Search for the best Pomodoro apps and most lists give you a dozen tomato timers that all do the same thing: 25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of break, repeat. The timer is the easy part. What separates the apps is everything around it: whether your tasks live there, whether it blocks your phone, whether it runs on your computer too, and what happens when you stop halfway.
The quick answer: for a plain 25/5 timer, use Focus Keeper. To keep tasks and Pomodoros together across iPhone, Android and Windows, use Focus To-Do. If your phone is the problem, Forest blocks apps for free. If you work on a Mac, Session covers both screens. To study alongside friends at no cost, try Flora. And if every timer you've tried felt like a chore, Focus Train turns each session into a train journey that never punishes you for leaving.
If you're new to the method itself, what the Pomodoro technique is covers the basics. To try one before installing anything, our free Pomodoro timer runs in the browser.
Best for a plain, classic Pomodoro timer: Focus Keeper
Focus Keeper (4.8, 31,000+ ratings) from PIXO is the closest thing on iPhone to a kitchen tomato timer. It follows the original method: 25 minutes of focus, a 5-minute break, and a longer break after four sessions, and it starts the next session by itself so you don't have to come back and tap. You can change all three lengths, and a chart shows how much you've focused over time.
It's free to download, with optional premium features by subscription. There's an Apple Watch app, an Android version and a web timer.
Skip it if the timer alone has never been enough to get you started. Focus Keeper does the method well and doesn't try to do more.
Best for keeping tasks and Pomodoros in one place: Focus To-Do
Focus To-Do (4.8, 14,000+ ratings) from Focus To-Do is a task manager with a Pomodoro timer built in. You add tasks with due dates, reminders, subtasks and repeats, estimate how many Pomodoros each one needs, then start the timer on the task itself. Reports show where your focus time went, by day, week and project.
Its biggest advantage is reach: the website lists apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Mac and Windows, plus a Chrome extension, all synced. It's free to download.
Skip it if you already have a to-do app you like. You'd be running two lists.
Best for blocking your phone during a session: Forest
Forest (4.8, 49,000+ ratings) from Seekrtech is the best-known focus timer of all. Start a session and a tree grows; leave early and it withers. On iOS 16 and later you can also block the apps you choose while it runs, and its Time Guard feature blocks them on a schedule outside sessions too. Forest's website says the app is free with no time limit and that both blocking tools are free. Forest Plus, a subscription with a free trial, adds faster rewards and extra tree species.
Skip it if a dying tree makes you anxious rather than motivated. We cover gentler options in Forest alternatives.
Best for working across a Mac and an iPhone: Session
Session (4.8, 300+ ratings) from Translucent is built for people who work at a computer. You start a session on the Mac and can finish it on the iPhone. On the Mac it can block distracting websites and apps and mute chosen Slack teams. Finished sessions can appear in Apple Calendar, and Shortcuts automations can turn on Do Not Disturb or start music when a session begins.
Session's pricing page lists a free plan with unlimited sessions and two days of analytics. Pro, at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US, adds custom session and break lengths, the full log, sync and the Mac blocking.
Skip it if you only use an iPhone. The blocking is Mac-only, and that's where most of Session's value is.
Best for a free timer with friends: Flora
Flora (4.8, 82,000+ ratings) from AppFinca works like Forest: plant a seed, stay focused, and it grows into a tree. If you leave the app, the tree dies. Its strength is group sessions: plant together with friends, see who gave up first, and chat to keep each other going. It also has a to-do list and a habit view. Flora's website says it's free.
Skip it if you study alone. Most of what sets Flora apart from Forest is social.
Best for when you keep quitting timers: Focus Train
Focus Train is the one we make. It's a Pomodoro timer where each session is a train journey on a real railway map. Pick 25, 45, 60 or 90 minutes or any length you want, choose a destination and board. While you focus, your train travels along a real line toward a real city. Look away or leave the app and the train waits at the platform. Nothing dies and nothing gets taken away. Each arrival prints a ticket, adds a stamp and a postcard, and your map fills in over time.
The ride stays visible without opening the app: a live ticket on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, Home Screen widgets, and an Apple Watch app. It runs natively on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its Baggage feature uses Apple's Screen Time to lock the apps you choose for the length of a ride, and since version 7.5 a scheduled departure can lock them on its own at a set time. There are 20 cabin soundscapes, from train wheels to rain and brown noise. It needs no account.
Focus Train is free to download, with a limited number of free rides; Premium removes the limit and adds longer Expedition rides, all the soundscapes and iCloud sync.
Skip it if you want a bare 25/5 countdown with nothing else on the screen. Focus Keeper is the simpler tool.
Which one for which job
| App | What it adds to the timer | Blocks apps | Free version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus Keeper | Classic 25/5 cycles that run on their own | — | Free to download, premium by subscription |
| Focus To-Do | A full task list, synced to Android and Windows | — | Free to download |
| Forest | A tree that grows or withers, real-tree planting | Yes, also on a schedule | Free, blocking included; Plus is a subscription |
| Session | Mac and iPhone, calendar logging, automations | Mac only | Unlimited sessions, 2 days of analytics |
| Flora | Group sessions with friends, to-dos | — | Free |
| Focus Train | A train journey on a real map, Lock Screen ticket | Yes, also on a schedule | Limited free rides; Premium removes the limit |
A dash means neither the App Store listing nor the developer's website mentions it, so we haven't guessed. Details are from each app's App Store listing and website as of November 2026. Free versions change, so check the store page if price is what decides it.
What to look for if you have ADHD
The Pomodoro method gets recommended a lot for ADHD, and plenty of people with ADHD also say it doesn't stick for them. Feature lists don't settle it. These three questions sort the apps faster:
- How fast can you start? If starting means picking a task, a tag and three durations, the setup becomes the thing you put off. Focus Keeper and Focus Train both start a session in one tap.
- What happens when you stop early? Forest and Flora kill a tree, which some people find motivating and others find stressful. In Focus Train the train just waits at the platform until you come back.
- Can you see it without opening the app? A timer you have to go and check is easy to forget. Lock Screen Live Activities, widgets and a watch face keep it in view.
If the hard part is the time between sessions rather than the session itself, a countdown to the next point in your day may help more than another timer. See the best visual timer apps for ADHD.
The bottom line
If you want the method and nothing else, start with Focus Keeper. If you need your tasks next to the timer, especially across Windows or Android, Focus To-Do. If your phone is the main distraction, Forest's free blocking is hard to beat. And if you've already tried a few timers and stopped using them, give Focus Train a ride or two. Pomodoro apps don't usually fail on features. They fail because you stop opening them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Pomodoro app for iPhone?
It depends on what you want around the timer. For a plain 25/5 timer with breaks that start themselves, Focus Keeper is the classic pick. If your tasks need to live next to the timer, Focus To-Do combines both. If your phone is the distraction, Forest blocks apps for free. If you have quit timers before because they felt like a chore, Focus Train turns each session into a train journey across a real rail map.
What is the best Pomodoro app for ADHD?
There is no single answer, but three things tend to matter more than features: how fast you can start a session, whether a missed session costs you anything, and whether the timer stays visible without opening the app. Focus Keeper starts in one tap, Focus Train never punishes leaving and shows the ride on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, and Forest suits people who want a stake on every session. None of these apps is a medical treatment.
Is there a Pomodoro app that blocks distracting apps?
Yes. Forest blocks the apps you choose during a session and can also block them on a schedule with Time Guard, and its website says both are free. Focus Train's Baggage feature uses Apple's Screen Time to lock the apps you pick for the length of a ride, and since version 7.5 a scheduled departure can lock them on its own. Session blocks websites and apps only on the Mac.
Which Pomodoro app works on iPhone and Windows?
Focus To-Do is the one to look at. Its website lists apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Mac and Windows, plus a Chrome extension, with your tasks and Pomodoros synced between them. Focus Keeper's website lists iPhone, Android and a web version.
Make your next Pomodoro a journey
Pick a length, board, and watch your train cross a real rail map while you focus. Look away and it simply waits.
Download Focus Train on the App Store →Related: Focus Train vs Forest · The Pomodoro technique for studying. Questions? Email us.
