For anyone navigating executive dysfunction, task paralysis, or the daily friction of managing a business and home, body doubling can feel like a genuine lifeline. Having another presence in the room, even a virtual one, often makes the difference between staring blankly at a mounting task list for three hours and actually getting work done.
When Roxanne Emery and Richard Pink (the duo behind ADHD Love) launched dubbii, it filled a crucial void. It offered structured, gentle, pre-recorded body doubling sessions and live group check-ins tailored specifically for everyday chores, personal care, and work.
To be clear: this is in no way a takedown or trash talk aimed at Rox and Rich. I genuinely love what they are trying to do. Their videos and work have brought immense validation, humour, and empathy to the neurodivergent community, and their heart is clearly in the right place. Naturally, dubbii caught my attention. I knew body doubling would help me get through a lot of what I put off, especially when it comes to business admin, updating systems, and tackling tasks that feel heavy or tedious.
However, looking closely at the subscription model, and with recent price increases pushing tiers up to £9.99 a month or £49.99 annually, I hit a familiar wall: I simply couldn’t justify adding another recurring cost.
Highlighting this isn’t about criticizing the creators, but rather addressing a significant barrier to entry. I fear that as subscription costs rise, it creates a real disadvantage for many of the people who need this tool most: those on low incomes, dealing with employment instability, or trying to keep small businesses afloat.
The Reality of the “ADHD Tax” and Financial Strain
The term “ADHD tax” usually refers to the unexpected expenses caused by neurodivergent traits: forgotten subscriptions, impulse purchases, late fees, or wasted food. But there is a secondary, quieter tax: the cost of simply buying the support required to function in a world not built for executive dysfunction.
Neurodivergent adults are disproportionately affected by financial pressure. When essential coping strategies, like body doubling, habit tracking, or routine planning, are converted into recurring monthly fees, it creates a real barrier to access.
While a few extra pounds a month might seem minor on paper, when you are watching every penny, any added subscription fee is a heavy hurdle. Support shouldn’t feel like a luxury reserved only for those with spare disposable income.
Understanding the Developer Balance
It is worth looking at this from both sides. Building, maintaining, and scaling a dedicated app comes with significant costs. High-definition video hosting, servers, regular software maintenance, and community moderation for live features all require continuous funding. Developers face a genuine challenge when trying to keep a platform financially viable while remaining true to an accessibility-focused mission.
To their credit, the team at dubbii has actively attempted to tackle certain aspects of the ADHD tax. Unlike many platforms that quietly profit from abandoned subscriptions, dubbii sends advance notifications before annual renewals and checks in with inactive users to ask if they want to keep their plan active. That kind of thoughtful approach deserves recognition.
Yet, even with good intentions and ethical billing policies, a higher price tier inevitably leaves lower-income users and budget-conscious individuals behind.
Free and Low-Cost Alternatives for Body Doubling
Hitting a paywall on an app was disappointing, but it was also a good reminder: body doubling is a psychological concept, not a proprietary piece of software. You do not need a paid subscription or permission from an app to get the exact same brain-hack effect.
Here are several zero-cost alternatives to help build momentum without touching your bank balance:
- Focusmate (Free Tier): Focusmate pairs you 1-on-1 via video with another person across the globe for quiet, dedicated co-working sessions. The free tier gives you 3 free sessions every week, which is ideal for blasting through your heaviest business or personal admin blocks.
- YouTube “Work With Me” & “Clean With Me” Streams: Search YouTube for real-time, silent or low-fi “study with me” or “work with me” videos. Running these on a secondary screen or tablet tricks your brain into the exact same focused state as a pre-recorded app.
- Community Discord Servers: Free neurodivergent and focus-based Discord communities run dedicated channels strictly for muted co-working and chore sprints at any time of day.
- Twitch Focus Streamers: Many creators host live, scheduled study and task-completion streams using timed intervals (like the Pomodoro technique) with gentle background music.
- The “Swap” Buddy System: Pair up with a friend, partner, or fellow business owner for a weekly 1-hour sprint. Hop on a muted video call on Zoom or WhatsApp, type your goals in the chat, and get to work together.
A Mindful Approach to Digital Tools
It is easy to fall into the mindset that if we just purchase the right app, download the ideal planner, or subscribe to the correct service, our routines will magically click into place.
Apps and digital tools are simply supportive scaffolding; they are not the foundation. The real foundation lies in self-compassion, understanding your own energy patterns, and giving yourself permission to use whatever method works today, even if it is as simple as running a free video on mute while tackling the dishes or sitting down to business admin.
Support should be accessible, and when paid tools move out of reach, pivoting to free community resources is a practical, grounded way to keep moving forward without adding financial stress.
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