Everything we get asked, answered.

Yes, when the timer is flexible. Traditional Pomodoro fails many ADHD brains because rigid 25-minute intervals ignore energy state and task type. Catch the Ghost lets you switch between Deep Focus and Shallow Focus and choose from 13 moods, so the timer adapts to how you actually work.

Whatever length keeps you in the chair. For low-energy or admin work, stay near 25 minutes. For heavy cognitive work on a good day, push toward 60 to 90, or dial up to 120. The research on Pomodoro for ADHD supports flexible intervals over rigid 25-minute blocks, and Catch the Ghost's scroll wheel lets you set any length from 25 to 120 minutes in 5-minute steps.

Forest grows a tree that dies if you leave the app. Catch the Ghost rewards you with a historical figure, a quote, coins, and XP every time you finish a session. No dying tree, no blame framing. If you leave mid-session the ghost escapes, but your coins stay yours and a 60-second grace window holds the session open first. Our pricing is also transparent: Monthly $4.99, Annual $34.99, or a $99.99 founding-member lifetime, versus Forest’s Dec 2025 subscription pivot that broke their one-time-purchase promise. See the Forest comparison page for the full breakdown.

Yes. The Free tier includes the Pomodoro timer, the ghost-catching loop, free moods, and the leaderboard. You also earn coins from every focus session that can be spent in the in-app Store on themed ghost packs. Keep your streak and you earn more coins per session, so the Store is reachable without paying. Subscribing is for convenience, not for access.

Free, $4.99 per month, $34.99 per year ($2.92 per month), or a $99.99 one-time lifetime purchase (founding-member price, launching soon). Coin packs are also available as one-time purchases for users who want to skip the grind. Apple handles all billing. See the pricing page for details.

Not by blocking. Blocking apps fail because you can always uninstall them. Catch the Ghost works by giving your focus a reward loop that competes with the dopamine your phone already offers. When putting the phone down earns you something you actually want, picking it back up starts to feel like a worse trade.

Deep Focus is for heavy cognitive work: writing, coding, studying, strategy. Shallow Focus is for admin and low-stakes work: inbox, errands, quick chores. Both modes catch ghosts and earn coins. Choosing the right mode for the task is part of how the product works.

The session ends and the apparition you were catching escapes, so you will need to start a new session to catch it. Your coins are untouched: the app never takes coins you did not put on the table. If you want the session to carry real coin stakes, Deep Focus and the Sleep Timer each let you stake up to 500 coins on finishing it (unlocked after you catch 5 apparitions). Complete the session and the stake comes back with a 20% bonus; quit and you forfeit only the coins you staked. Before an exit counts at all, Deep Focus gives you a 60-second grace window via the iOS Live Activity and Dynamic Island, a live countdown to return to the app. If you need more time, you can spend 200 coins to extend the window by 5 minutes, up to three times per session (so 15 minutes of bought grace on top of the automatic 60 seconds, maximum). The point of the stake is not to punish you; it is to make finishing the session feel real, and you choose whether to take it. The language never calls you a failure.

No. Stakes, yes (the current ghost rides on finishing the session, plus any coins you chose to stake on it). Guilt and shame, no. The product is explicitly designed around the rule "the mechanic can have consequences; the language never blames the user." Exit language is neutral ("The ghost escaped. Try again."), there is no "you failed" modal, and a 60-second grace window precedes any loss on Deep Focus.

No. We do not block, lock, or restrict anything on your phone. The thesis is that reward works better than restriction. You can always put the phone down; we just give you a reason to.

Over 600 figures today across Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary eras, from Seneca and Ada Lovelace to Frederick Douglass and Queen Elizabeth I. New ghosts arrive in themed packs (Great Strategists, Actors, Famous Japanese, Great Authors) every month. Legendary ghosts are Pro-exclusive.

The Ghost Universe is a Pro-tier feature that maps connections between historical figures, so catching one ghost can reveal hidden paths to others who shared an era, a discipline, or an influence. It turns the library from a flat list into a graph you explore.

Yes, on the Pro tier. The Sleep Timer rewards you for staying off your phone at night with a 10x coin multiplier, and wakes you to an inspiring quote from the ghost you caught while sleeping. It is genuinely one of the most loved features.

Not yet. Catch the Ghost is iOS only. If Android matters to you, let us know via the Contact link in the footer.