Looking for a Focus Town alternative?
Focus Town and Lilo both let you study next to real people in a shared space. Here is how they differ, and what Lilo adds for studying with friends.
On the App StoreOn Google Play Also on Google PlayAlso on the App Store
Scan to get LiloYour phone's camera opens the right store.
The short answer
Both apps put you in a live room with other people who are studying, as a character instead of on camera. Focus Town has an Animal Crossing-inspired look, many room themes and a web version you can open on a computer. Lilo is a phone and tablet app with no web version, and it is built for studying with your own friends: private rooms with a chat, challenges like time goals and speed races, streaks you can protect with earned XP, 101 levels and a day planner. If you want to study and compete with your friends, Lilo is made for that.
Lilo vs Focus Town, side by side
| Feature | Lilo | Focus Town |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free download, optional Lilo Premium subscription | Free with ads and in-app purchases, optional Focustown Pro subscription (weekly, monthly and yearly plans on the App Store) |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and Android | iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a web version at focustown.app |
| Use on a computer | No web or PC version | Yes, in the browser |
| Rooms | Live 3D Classroom, Café, Library and Seaside terrace, plus seasonal rooms | Cafes and libraries. Its site also lists rooms like a Focus Plane, a Focus Train and a Japanese Classroom |
| Who you see | Everyone at a desk with a name tag, country flag and live study time | Characters of real people studying in real time |
| Your character | Custom 3D character. More characters and outfits with Premium | A character you decorate with accessories bought with coins from focus sessions |
| Camera | Never used in rooms, and no microphone either | Not mentioned in the store listing |
| Studying with friends | Private rooms joined with a 6-character code or invite link, with chat | Start sessions with your real friends |
| Chat | In private rooms. Public rooms have no chat, but you can wave | Not described in the store listing |
| Challenges | Time goal, speed race, ranking battle and streak challenges with friends, plus friends feed and rankings | Not listed |
| Timer modes | Countdown free. Stopwatch and Pomodoro with Premium | Built-in focus timer. The App Store name calls it a Pomodoro timer |
| Languages | 33 languages | English on the App Store listing |
Details about Focus Town checked in October 2026 from its official website and store listings. Apps change, so check the store page for the latest.
Why students switch to Lilo
- You want a private room just for your friends, with a chat, joined with a short code.
- You like challenges with friends: time goals, speed races, ranking battles and streaks.
- You want streaks, 101 levels and a day planner in the same app as your study rooms.
- You want a free countdown timer with calm scenes, like a rainy window or a sleeping cat.
- You want the app in your own language. Lilo has 33.
How they differ in practice
Focus Town and Lilo are close. Both put you in a shared space where other people are studying at the same time, both give you a character, and neither asks you to switch on a camera. The differences are in the details.
Focus Town describes itself as an Animal Crossing-inspired world. You pick a cozy cafe or a quiet library, join a server and sit next to real people studying in real time. Focus sessions earn coins that you spend on accessories for your character. Its website lists many room themes, such as a National Library, a Stockholm Cafe, a Focus Plane, a Focus Train and a Korean Study Room, and shows a live count of people online. You can use it on iPhone, iPad, Android and in a web browser.
Lilo’s study rooms are live 3D spaces: the Classroom, Café, Library and Seaside terrace, plus seasonal rooms. You sit at a desk while your timer runs, and everyone has a name tag with their country flag and live study time. Public rooms have no chat, which keeps them quiet, but you can wave at people. Lilo never uses your camera or microphone in rooms.
Studying with friends
Focus Town says you can start sessions with your real friends and hold each other accountable.
In Lilo, your friends get their own private study room. You share a 6-character code or an invite link, and private rooms have a chat, so you can say hi before you start and check in on breaks. Lilo also has study challenges you can run with friends: reach a time goal, win a speed race, top a ranking battle or keep a streak going together. Challenge invite links open in the browser. A friends feed and rankings show how everyone is doing.
Timer, progress and planning
Focus Town has a built-in focus timer, and its App Store name calls it a Pomodoro timer. Lilo’s free timer is a countdown with four scenes: Classic ring, Coffee, Sleeping cat and Rainy window. Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes, along with 30+ more scenes, come with Lilo Premium.
Lilo also gives you reasons to come back the next day. Streaks can be protected with XP you have earned, and there are 101 levels where the mascot Lilo changes outfit. There is a day planner (up to 2 tasks a day on the free plan) and study music, with some tracks free.
What switching looks like
Lilo is a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android, with no web or PC version, while Focus Town also works in the browser. Lilo is available in 33 languages, while Focus Town’s App Store listing shows English. On your phone or iPad, your study room, your friends’ private room and your challenges are all in one place.
Everything you need to try Lilo is free: the timer, live rooms, private rooms, your 3D character and challenges with friends. Download Lilo, take a desk in a room and see if it feels right.
Questions
What is an app like Focus Town?
Lilo is close to Focus Town: you sit at a desk in a live 3D study room while your timer runs, next to other people who are studying. It adds private rooms with chat for friends and challenges you can run together.
Can I use Lilo on my computer like Focus Town?
No. Lilo is a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android, with no web or PC version, while Focus Town also has a web version. On your phone or iPad, Lilo gives you live 3D study rooms, private rooms with a chat for your friends and challenges you can run together.
Do I need a camera for Focus Town or Lilo?
Focus Town's store listing does not mention a camera, and you appear as a character. Lilo does not use your camera or microphone in rooms. You appear as your own 3D character.
Is Lilo free?
Yes. Lilo is free to download, and the countdown timer, live study rooms, private rooms, your 3D character and challenges with friends are free. Lilo Premium adds Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes, 30+ more timer scenes, the full music library, unlimited challenges and planning, advanced stats and room extras.
More comparisons
your desk is waiting.
Free on iPhone and Android. Setting it up takes about a minute.
On the App StoreOn Google Play Also on Google PlayAlso on the App Store
Scan to get LiloYour phone's camera opens the right store.
