Focusmate and Flight solve the same problem, getting yourself to sit down and focus, in opposite ways. Focusmate pairs you with another person on a video call; you each say your goal, work in silence, and check in at the end. Flight is a solo session that feels like a trip: pick a destination and focus until the plane lands. If you need another human to show up for, Focusmate is the best at it. If you want to start right now, alone and on camera to no one, Flight is quicker.
Disclosure: Flight is our product, and this blog belongs to it. We've tried to be fair: what we say about Focusmate comes from its own site and app listings, checked in October 2026. Apps change, so check prices there before you decide.
At a glance
| Flight | Focusmate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A focus timer you fly, on your own | Virtual coworking: a booked video session with a partner |
| Runs on | Any modern browser | In the browser |
| Starting | Instantly | Book a session, or join one starting soon |
| Camera | No | Yes, on for the session |
| Session lengths | Any length: the flight time | Fixed booked lengths |
| Accountability | Your own: the plane lands when it lands | A real person expecting you |
| Price | Free to start a flight | 3 free sessions a week; a paid plan for unlimited |
Where Focusmate is stronger
Accountability. Knowing a real person is waiting for you at 9:00 gets you to your desk at 9:00, and saying your goal out loud makes it concrete. It's the best-known tool for “body doubling”, which many people, especially those with ADHD, find transforms their ability to start. If you've tried every timer and none of them got you to begin, try Focusmate.
Where Flight is stronger
- No booking, no camera. Start the moment you decide to, in your pyjamas, at 2 AM, without being seen.
- Any length. Book a 55-minute hop or a seven-hour long-haul: the session is as long as the work, not as long as the slot.
- No limit. Fly as often as you like.
- Quiet focus. No small talk at the start, no check-in at the end, just the cabin hum.
A day with each
With Focusmate, you'd book a 9 AM session the night before. At nine, a partner appears on screen; you each say what you'll do (“draft the proposal intro”), mute, and work. At the end you report back. It's hard to skip something another person is waiting for, which is the whole point.
With Flight, you'd decide at 9:03 that it's time, open a tab and take off. No booking, no camera, no conversation. The session lasts as long as the flight you chose, whether that's 45 minutes or four hours, and you can fly again straight after landing.
Switching from Focusmate to Flight
- Keep a Focusmate session for the hardest start of the week, if a partner helps you begin.
- Use Flight for the long blocks after it, when you're already moving.
- Say your goal out loud, or write it down, before each flight; it keeps some of the accountability.
- Fly the same route with a friend if you want company without a camera.
Who should choose which
- Focusmate if starting is your problem and another person's presence is what gets you going.
- Flight if you can start on your own and want long, uninterrupted, private sessions.
- Both: a Focusmate session to get going in the morning, then a long flight for the deep work after.
Our post on body doubling explains why working beside someone helps, and the Pomodoro timer keeps a shared session in step.
Try Flight
Open Flight and take off now. No booking needed.
