Focus Friend App by Hank Green Is the #1 App in the U.S. | Focus Friend Bean Knits to Help You Be More Productive!

The Focus Friend app, made by Youtuber Hank Green in collaboration with Honey B Games, just hit #1 on the U.S. App Store. Read on for more about this cozy productivity tool featuring a knitting bean that rewards your focus time with socks, skins, and serotonin.

What Is the Focus Friend App?

Focus Friend (also known as the Focus Bean app) is a cozy productivity app designed to help people stay off their phones and actually get things done. Built by Hank Green in collaboration with developer Bria and indie studio Honey B Games, it turns screen-free time into a gentle, gamified experience starring one very cute bean.

Here’s how it works: you start a focus session, set your phone aside, and your bean begins happily knitting. The longer you stay off your phone, the more progress your bean makes. But if you pick up your phone or exit the app early, the knitting disappears and your bean looks visibly disappointed.

The goal is to help your bean complete its sock-knitting session. Each session earns you socks, which you can trade in to decorate your bean’s room with furniture, posters, wallpaper, and more. You can also unlock cosmetic upgrades like skins, outfits, and custom beans including Hank Bean and John Bean.

Focus Friend doesn’t use ads, doesn’t collect your data, and doesn’t even require a login. It’s a rare thing in 2025: a free productivity app that respects your time and your brain. And it’s not just functional. The illustrations, design, and soundtrack are soothing and serotonin-boosting from the start.

Think of it as an inverted Tamagotchi. Instead of constantly checking in, you’re rewarded for leaving your bean alone. And honestly, you won’t want to disappoint it.

Why The Focus Friend App Reached #1

In August 2025, the Focus Friend app officially became the #1 most popular free app in the United States, ranking above TikTok, Gmail, and even ChatGPT. So how did a little knitting bean outpace the giants of tech? It’s the perfect storm of timing, design, virality, and vibes.

First, Focus Friend solves a very real Gen Z and Gen Alpha problem. Distraction is everywhere, and most “productivity” apps are either dry, ad-heavy, or gamified in a way that feels forced. Focus Friend is different. It leans fully into being cute, funny, low-stakes, and non-judgy while still helping users stay off their phones.

It also dropped at exactly the right time. With students going back to school and creators talking more about ADHD-friendly tools, a focus app that works without shame or pressure instantly hit a nerve. On TikTok, users are showing off their beans, decorating their rooms, and racking up sock rewards. The virality spread fast.

At the same time, media outlets like TechCrunch, Tedium, and Scary Mommy all covered the app’s rise, praising its mix of emotional design and intentional simplicity. TechCrunch called it “extremely cute.” Tedium dubbed it an “inverted Tamagotchi.” And fans on Reddit and YouTube are calling it the most ADHD-safe app ever made.

Then there’s the Hank Green factor. The beloved science YouTuber and entrepreneur helped launch the app alongside Bria and Honey B Games. His massive built-in fanbase gave it a huge boost, and users were already primed to trust something he co-created. People downloaded Focus Friend because it came from Hank. They stayed because the bean worked.

Focus Friend also feels rare in 2025. It’s free, has no ads, collects no data, and doesn’t even require a login. The only monetization comes from optional in-app purchases like bean skins and decorations. That transparency builds trust. And trust builds loyalty.

In the end, Focus Friend went viral because it doesn’t try to “optimize” you. It just cheers you on while it knits a sock. And apparently, that’s exactly what the internet needed.

How Does The Focus Friend App Make Money?

Unlike most top-ranking apps in 2025, Focus Friend is free to use, does not show ads, does not collect personal data, and does not require a login. So how does it fund itself? The answer is simple: optional in-app purchases, with a focus on cosmetics and a “Pro” tier that adds premium functionality.

Users can subscribe to Focus Friend Pro, which unlocks the ability for your bean to knit scarves in addition to socks. Scarves can then be exchanged for premium decorations in your bean’s room. Pro comes in multiple options including weekly, monthly, yearly, and lifetime plans, with pricing ranging from $0.99 per week to $39.99 for a one-time lifetime unlock.

Cosmetic purchases are entirely optional and designed for fun and self-expression. You can buy character skins and themed beans like the Blue Jello Bean, Kitt-ney Bean, or the Jelly Bean Pack. Fans can also unlock character beans like Hank Bean and John Bean, each with their own visual style and animations.

Some users have noted that if you cancel your Pro subscription, your bean will stop knitting scarves. This may be an intentional mechanic or a bug, but it adds a small caveat for anyone pausing their Pro access after using it for upgrades.

The monetization model is simple and transparent. You can enjoy the entire core experience of Focus Friend without spending a cent. The optional Pro tier and extra beans are there for users who want to personalize their experience or support the app’s continued development in a non-intrusive way.

About Hank Green, The Focus Friend App Creator

Hank Green is no stranger to launching projects that help people learn, think, or live a little better. As a science communicator, YouTuber, author, and co-founder of platforms like Crash Course, VidCon, and DFTBA, Hank has spent years building tools for curious minds. In 2025, he added something new to the list: app developer.

Focus Friend was created by Hank in collaboration with Bria, an indie developer, and the team at Honey B Games. The idea came from Hank’s interest in designing a gentle and effective tool for people who struggle with digital distraction. Unlike most productivity apps, Focus Friend encourages screen-free time without guilt or pressure.

Hank introduced the app quietly, mentioning it in a vlog and sharing it casually on social media. But it quickly spread through TikTok, Reddit, and word-of-mouth, especially among students and neurodivergent users who were looking for a softer, safer way to stay focused.

What makes Focus Friend unique is how personal it feels. From the soft visuals to the calm soundtrack and emotional design, everything signals care and intention. In John Green’s vlog, he called it “clean, free, effective” and pointed out that it runs without ads or logins.

For Hank, this isn’t just another side project. Focus Friend is a reflection of the values that show up in all his work: empathy, creativity, accessibility, and joy. It also lets you buy a gray-haired bean version of John Green wearing a coffee shirt for $5.99, which has his brother crashing out.

Focus Friend App Reviews & Reactions

Since its release, Focus Friend has generated a wave of glowing reviews, viral TikToks, and hilarious Reddit threads. The app currently holds a 4.9-star rating on the App Store and has topped the U.S. charts for free apps. For many users, it is more than just a productivity tool. It is a small daily serotonin boost.

On TikTok, creators are sharing their bean names, desk setups, and room decor progress. The tags #focusfriend and #focusbean feature thousands of videos, often showing users trying not to check their phones just to avoid making their bean sad. The emotional attachment is real.

Reddit users have praised the app for being ADHD-friendly, cute without being infantilizing, and refreshingly functional. One comment sums it up: “I downloaded it and have been cleaning for 30 minutes. This bean has powers.” Others love the simplicity. “It helps me focus because I don’t want to disappoint the bean.”

One of the most iconic reactions came from John Green, who dedicated a vlog to both celebrating and roasting the app. He praised it for helping him write more and avoid TikTok, but also joked about buying “John Bean” for $5.99. To his surprise, the bean version of him had completely gray hair. “I have brown hair with a bit of silver at the temples,” he said. “Respectfully, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Despite the occasional joke or bug report, the overall response has been overwhelmingly positive. Fans appreciate the lack of ads, the thoughtful illustrations, and the feeling that the app was made with actual care. Several users have said this is the first productivity app they have stuck with for more than a few days.

In short, people are not just using Focus Friend. They are bonding with it. And the bean is winning hearts one sock at a time.