# Orbit vs Focus Bear: Blocking or Guiding? *Focus Bear blocks distractions across phone and desktop; Orbit runs routines on iPhone and blocks nothing. What each is actually for.* URL: https://orbit.groot-apps.com/compare/orbit-vs-focus-bear/ By Aron de Groot · Published 6 September 2026 · 400-word read In short Focus Bear's centre of gravity is distraction blocking across desktop and mobile, with guided routines attached. Orbit has no blocking at all — it runs routines on iPhone and protects streaks on missed days. If your problem is that you open the wrong app, Focus Bear. If your problem is that you never start the right sequence, Orbit. Key facts - Focus Bear is made by Focus Bear Pty Ltd, runs on iPhone and iPad, requires iOS 16 or later, and has desktop apps as a core part of the product. - Orbit is iPhone-only, requires iOS 26 or later, and has no desktop component. - Focus Bear blocks distracting apps and sites; Orbit does not block anything. - Both are free to download with a paid subscription. - Focus Bear is built by a team that describes itself as having ADHD and autism. ## Two ways to protect a morning Focus Bear works on the environment. It blocks distracting apps and sites across your devices, and wraps that in guided morning and evening routines so the blocking has a shape. The premise is that the environment beats intention, which is largely true. Orbit works on the sequence. It blocks nothing and controls nothing; it holds the order of the routine and shows you the current step wherever you look. The premise is that the failure happens between steps rather than at temptations, which is also largely true — for different people, or for the same person at different times of day. ## Side by side | | Focus Bear | Orbit | |---|---|---| | Made by | Focus Bear Pty Ltd | Aron de Groot (Groot Apps), Netherlands | | Apple devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone only | | Desktop | Yes, central to the product | None | | Minimum iOS | 16 | 26 | | Blocks apps and sites | Yes | No | | Runs a routine step by step | Yes | Yes | | Streak on a missed day | — | Freeze spent automatically | | Account required | Yes | No | Platform facts checked against each app's App Store listing on 6 September 2026. ## Where Focus Bear is genuinely better Blocking. It is the feature, it spans desktop and mobile, and no routine app replaces it. Desktop. If your day happens on a laptop, an iPhone-only app is only touching part of the problem. Breadth. Habit guidance, breaks and environment control in one product. Explicit AuDHD design. Built by a team who describe themselves as ADHD and autistic, with features aimed at both. ## Where Orbit is genuinely better It is narrow on purpose. One thing — running a routine — done without configuration screens or permissions to grant. Missed days cost nothing. Freezes are automatic. No account, no data leaving the phone. Nothing to install on your computer. Some people want an app that never touches the rest of their setup. If blocking is not your problem, blocking software is overhead. ## How to choose Ask what actually happened the last time a morning went wrong. If you opened something you should not have, that is an environment problem and Focus Bear addresses it directly. If you simply stopped between two steps without going anywhere in particular, blocking would not have helped, and a routine that follows you onto the Lock Screen would. Using both is reasonable: block the environment on the desktop, and run the routine on the phone. Orbit is a routine app, not a medical device, a diagnosis or a treatment. Nothing here is medical advice. If ADHD symptoms are affecting your daily life, talk to a qualified clinician. ## Frequently asked **Does Orbit block distracting apps?** No. Orbit has no blocking or screen-time features at all. If distraction blocking is what you need, Focus Bear or Apple's own Screen Time controls are the right tools, and they work alongside Orbit rather than instead of it. **What is a good Focus Bear alternative for iPhone only?** If it is the routine half of Focus Bear you want and not the blocking, Orbit covers that: guided routines, Live Activities, and streaks that survive a missed day. If you need the blocking, no iPhone-only routine app replaces it. **Which is better for AuDHD?** Focus Bear is explicitly designed for autistic and ADHD users and includes environment control, which matters a lot for some people. Orbit is narrower and makes no claim to cover the same ground; it does one thing, which is running a routine without penalising you for missing one. ## Sources and further reading - Focus Bear on the App Store — Apple - Focus Bear — official site — Focus Bear Pty Ltd - Orbit on the App Store — Apple ## Orbit builds these routines for you Orbit is an ADHD routine builder for iPhone: templates instead of blank screens, an ambient orb that runs each step with you, and streak freezes so a missed day doesn't undo a month.