Brain training apps promise to sharpen your cognitive abilities through targeted exercises. After researching the science and testing popular platforms, I've identified apps that specifically target attention, focus, and concentration with evidence-based approaches.
Each app offers unique games and exercises designed to challenge and strengthen the neural pathways responsible for sustained attention.
The Complete List
1. Lumosity
Why it's essential: Developed by neuroscientists, Lumosity is the most well-known brain training platform with over 100 million users. The app offers games specifically targeting attention, flexibility, and processing speed, with personalized training programs.
Key features: 40+ cognitive games, daily training sessions tailored to your goals, detailed performance tracking, and insights into your cognitive strengths. The Attention category includes games like Train of Thought and Lost in Migration designed to improve focus.
Best for: People who want a comprehensive, science-backed brain training program with variety. Good for those motivated by tracking progress over time.
2. Elevate
Why it's essential: Winner of Apple's App of the Year, Elevate focuses on practical cognitive skills including focus, memory, and processing speed. The games feel more like skill-building exercises than traditional brain teasers.
Key features: 40+ brain games for reading, writing, speaking, and math skills. Personalized daily workouts that adapt to your performance, detailed performance tracking, and focus-specific exercises like Speed Match and Priority Shift.
Best for: Professionals who want cognitive training that translates directly to real-world skills. Great for those who prefer exercises that feel productive rather than game-like.
3. Peak
Why it's essential: Created in partnership with universities including Cambridge and NYU, Peak offers scientifically designed games targeting attention, problem-solving, and mental agility. The app excels at making difficult cognitive challenges feel engaging.
Key features: 45+ games across categories including Focus and Attention, personalized Coach program, advanced insights with Peak Pro, and the Brain Map feature showing your cognitive profile across different areas.
Best for: Competitive individuals who enjoy challenges and want detailed analytics. Excellent for those interested in understanding their cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
4. CogniFit
Why it's essential: A clinically validated brain training platform used in research and clinical settings. CogniFit offers patented technology that assesses and trains specific cognitive abilities including sustained attention and divided attention.
Key features: Personalized training programs, comprehensive cognitive assessments, games targeting 23 cognitive skills, and detailed reports showing progress. The Attention training program specifically targets focus-related abilities.
Best for: People who want clinical-grade cognitive assessment and training. Ideal for those interested in targeted intervention for specific attention challenges.
5. NeuroNation
Why it's essential: Developed in collaboration with researchers from Free University Berlin, NeuroNation offers personalized brain training based on cognitive science. The app has been shown in studies to improve working memory and attention.
Key features: 30+ exercises and 300+ levels, personalized training plans, progress tracking, and exercises specifically designed to enhance concentration and focus. The app adapts difficulty in real-time based on your performance.
Best for: Evidence-focused users who want brain training backed by published research. Good for those who prefer shorter, focused training sessions.
6. BrainHQ
Why it's essential: Created by Posit Science, the company behind decades of cognitive neuroscience research. BrainHQ is used in over 100 published studies and offers exercises specifically designed to improve attention and processing speed.
Key features: 29 exercises across six categories including Attention, divided into assessments and training. The Double Decision exercise has been shown in research to improve useful field of view and divided attention.
Best for: People who prioritize scientific validation over flashy design. Ideal for older adults or anyone concerned about cognitive decline.
7. Impulse - Brain Training
Why it's essential: A minimalist brain training app focused specifically on attention, memory, and problem-solving. Impulse strips away gamification to focus on pure cognitive training with clean, distraction-free design.
Key features: 15+ games targeting specific cognitive skills, daily challenges, offline play, and no ads or distracting notifications. The focus exercises include tasks like tracking moving objects and selective attention drills.
Best for: Minimalists who want straightforward brain training without excessive gamification. Great for quick daily practice sessions.
8. Fit Brains Trainer
Why it's essential: Created by neuroscientist Dr. Paul Nussbaum, Fit Brains offers over 360 training sessions across multiple cognitive domains. The app emphasizes the importance of training all cognitive areas for overall brain health.
Key features: 60+ games across six cognitive areas including Concentration, personalized training programs, detailed progress tracking, and exercises that adapt to your skill level. Includes specific focus-training games.
Best for: People who want variety and comprehensive cognitive training across multiple domains. Good for those who get bored easily with repetitive exercises.
9. Memorado
Why it's essential: A brain training app that combines exercises with mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Memorado recognizes that attention improvement requires both cognitive training and stress management.
Key features: 24 games across five cognitive areas, personalized daily workouts, meditation exercises, and detailed statistics. The Concentration category includes exercises designed to improve sustained and selective attention.
Best for: People who want to combine cognitive training with stress reduction. Ideal for those whose focus issues are related to anxiety or overwhelm.
How to Use This List
Don't expect overnight results. Instead:
- Choose one app - Commit to consistent practice for at least 4-6 weeks
- Train daily - Most apps recommend 10-20 minutes per day, 3-5 times per week
- Focus on attention exercises - While these apps offer various games, prioritize those targeting focus and attention. For a broader perspective on focus-building apps, see our guide to the best apps to improve concentration and attention span
- Transfer to real life - The real test is whether your focus improves in daily tasks, not just in-app scores
The goal isn't to get good at brain games—it's to strengthen cognitive abilities that transfer to real-world focus challenges.
Looking for more traditional games? Check out these 10 fun games to improve focus and memory that work offline and build similar cognitive skills.
The Science: Do Brain Training Apps Actually Work?
The research is mixed but promising for specific claims:
What the evidence supports:
- Training can improve performance on tasks similar to those practiced
- Working memory training may enhance attention control
- Some cognitive benefits can transfer to similar real-world tasks
What remains uncertain:
- How much improvement transfers to unrelated cognitive tasks
- Whether benefits persist without continued training
- Individual variation in who benefits most
The apps on this list represent the more evidence-based options, many validated in peer-reviewed research. They're most effective when used as one tool in a comprehensive approach to improving focus—not a magic solution.
Maximizing Brain Training Benefits
To get real-world focus improvement from these apps:
- Combine with other strategies - Use brain training alongside meditation, exercise, and sleep optimization
- Practice deliberately - Focus on improving, not just completing exercises
- Choose challenging levels - The sweet spot is difficult but achievable
- Apply skills consciously - Notice when you use these cognitive strategies in daily life
Brain training apps can strengthen attention—but only if you approach them as skill-building, not entertainment. These apps provide the cognitive gym; you still need to do the work.