The short answer. Tomatino is the menu bar timer that also switches the system Focus mode and your music with each session. TomatoBar is the menu bar one with the smallest footprint. Focus is the pomodoro-based time manager. Tomato 2 is the beautiful simple timer. Focused Work is the flexible one. Repose and Time Out are break timers rather than session timers, and that distinction is the whole decision: one starts work and the other interrupts it. Pick wrong and the tool either nags you or never tells you to stop.
This guide covers 8 pomodoro timers for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Mac utility | not published | not published | 2.4.1 |
| Focused Work: Focus Timer | Mac utility | not published | not published | 5.2 |
| Pomodoro Cycle | Mac utility | not published | GPL-3.0 | 0.0.6 |
| Repose | system tool | Open source | MIT | 1.1.1 |
| Time Out | Mac utility | Free | not published | 3.1 |
| Tomatino | system tool | Open source | not published | 2.4.0 |
| Tomato 2 | Mac utility | Free | not published | — |
| TomatoBar | system tool | Open source | MIT | 3.6.1 |
What actually decides this
- Session timer or break timer. A session timer starts an interval of work and ends by telling you to rest. A break timer watches how long you have been working and dims the screen. They look identical in a screenshot and are used at opposite ends of the day.
- What it does when the interval ends. A notification, a dimmed screen, a Focus mode switch and a music change are four different interventions with four different costs. The interruption is the feature, and how gentle it is decides whether you keep the tool installed.
- Whether it can drive the system Focus mode. Switching the system Focus mode lets one tool handle notifications and the timer together. Without it, you are managing two systems and they drift apart within a week.
- How you start and stop it. A global hotkey and a menu bar click are not equivalent when the reason you installed a timer is that you cannot stop working. If starting it takes more than one gesture, it will not get used at the moment it matters.
- Whether it keeps a history. A timer that records what you did is already a time tracker, and some of this category cross that line deliberately. Whether you want the record is a separate question from whether you want the interval.
Our picks
- Tomatino — Its record describes a menu bar Pomodoro timer that switches the Focus mode and music with each session, which is the integrated case. Choose it when you want the session to switch Focus mode and your music with it.
- TomatoBar — Its record describes a Pomodoro timer for the macOS menu bar, which is the minimal case. Choose it when you want the smallest possible menu bar timer.
- Focus — Its record describes a pomodoro-based time manager, which is the manager case rather than the timer one. Choose it when you want the timer to be part of a time management system.
- Repose — Its record describes a menu bar break timer that dims the screen and pauses during calls, which is the break case. Choose it when the problem is that you never stop, rather than that you need to start.
- Time Out — Its record describes easy break reminders with micro-breaks and flexible customisation, which is the flexible-break case. Choose it when you want configurable micro-breaks rather than fixed intervals.
The apps
Focus
Focus is a Mac utility for macOS. Beautiful pomodoro-based time manager. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Focus is a deep work timer with tasks for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. Timed sessions, projects, and clear progress — calm and private.
Focus is listed with current version 2.4.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Focus →
Focused Work: Focus Timer
Focused Work: Focus Timer is a Mac utility for macOS. A simple, flexible Focus Timer. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. A powerful productivity timer that helps you focus and get stuff done. Start a timer or Pomodoro session, fight a busy day, or harness your ADHD superpower.
Focused Work: Focus Timer is listed with current version 5.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Focused Work: Focus Timer →
Pomodoro Cycle
Pomodoro Cycle is a Mac utility for macOS. Pomodoro tracker. It is released under GPL-3.0. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Track pomodoro intervals. Desktop notifications. Interval setting.
Pomodoro Cycle is listed with current version 0.0.6.
Full profile and verified facts for Pomodoro Cycle →
Repose
Repose is a system tool for macOS. Menu bar break timer that dims your screen and pauses during calls. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Break reminder for macOS that pauses during meetings.
Repose is listed with current version 1.1.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Repose →
Time Out
Time Out is a Mac utility for macOS. Easy break reminders, with micro-break and flexible customization if you want it. It is free.
What it does. Dejal Time Out: break timer with micro-breaks for macOS.
Time Out is listed with current version 3.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Time Out →
Tomatino
Tomatino is a system tool for macOS. Menu bar Pomodoro timer that switches your Focus mode and your music with each session. It is open source.
What it does. Pomodoro timer for Mac, iPhone and iPad. A session starts your music and, on the Mac, a Focus mode; the break puts both back. One purchase covers all three.
Tomatino is listed with current version 2.4.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Tomatino →
Tomato 2
Tomato 2 is a Mac utility for macOS. Beautiful and simple Pomodoro timer. It is free.
Full profile and verified facts for Tomato 2 →
TomatoBar
TomatoBar is a system tool for macOS. World’s neatest Pomodoro timer for macOS menu bar. It is released under MIT.
What it does. World’s neatest Pomodoro timer for macOS menu bar.
TomatoBar is listed with current version 3.6.1.
Full profile and verified facts for TomatoBar →
How to choose
- Free of charge. Time Out and Tomato 2 — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Repose, Tomatino and TomatoBar — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Focus, Focused Work: Focus Timer and Pomodoro Cycle — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Repose, Tomatino and TomatoBar (3 of 8).
Common mistakes
- Installing a session timer to solve a break problem, then turning off the interruption that was the point.
- Choosing by the widget. The only thing that matters is what happens at the end of the interval, and that is the part no screenshot shows.
- Letting a notification be the only signal. The whole reason these tools dim the screen is that a notification is another thing to dismiss.
- Running the timer and a separate Focus mode by hand. They will diverge in a week, and then neither is telling you the truth.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these pomodoro timers?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 8 pomodoro timers: Focus, Focused Work: Focus Timer, Pomodoro Cycle, Repose, Time Out, Tomatino, Tomato 2 and TomatoBar. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these pomodoro timers free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Focus, Focused Work: Focus Timer and Pomodoro Cycle), open source (Repose, Tomatino and TomatoBar) and free (Time Out and Tomato 2). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these pomodoro timers are open source?
Repose (MIT), Tomatino (not published) and TomatoBar (MIT) are open source.
Do these pomodoro timers support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
