A focus app gets deep access to your phone: it can see which app is in front, filter your DNS lookups, and record a voice note to yourself. “Trust us” is not a good enough answer for that. So the code is public. You can read it.
What “public” means here
The Android app, the Windows app, this website and the sync API all live in one repository on GitHub. They are licensed under the Functional Source License (FSL-1.1-ALv2). In plain terms:
- You can read, build and run it, and use it for your own purposes. The repository is on GitHub.
- You cannot use it to offer a competing product or service.
- Each version becomes Apache 2.0 two years after its release, at which point the restriction falls away for that version.
We call this source-available, not open source, on purpose. Open source has a specific meaning, and a licence that forbids competing use does not meet it. We would rather be accurate than borrow a better-sounding label.
Why we did it
Two reasons, and they pull in different directions.
- You should be able to audit it. We say things like “signed out, the app does not connect to any NowFocus server” and “the VPN handles DNS lookups only”. With the code public, you do not have to take our word for either. That matters more for a tool with this much access than for most apps.
- We would like to keep existing. A fully permissive licence would let anyone repackage the app under another name and compete with the people building it. FSL blocks that for two years and then opens everything up.
It is not a perfect trade, and not everyone will like the competing-use limit. We think it is the honest middle between a closed app and a free-for-all.
How the money is meant to work
NowFocus is free to download today, and the core is free to use. Here is the plan from here, in the order that matters:
- The core stays free. Blocking sites and apps, choosing your DNS, basic schedules and a flat daily pass should not cost anything.
- Pro is for the extras: allowlist mode, Cheat Day, streak-scaled passes, Bedtime Wind-Down, and syncing across more than one device, with deeper analytics and features for families or teams planned later.
- No ads, and no selling your data. This is the part that shapes everything else. Revenue from subscriptions means we have no reason to collect your browsing, and an app with this much access should not be funded by what it can see.
Nothing about Pro pricing is decided. When it is, the download page will say so before it launches, which is already what it promises.
What this does not mean
Public code is not a claim of perfection. The apps are early access, some platforms are further along than others, and a focus app is a self-control aid rather than a lock. If you read the code and find something that does not match what we wrote here, tell us at [email protected].
If you want the longer argument for building friction instead of relying on willpower, start with why NowFocus exists. If you want to see what the feature work looks like in practice, partial blocking and the DNS screen are both in the repository.
Frequently asked questions
Is NowFocus open source?
No. NowFocus is source-available under the Functional Source License (FSL-1.1-ALv2). You can read, build and run the code, but you may not use it to offer a competing product or service. Each version becomes Apache 2.0 two years after its release.
Is NowFocus free?
Yes. Every build is free to download, and everything in it is free to use today. When Pro launches, blocking sites and apps, choosing your DNS, basic schedules and a flat daily pass stay free, while allow-only profiles, Cheat Day, streak-scaled passes, Bedtime Wind-Down and syncing across devices move to Pro. Pro isn't available to buy yet and pricing isn't set; this page will say so before it launches.
How will NowFocus make money?
The plan is to keep core blocking, scheduling and stats free, and charge for a Pro tier covering allowlist mode, Cheat Day, streak-scaled passes, Bedtime Wind-Down, and syncing across devices, with deeper analytics and family/team features planned later. It does not plan to show ads or sell your data. No prices have been decided.
Read the code, then try the app
The repository is public. The Android build is free to download.