Focus apps:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Forest was the most searched focus app worldwide, accounting for 39.3% of all searches among the six apps we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Opal and Freedom were mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Opal was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five responses.
ForestShare of searches 39.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
OpalShare of searches 26.3%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
FreedomShare of searches 17.6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
ScreenZenShare of searches 11.7%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
one secShare of searches 4.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
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Top focus apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Opal and Freedom were mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Opal was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five answers. Freedom was second, and ScreenZen was third. Clearspace, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Opal4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Freedom4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Forest3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- ScreenZen3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- one sec3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Clearspace0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about focus apps
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which focus app should I use to cut my screen time?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best app blockers and focus apps?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best app for blocking social media on my phone?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“focus app”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“app blocker”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 22, 2026.
Which focus apps do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each focus app by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six focus apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Forest, Opal, Freedom, ScreenZen, one sec. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Forest | Opal | Freedom | ScreenZen | one sec | Clearspace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 45.4% | 20.3% | 20.3% | 9.1% | 4% | 0.99% |
| Nov 2025 | 47% | 21% | 17.2% | 9.4% | 4.2% | 1.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 39% | 26.1% | 17.4% | 9.5% | 6.4% | 1.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 38.6% | 25.9% | 17.3% | 11.5% | 5.2% | 1.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 37.7% | 25.3% | 20.6% | 11.3% | 4.1% | 1% |
| Mar 2026 | 44.6% | 19.9% | 16.3% | 13.3% | 4.8% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 37.4% | 25.1% | 20.5% | 11.2% | 5% | 0.81% |
| May 2026 | 40.9% | 22.4% | 18.3% | 12.2% | 5.4% | 0.73% |
| Jun 2026 | 38% | 25.4% | 16.9% | 13.9% | 5% | 0.83% |
| Jul 2026 | 32.1% | 26.2% | 21.4% | 14.3% | 5.2% | 0.85% |
| Aug 2026 | 39.3% | 26.4% | 17.6% | 11.8% | 4.3% | 0.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 39.3% | 26.3% | 17.6% | 11.7% | 4.3% | 0.85% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 39.3% | 33.1K | 0% | -0.1 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 26.3% | 22.2K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 17.6% | 14.8K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 11.7% | 9.9K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 4.3% | 3.6K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.85% | 720 | +22% | +0.2 points |
1.
Forest39.3%
Held 1st. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
2.
Opal26.3%
Held 2nd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
3.
Freedom17.6%
Held 3rd. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
11.7%
Held 4th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
one sec4.3%
Held 5th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.85%
Held 6th. 720 estimated branded searches, +22% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among focus apps worldwide?
6 brands
In September 2026, Forest was the most searched among focus apps worldwide, with an estimated 33.1K branded searches, 39.3% of all searches for the six we track. Opal is in 2nd place, 12.9 percentage points behind at 26.3%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | 45.4% → 39.3% | 47%Nov 2025 | 32.1%Jul 2026 | 1st |
| Opal | 20.3% → 26.3% | 26.4%Aug 2026 | 19.9%Mar 2026 | 3rd → 2nd |
| Freedom | 20.3% → 17.6% | 21.4%Jul 2026 | 16.3%Mar 2026 | 2nd → 3rd |
| ScreenZen | 9.1% → 11.7% | 14.3%Jul 2026 | 9.1%Oct 2025 | 4th |
| one sec | 4% → 4.3% | 6.4%Dec 2025 | 4%Oct 2025 | 5th |
| Clearspace | 0.99% → 0.85% | 1.5%Dec 2025 | 0.7%Aug 2026 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Forest’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide decreased from 45.4% to 39.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Opal’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide increased from 20.3% to 26.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freedom’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide decreased from 20.3% to 17.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ScreenZen’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide increased from 9.1% to 11.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Forest’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide peaked at 47% in November 2025 and was lowest at 32.1% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Opal’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide peaked at 26.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 19.9% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freedom’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide peaked at 21.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 16.3% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ScreenZen’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide peaked at 14.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 9.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, one sec’s share of searches among focus apps worldwide peaked at 6.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 4% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Opal rose from 3rd to 2nd among focus apps worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freedom fell from 2nd to 3rd among focus apps worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, one sec and Clearspace held steady: their share of searches among focus apps worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for focus apps worldwide in September 2026?
5 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for Opal worldwide rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for ScreenZen worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Forest worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 40.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Freedom worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Clearspace worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 880 to 720 in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- Forest vs Opal: compare popularity
- Forest vs Freedom: compare popularity
- Forest vs ScreenZen: compare popularity
- Forest vs one sec: compare popularity
- Opal vs Freedom: compare popularity
- Opal vs ScreenZen: compare popularity
- Opal vs one sec: compare popularity
- Freedom vs ScreenZen: compare popularity
- Freedom vs one sec: compare popularity
- ScreenZen vs one sec: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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