps are listed alphabetically. Prices are US prices checked on 2026-10-01.

Freedom: one block that covers every screen

Freedom applies a single blocking session to every device you've added. Phone and laptop go quiet together. Its pricing page says one session "applies everywhere," and names the phone, the computer and the browser. The FAQ calls cross-device syncing core to the product.

Cross-device blocking is on the free plan. Freedom's own FAQ answers "Do I need Premium for cross-device blocking?" with a flat no, and the free plan lists unlimited devices. Premium adds automation. Schedules start sessions on their own, recurring sessions can run through the week, and Locked Mode stops you quitting a session early.

TickTick: a Pomodoro that follows you from phone to laptop

TickTick's help center says a running focus timer moves with you between devices. Start a session on your phone and it starts on your other devices, and a pause or finish from any of them reaches the rest. The feature arrived in a July 2023 update. TickTick documents it in the "How to Start Focus?" article.

Sync is free. The pricing page lists it as Cross-Platform Sync. Because TickTick is a to-do app first, the timer lives next to your tasks and calendar, which helps if you plan in one place and work in another. Its sync article covers the timer, so plan separately for the browser tab on your laptop.

Forest: your history travels, the browser gets Deep Focus

Forest syncs your account, focus history and forest between iPhone, iPad, Android and the browser extension. The extension brings Deep Focus, Forest's app-and-site blocker, plus the timer to desktop browsing in Chrome and Firefox. Deep Focus is on the free tier, along with the timer and Time Guard for one app or site.

Sessions you run offline are not lost, because Forest says they sync to your account once you are back online. Plant Together rooms also work across phones. An iPhone user and an Android user can grow the same tree. If either quits, both trees die.

Forest's FAQ doesn't say whether a session you start on your phone also starts in your browser, and we could not confirm it from the site. Treat the phone and the browser as two separate sessions until you have tested it yourself.

Focus To-Do: tasks and Pomodoros on Windows, Mac and phones

Focus To-Do pairs a Pomodoro timer with a task list and syncs the task data across iPhone, Mac, Android, Windows, iPad and Apple Watch once you register an account. Local mode skips the account. Its privacy policy says local mode can't sync between devices, and uninstalling the app loses that local data.

The App Store lists three in-app purchases, and neither the App Store, Google Play, the official site nor the privacy policy says whether sync needs one of them. We'd check on a free account before committing. Windows support and a Chrome extension make it a fit for someone who works on a PC and carries an iPhone.

Opal: strict blocking that stays on each device

Opal blocks device by device. Its help center says sessions "will not sync or transfer between your devices regardless of you being logged into your account," because Opal keeps that data on each device for privacy. Screen time is counted per device as well. Your Pro subscription does carry over. Log in with the same account and Pro works on your other devices, Mac included, at no extra cost.

Opal's site isn't consistent on this point. Its Mac page says iPhone sync is "coming later this year" without a date, and its program page says the browser extensions and iPhone app "stay in sync." We have gone with the help center article, which is the most specific. If your plan depends on one block covering phone and laptop, Freedom documents that today.

Routinery: routines that carry on across Apple devices

Routinery is our app, and it syncs routines across Apple devices: the App Store listing says you can "start on the phone, carry on from watch, tablet, or Mac," and only that device sync needs a connection. Everything else runs offline. A routine is a list of short steps, each on its own timer, with a voice that calls out the next one. There's a Pomodoro mode that announces the next task when a block ends, and on iOS you can switch on Focus mode, which uses Apple's Screen Time.

There's no web version. Routinery runs on Android, but none of our public documentation says routines sync between an iPhone and an Android phone, and we aren't claiming it. Focus mode, which is iOS only, can't lock your laptop. Freedom alongside Routinery covers that. For a timer that follows you to a Windows PC, TickTick or Focus To-Do fits better.

How to choose: match the tool to what has to sync

Start with the device where you lose focus.

• Your laptop is where you drift. Freedom, because one session blocks the computer and the phone together, free plan included.
• You start a timer on one screen and finish on another. TickTick, which documents start, pause and finish syncing across devices.
• You work on Windows. Freedom, TickTick or Focus To-Do. Opal and Routinery do not list Windows.
• You mainly want the phone locked down. Opal or Forest. Opal's blocking is per device by design. Forest's free tier includes Deep Focus.
• You want your morning or study routine on your wrist and your Mac. Routinery, within Apple devices.

Getting started: test the sync before you rely on it

Run a two-minute test on day one. Start a session on your phone, then open the app on your second device and see whether it knows.

If blocking is the main job, our comparison of focus, deep work and screen time apps goes further into how Freedom, Forest and Focus To-Do block. For timer-first tools, the roundup of the best Pomodoro apps covers more options. Android users should also read our guide to routine apps on Android with widgets, Wear OS and battery limits, which covers widgets, Wear OS and battery settings.

Frequently asked questions: focus tools that sync across devices

What are the best focus tools that sync across devices?

Pick by what has to follow you. Freedom syncs the block itself, and one session covers your phone, computer and browser. TickTick syncs a running Pomodoro, and starting, pausing or finishing it on one device does the same on the rest. Forest and Focus To-Do sync your account, history and tasks, and Routinery carries routines between iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Opal's help center says its sessions don't transfer between devices. Check the comparison table for platforms before you pick. Opal and Routinery do not list Windows.

Can one app block distractions on my phone and my computer at the same time?

Freedom documents this directly. A blocking session applies to every device you have added to it, across Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromebook and Linux, and that cross-device syncing is part of the free plan. Premium adds schedules that start automatically, recurring sessions and Locked Mode. Forest's browser extension brings its Deep Focus blocker to Chrome and Firefox, but Forest's FAQ doesn't say whether a phone session also starts in the browser. Opal says its sessions stay on the device where they run.

Does a focus timer sync between my phone and laptop?

In TickTick it does, according to its help center. When you start a focus session on one device it starts on your other devices, and pausing or finishing it on one pauses or finishes it everywhere. Sync is on TickTick's free plan. Focus To-Do syncs task data once you have an account, though its documents do not say whether a running timer moves. Routinery lets you start on the phone and carry on from an Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.

Do I need to pay for cross-device sync?

Not always. Freedom's FAQ says cross-device blocking doesn't need Premium, and TickTick lists Cross-Platform Sync on its free plan. Forest's free tier covers the timer, Deep Focus and Time Guard for one app or site, with Plus as an optional subscription. Its plan comparison doesn't say whether sync needs Plus. Focus To-Do needs an account to sync, but none of its public pages say whether a free account is enough. Opal's Pro subscription works on all your devices, though its sessions themselves do not sync.

Does Routinery sync between iPhone and Android?

We can't confirm it from our own public documentation, and we don't claim it. The App Store listing says routines carry on between iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, and that device sync is the one part that needs an internet connection. Routinery is also on Android, but cross-platform sync is not described anywhere public. If you split your day between an iPhone and a Windows PC, TickTick or Focus To-Do covers both.

About this guide. Written by the Routinery editorial team. Routinery is our product. It sits in the table under the same columns and alphabetical order as the other apps, and its limits are listed in its own section. Competitor facts come from each company's pricing page, help center or store listing, checked on 2026-10-01. Where documentation did not settle a question, we have said so. The studies describe attention and phone habits.

References: sources cited above

• Telzer EH, Burnell K. Smartphone Use During School Hours and Association With Cognitive Control in Youths Aged 11 to 18 Years. JAMA Network Open, 2 March 2026. n=79. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.1092
• Christodoulou A, Roussos P. "Phone in the Room, Mind on the Roam": Investigating the Impact of Mobile Phone Presence on Distraction. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 8 May 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40422303/
• Wellspent randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8 April 2026. n=70. https://doi.org/10.2196/56824
• Freedom pricing and FAQ. https://freedom.to/pricing
• TickTick Help Center, How to Start Focus? https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7055782010496745472
• Forest official site and FAQ. https://www.forestapp.cc/
• Focus To-Do privacy policy. https://www.focustodo.cn/privacy-policy
• Opal Help Center, How do I use the Mac App. https://help.opalapp.com/article/how-do-i-use-the-mac-app
• Routinery on the App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/routine-planner-habit-tracker/id1450486923