If you’re looking for a simple yet effective way to boost your productivity, the Pomodoro technique is worth trying. This method involves breaking your workday into smaller, more focused sessions with short breaks in between. While you can use the timer app on your phone to implement this, some apps offer features that make it easier to automate and schedule your timers. This guide introduces eight of the best Pomodoro timer apps for iPhone!
Good to know: working on Windows? Discover how to set alarms and timers in Windows.
1. Emphasis
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $3.49 per month
Emphasis is a beautifully simple Pomodoro timer app that allows you to customize your focus and break sessions. The app features a minimalist timer that notifies you with a satisfying gong sound at the end of each session. The app includes a page that shows you detailed statistics on your productivity. You can set a daily goal here, customize how many focus sessions you want to complete before a long break, and even set up your working hours. It syncs with the cloud if you sign up and allows you to customize the color theme.
Pros
- Minimalistic interface
- Satisfying sounds to indicate the end of a session
- Won’t annoy you with unnecessary notifications
- Signing up is not a requirement
Cons
- Less customization
- The auto-start and digital timer features are paid
2. Forest
Price: $3.99
Forest is more than just a Pomodoro timer – it also works as an accountability tool that keeps you productive with its gamified approach. Every time you start a work or focus session, a virtual tree is planted. This tree grows as the timer progresses. The catch is that if you close the app or disable the timer, the tree dies.
It sounds simple, but once you start growing your tree collection, you’ll make sure that the next one doesn’t wither away. There’s a sense of responsibility to ensure that your tree collection survives. It’s a very engaging and playful way of building discipline and getting real work done along the way.
Pros
- Superb for self-accountability
- Offers a unique gamified approach
- Customizable settings
- Relatively cheap
- Syncs your settings on Android as well
Cons
- Lacks a to-do list section
3. Freedom
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $8.99 per month
If you don’t like the Forest app’s gamification aspect and want something that’s stricter, Freedom is worth considering. This app allows you to add certain apps and websites to a “Block List.” When you enable a focus session, these apps/websites become inaccessible. This strict approach helps you stay away from social media app distractions. You can set up recurring timers with customized block lists or a new one for each session.
Pros
- Blocks distracting websites and apps
- Customizable timers and block lists
- Great selection of focus music
- Syncs across all your devices
Cons
- Requires a subscription to access the full range of features
- A bit pricey compared to similar apps
Tip: struggling to manage your workflow in a timely manner? Stay on top of tasks with these To-Do list tips.
4. Focus To-Do: Focus Timer
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $1.99 per month
Focus To-Do is a Pomodoro app that goes beyond the timer. It features calendar and project management tools that help you stay focused and on top of your tasks. One unique feature of Focus To-Do is its ability to sync with the popular productivity tool Trello. Track your progress on Trello boards directly within the app. Plus, the app supports tags and color coding, with an interface similar to a Kanban board. As for the Pomodoro timer, you can customize it however you would like. There’s also a “Strict Mode,” which only starts the timer when you flip your phone with the screen facing downward.
Pros
- Integrates with Trello for seamless productivity tracking
- Offers a comprehensive set of tools for project management
- Customizable timer options
- In-depth progress tracking and analytics
Cons
- The user interface is a bit overwhelming
- Some of the timer features can be too strict
Tip: want to be even more efficient and productive? Learn how to use the Eisenhower Matrix to manage your tasks.
5. Toggl Track
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $1.99 per month
Apart from having a Pomodoro timer, Toggl Track makes it easy to monitor how you spend your time on a daily basis. This includes project and task tracking, customizable reporting tools, and integrations with apps, such as Trello, Asana, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. It helps you track tasks with a built-in calendar, sends you reports of how much time you’re spending on each project, and syncs across all your devices.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Advanced features like project and task tracking
- Customizable reporting tools
- Integrations with over 100 tools and services
Cons
- Limited functionality on the free plan
- Some features can be complex to set up and use
6. Study Bunny
Price: Free / in-app purchases
Another app that gamifies the timer experience is Study Bunny. It’s a bit stricter than other apps on this list, as you can’t customize the timer for break sessions. Once you’ve completed a timer, you receive a reward that can be utilized to feed the bunny and buy new skins and places. If a break goes on for longer than seven minutes, you don’t get any rewards. Besides studying, you also need to ensure your study bunny is nourished. It’s a cute and unique approach to the Pomodoro timer, as it holds you accountable by giving you a virtual pet.
Pros
- Offers a cute and engaging interface
- Allows users to compete with friends and earn achievements
- Has a wide range of custom focus sounds to boost productivity
- Easy to use and stays out of your way
Cons
- Limited customization
- The free version has too many ads
Good to know: working on a Mac? Discover how to supercharge your productivity with Apple Focus modes.
7. Flow
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $0.99 per month
Flow is a minimalistic Pomodoro timer app. One of its main features is its ability to block distracting apps and websites during your work sessions, just like Freedom. It also includes a full-screen break mode, which forces you to take a short relaxation period between work sessions. This is much better than just scrolling through social media on your breaks, as it helps you relax your brain rather than overstimulate it. Flow gives you an overview of your completed sessions, helps you identify patterns in your working habits, and syncs across all devices that you log into.
Pros
- Simple and intuitive design
- Syncs across all iCloud devices
- Fullscreen break mode works quite well
- Competitively priced
Cons
- No task management features
- No sound customization as of yet
Tip: have you decided that the Pomodoro technique is not for you? We have compiled some of the best mobile apps to help you focus and study.
8. Flip
Price: Free / Paid version starting at $0.99 per month
With Flip, you can compete against your friends and thousands of other global users by earning points for every task you complete. However, its most interesting feature is the timer, which you start by flipping the phone so that the screen faces downward. The timer ends when you flip the phone over. This process is intuitive and eliminates the need to check the timer again and again. You can customize each task’s start and stop time and listen to a wide variety of focus sounds between tasks to improve your efficiency.
Pros
- Simple and intuitive design
- Syncs across all iCloud devices
- Fullscreen break mode works quite well
- Competitively priced
Cons
- No task management features
- No sound customization as of yet
How to Effectively Use Pomodoro Timer Apps
To get the most out of Pomodoro Timer apps, follow these tips:
- Make Realistic Goals: decide on the task you want to perform during a Pomodoro session and ensure that it can be achieved during that time.
- Set the Timer: if you feel like your task could take a little more than twenty-five minutes, adjust the timer accordingly. You can divide a task into two Pomodoro sessions if one session doesn’t cut it.
- Eliminate Distractions: find a comfortable place to work in and completely zero in on your work.
- Take Breaks: after each Pomodoro session, take a short break. After four sessions, take a long break.
- Track Your Progress: look at your daily, weekly, and monthly overview to check your progress and identify your shortcomings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pomodoro helpful for ADHD?
The Pomodoro technique can be helpful in addressing the problems that people with ADHD face by providing a structured approach to work and helping them maintain focus. However, you will need to tailor this technique, as it can be a bit strict and requires discipline.
How long should it take to complete one Pomodoro?
A Pomodoro should be long enough to make progress on the task you’re performing. Still, if you feel like you’re losing focus, or your productivity is declining during a Pomodoro, you may need to adjust its duration until you find the right balance.
What are the disadvantages of the Pomodoro technique?
Though the Pomodoro technique is helpful, it might not be suitable for everyone. While some perform well under pressure, others could face a decline in the quality of their work. Moreover, people who fail to complete a task within a Pomodoro may feel stressed or develop a sense that the quality of their work has declined in the name of efficiency.
Who invented the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro technique was invented in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. He named it after a tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used during his work sessions.
Image credit: Kitchen timer for cooking and working productively by DepositPhotos. All screenshots by Hashir Ibrahim.
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