If you or your child live with ADHD, you know the hardest part isn’t “knowing what to do”—it’s getting started, staying with it, and recovering quickly when your attention slips. The right mobile app won’t “fix” ADHD, but it can act like a set of training wheels for executive functioning: reducing friction, making time visible, and turning tasks into smaller, safer steps.
A helpful way to choose is to match the tool to the moment you get stuck: starting (activation), staying (sustained focus), switching (transitions), remembering (working memory), or recovering (emotional regulation + self-compassion). Below are eight apps that many ADHDers and families use for those exact pain points.
1) Tiimo (visual planning + timers for neurodivergent brains)
Tiimo is built around visual structure. Think “show me my day” instead of “tell me my day.” It’s designed to support ADHD and executive functioning with flexible scheduling and visual timers/checklists that make time feel more real. For families, Tiimo can be a gentle bridge toward independence: you can co-create a morning or after-school plan, then gradually hand it off.
2) Brili (step-by-step routines that reduce transition chaos)
Brili shines when transitions are the problem: getting out the door, bedtime, homework setup, or “the ten tiny steps” that derail momentum. It’s a visual routine builder with timing and prompts, and it’s explicitly positioned for the ADHD community. Many adults like it too, especially for mornings, because it removes decision-making (“What next?”) when your brain is still booting up.
3) Forest (put-your-phone-down focus sessions, gamified)
Forest turns focus into a simple game: you “plant” a tree, and it grows while you stay on task. Leave the app, and the tree dies. It’s great for kids and teens (and plenty of adults) who respond to playful consequences, and it pairs well with “phone in another room” habits. Bonus: Forest highlights its real-world tree-planting impact and is widely used across iOS/Android.
4) Focus Friend (a newer, Tamagotchi-style focus companion)
If your household does better with “cute accountability” than strict blocking, Focus Friend is worth a look. The basic idea: your little companion makes progress when you stay off your phone during focus time, and loses progress if you break it, turning distraction into something you can see. Reviews note a low-cost Pro option and features like deeper focus restrictions.
5) TickTick (to-do list + calendar + built-in focus mode)
TickTick is an all-in-one option when you want tasks, calendar, habits, and a focus timer in one place. For ADHD brains, fewer apps can mean fewer “where did I put that?” moments. It includes Pomodoro-style focus features and can be used simply (a short daily list + one focus session) or deeply (projects, habits, tags).
6) Todoist (fast capture + reminders that prevent “I forgot” spirals)
Todoist is excellent for getting thoughts out of your head quickly, especially with natural-language task entry and robust recurring due dates. For many ADHDers, the win is externalizing memory: a place where tasks live reliably, with reminders and labels to batch similar tasks. If your challenge is “I know I need to do it, but it disappears,” this is a strong contender.
7) Inflow (ADHD-focused CBT-style skills, reflection, and coaching tools)
Inflow is more “skills coach” than “planner.” It’s positioned as a science-based program built with clinical input, and reviews commonly describe it as CBT-inspired support for procrastination, follow-through, and emotional regulation, often best as a complement to therapy/coaching, not a replacement. If your biggest daily challenge is the why behind your patterns (and how to change them), this is the app in this list most directly aimed at that layer.
8) Endel (adaptive soundscapes for focus and regulation)
For ADHDers who focus better with sound but get distracted by lyrics or repetitive tracks, Endel offers personalized, generative soundscapes for focus, relaxation, and sleep. Endel also points to a peer-reviewed study related to focus on its site. In practice, this is especially useful for sensory regulation (calming the nervous system) and creating a consistent “focus cue” you can reuse.
Obviously, none of these apps promise to “cure” ADHD, but they can help you manage its symptoms. To make any of them work better in real life, start tiny: pick one friction point (morning routine, homework start, phone distraction, bedtime wind-down) and run a seven-day experiment. Keep what helps, and delete what creates guilt. ADHD support should feel like a support system, not a grading system.
Finally, a quick family note: apps are most effective when paired with kindness and simple environmental changes, such clear routines, visual cues, fewer steps, and compassionate “reset” language. If you’re unsure which to try first, a common path is Brili or Tiimo for routines, Forest or Focus Friend for phone-based distraction, and TickTick or Todoist for tasks, with Inflow and/or Endel for skills and regulation.