Best Free Pomodoro Timer Apps (Prices Checked October 2026)

You search “free Pomodoro app,” download the one with the nicest icon, and set your first 25-minute timer. On day three you find out that changing the break length is a Pro feature.

That’s the problem with this category. Almost every Pomodoro app is free to download. Far fewer are free to use the way you wanted.

So this list checks one thing the usual roundups skip: what each app’s official listing says you get for free, and what costs money. We read the App Store listings, Google Play and the apps’ own sites on 18 October 2026. Prices change, so treat that date as part of the answer.

Quick answer: On iPhone, Be Focused is the best free Pomodoro app. Its listing says it’s free to download and use forever, and Pro mostly adds sync, tags, CSV export and ad removal. If you want a to-do list with a timer built in, use TickTick. On any device, including Android and laptops, Pomofocus runs free in your browser and lets you set your own focus and break lengths.

The free Pomodoro apps compared

Prices checked 18 October 2026. US App Store prices unless noted; other countries differ.

The best Pomodoro app for each situation

Be Focused: best free app for iPhone

Be Focused is the closest thing to a free-forever Pomodoro app on iOS. Tasks, timer customisation, reports, widgets and Apple Watch support aren’t marked as Pro on its listing. What you’d pay for is syncing across devices, tags and filters, CSV export and a banner-free screen.

If you only use your iPhone, you may never need Pro. If you work across an iPad too, sync is the feature that will eventually matter.

Flow: the best-looking option, if your phone is recent

Flow is free to download, and the listing names timer sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac as its Pro feature. It needs iOS 18 or later, which rules out older phones. The listing doesn’t spell out the rest of the free-versus-Pro split, so try the free version for a few days before you pay.

TickTick: for people who want tasks and a timer in one place

If your to-do list already lives in an app, a separate timer is one more thing to open. TickTick puts the Pomo timer next to your tasks, and its listing doesn’t list the timer under Premium. Premium costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the US, so it only makes sense if you need what’s in that tier too.

Forest: for people who can’t leave their phone alone

Forest grows a virtual tree while you stay off your phone, and the tree dies if you leave. Some people find that oddly effective. Others find it a gimmick. It’s free to download on both iOS and Android, with in-app purchases, and the Google Play version contains ads. It’s the only app here with an Android listing we could verify.

Session: only if you’re on a Mac and want website blocking

Session’s free plan gives you unlimited timers but only two days of analytics, and custom session and break lengths are listed under Pro. Website and app blocking is Pro too, and works on Mac only. At $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, it’s a tool for Mac users who need blocking, not a free Pomodoro app.

Pomofocus: best free timer in a browser

Pomofocus lets you set your own focus and break lengths for free, and it gives you daily, weekly and monthly reports. The defaults are 25 minutes of focus and 5 of break. The free version shows ads (the ad-free experience is listed under Premium), and Premium also adds projects, yearly reports and Todoist import.

Tomato Timer: for when you just want a timer

Tomato Timer does one thing. It runs 25 minutes of work, a 5-minute short break and a 10-minute long break after four Pomodoros, with sounds, a daily goal and a log. There’s no sign-in. The site shows no pricing, but also doesn’t say “free,” so check it yourself if that matters.

One that didn’t make the list: Bear Focus Timer costs $2.99 upfront on the App Store, so it doesn’t belong on a “free” list.

What “free” usually means in a Pomodoro app

There are three common patterns:

1. Free forever, with paid extras (Be Focused, Pomofocus). The core timer stays free and you pay for sync or extras.
2. Free to download, with the useful settings locked (Session). You can start a timer, but you can’t change its length without paying.
3. Free with a subscription for the rest of the app (TickTick, Forest). The timer is one part of a bigger product.

Before you commit, check three things in the store listing: whether you can change focus and break lengths, whether sync costs extra, and whether there’s a subscription you’d forget to cancel.

Do you need an app at all?

Probably less than you think. The timer isn’t what makes the method work. The fixed breaks are.

In a 2023 study, 87 university students spent one day studying. Some followed fixed breaks (one group took 6 minutes after every 24), and others took breaks whenever they felt like it. The students who chose their own breaks reported more fatigue and distraction and lower concentration and motivation. They got the same amount done (Biwer et al., 2023).

So a plain countdown on your phone gets you most of the benefit. Pick an app only if you want reports, task lists or blocking. If you’re new to the method, start with our Pomodoro Technique guide and our guide to how long a Pomodoro break should be.

How to choose in 60 seconds

• Just an iPhone, no budget: Be Focused.
• iPhone and Mac, happy to pay a bit: Flow, after a few days on the free version.
• Want tasks and timer together: TickTick.
• Android or a work laptop: Pomofocus or Tomato Timer in your browser.
• Need to block distracting sites on a Mac: Session.
• Using time blocking too? See our guide to calendar apps for time blocking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best completely free Pomodoro app? For iPhone, Be Focused, whose listing says it’s free to download and use forever. For a browser, Pomofocus’s free version lets you set your own timings, and Tomato Timer needs no sign-in and shows no pricing.

Which Pomodoro app is best for Android? We could only verify Forest on Google Play, and it contains ads and in-app purchases. For Android, browser-based timers such as Pomofocus are the simplest free option.

Do I need to pay for a Pomodoro app? No. A basic countdown timer already gives you the fixed work and break schedule. Pay only for something specific, such as sync between devices or website blocking.

Does the Pomodoro Technique work for studying? The best-known test of Pomodoro-style breaks used university students studying for a day. They finished as much work as students who chose their own breaks, with less fatigue and distraction.

Updated 18 October 2026: prices rechecked on each app’s official listing, Bear Focus Timer removed because it isn’t free, and an iPhone section and comparison table added.

Sources

• Be Focused on the UK App Store
• Flow on the App Store
• TickTick on the US App Store
• Forest on the App Store and on Google Play
• Session pricing
• Pomofocus and Tomato Timer
• Bear Focus Timer on the App Store
• Biwer et al. (2023), British Journal of Educational Psychology