Pomodoro Timer, focus, break, repeat
A free online Pomodoro timer. Four presets, custom durations, session tracking, chime and desktop notifications. Runs entirely in your browser, no sign-up, no ads blocking the timer.
- 25/5, 50/10, 15/3, 90/20 presets
- Session count stored locally
- Chime and desktop notification
- Keyboard shortcuts
Space to start/pause · R reset · N skip
Today
0
Sessions
0
Minutes
0
All-time
Preset
Custom durations
Preferences
- Auto-start next phase
- Chime when phase ends
- Desktop notificationNot supported
Everything runs in your browser. Session counts are stored on your device only.
- 100% Free
- No Sign-Up
- Session Tracking
- Notifications
- Chime and Silent Mode
- Works Offline
Which preset should you use?
The four rhythms cover almost every kind of work. Pick by what you are doing, not by what you feel like doing.
| Preset | Work | Short | Long | Long every | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 25 min | 5 min | 15 min | 4 sessions | General work, studying, light tasks |
| Deep work | 50 min | 10 min | 25 min | 3 sessions | Coding, writing, design, research |
| Sprint | 15 min | 3 min | 12 min | 4 sessions | Starting a hard task, admin bursts |
| Ultradian | 90 min | 20 min | 30 min | 2 sessions | Long-form creative work, thesis writing |
Why the Pomodoro Technique actually works
Not magic, just a few well-known quirks of how attention works, packaged into a simple loop.
| Principle | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Fixed time box | Parkinson's law: work expands to fill the time available. A 25-minute box forces you to define what done looks like. |
| Scheduled breaks | Cognitive fatigue builds without noticing. A 5-minute break every 25 minutes maintains accuracy far better than working straight through. |
| Visible progress | A row of completed pomodoros is a tangible record of real work, good for morale on long projects. |
| Protects from interruptions | A timer running is a signal (to you and to others) that you are not available for the next 25 minutes. |
| Reduces context switching | One task per pomodoro. When an unrelated thought arrives, note it and finish the block first. |
Why this is the best free Pomodoro timer
Most free Pomodoro apps fill the screen with ads and bury the timer. This one keeps the timer front and centre.
| Feature | TToolDeck | Typical free online timers | Desktop Pomodoro apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| No sign-up or email | Yes | Partial | No |
| No ads blocking the timer | Yes | No | Yes |
| Custom durations (any value) | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Session tracking stored locally | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Long break scheduling (every N sessions) | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Desktop notification on phase end | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Chime generated in-browser (no audio files) | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Keyboard shortcuts (space, R, N) | Yes | No | Partial |
| Task label to name the session | Yes | No | Partial |
| Works offline after first load | Yes | No | Yes |
Comparison reflects publicly available information at the time of writing. Features may change. Representative examples of common patterns.
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How it works
- 1
Pick a preset or set your own
Classic 25/5 for most work, Deep work 50/10 for concentration-heavy tasks, Sprint 15/3 to beat procrastination, or Ultradian 90/20 for long-form work. Or open Custom to set any values.
- 2
Name the session and start
Type what you are working on, hit Start (or press Space), and the timer begins. The tab title shows the countdown so you can keep the tab behind your work.
- 3
Follow the rhythm
A chime plays and a notification fires when the phase ends. The tool switches to a short break, or a long break every N sessions. Come back to the next focus session refreshed.
Everything you get for free
Four presets, one tap
Classic 25/5, Deep work 50/10, Sprint 15/3 and Ultradian 90/20, the four rhythms that actually work for different kinds of tasks. Switch preset and the timer is ready instantly.
Custom durations
Pick any focus length from 1 to 180 minutes, any short break from 1 to 60, any long break from 1 to 90. The long break fires every N focus sessions, you decide N.
Session tracking that survives reload
Today's focus sessions and total focus minutes are stored in your browser. Close the tab, come back tomorrow, and the counter continues. Long-break progress shows as a row of dots so you know when the big break is coming.
Desktop notifications
When a focus session or a break ends, a native desktop notification fires so you can step away from the screen and still know when to switch. Opt-in only, the tool asks permission once.
Chime generated in-browser
When the phase ends, a two-note arpeggio plays, pitched differently for work versus break, so you know without looking. The audio is generated live with the Web Audio API, no sound files loaded, no downloads.
Task label for the session
Type what you are working on, like "Write the proposal" or "Study chapter 4", and it stays under the timer so you stay focused on that one thing, not the fifty other things on your list.
Keyboard shortcuts
Space starts and pauses. R resets the current phase. N skips to the next one. You do not have to move the mouse to run a session, useful if you are working in another window.
Tab title countdown
The browser tab shows the remaining time so you can keep it behind your work and glance at the top of the window instead of switching back to the tool. It updates every second.
What people use it for
Study sessions with real breaks
Students use the classic 25/5 to keep fresh: 25 minutes of focused reading or problem sets, 5 minutes away from the screen. Four cycles, then a longer break. Retention is dramatically better than an hour-long slog.
Deep work blocks
Knowledge workers pick the 50/10 or 90/20 preset for work that needs real concentration, like code, writing, design, research. Longer focus blocks with proportionally longer breaks.
Beat procrastination on a hard task
When starting feels impossible, set a 15-minute Sprint. You commit to just one quarter hour. Often the hardest part is starting, and by the time the timer ends, momentum carries you into the next one.
Writing and editing
One pomodoro for the first draft, one for the revision, one for the final polish. Each block is a defined piece of work, and the chime tells you when to switch modes.
Freelance billing blocks
Track how many pomodoros a task actually takes. Six sessions on a client project is a defensible billing unit, and the session counter builds up a real picture of where your hours go.
Language learning
Alternate between two languages in alternating pomodoros: 25 minutes of Spanish, break, 25 minutes of French. Short focused blocks are far better for vocabulary retention than a single long session.
Questions people ask
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. You work in fixed 25-minute blocks called pomodoros, take a 5-minute break after each, and after every four blocks take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. The fixed blocks force you to define a single task, reduce context switching, and give your brain regular recovery instead of a long unbroken slog.
Why is it called Pomodoro?
Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer when he was a university student. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. The name stuck and the technique has been called that ever since. Any timer works, the shape is optional.
Does 25 minutes really work, or is it arbitrary?
The 25-minute number is a starting point, not a law of nature. It happens to be long enough to make real progress on most tasks and short enough that starting feels low-risk. Many people find 50/10 or 90/20 better for deep work. The tool ships with all four presets and lets you set any duration, so you can find what actually works for the work you do.
Is my session data stored anywhere?
Only on your own device, in your browser's localStorage. Your session count, focus minutes and the task label never leave your browser. There is no account, no server, no sync. If you clear your browser data, the counts reset. They also reset automatically at midnight so today means today.
How does the chime work without a sound file?
The tool generates a short two-note arpeggio on the fly using the Web Audio API, the browser's built-in sound synthesis. No audio files are downloaded, no external asset is requested, and the sound can be turned off entirely in Preferences. The pitch is different for focus sessions and breaks so you can tell what ended without looking.
Do I need to allow notifications?
No. The chime plays regardless. Notifications are entirely optional, the tool asks once via the browser's native permission prompt, and you can say no. If you do enable them, a system notification fires when a phase ends so you can step away from the screen and still know when to come back.
What is the long break and when does it fire?
After every N focus sessions (default 4), you get a longer break instead of a short one. That is the 25/5 times 4 then 15 rhythm of the classic technique. The counter shows how many sessions until the next long break, and the settings panel lets you change N to 2, 3, 4 or anything up to 10.
What happens if I close the tab mid-session?
The current session is lost, the timer runs in the tab, not in the background. Your accumulated stats (sessions completed today, total focus minutes) are saved and will be there when you come back. For longer sessions, keep the tab open in the background, the timer still runs and the tab title keeps counting down.
Do the keyboard shortcuts work if the tab is in the background?
No, browser and operating system rules mean keyboard shortcuts only fire when the tab or window has focus. The chime and the desktop notification do fire in the background, which is the reason both exist.
Can I use this for something other than work?
Yes. Students use it for study sessions with breaks. Writers use it for drafting and editing blocks. Language learners alternate between two languages. Developers use it for focused coding sessions away from Slack. Some people use the Sprint preset for household chores and exercise. Any activity that benefits from a fixed time box works.
Is the timer accurate?
Yes. The tool calculates the end time when you press start and then reads from the system clock on every animation frame, so it stays accurate even if the browser tab is throttled, the computer is asleep for a while, or the UI thread is busy. The display only updates once per second but the underlying math is continuous.
Is it free, and can I use it at work?
Completely free for personal and commercial use. No sign-up, no email, no ads blocking the timer, no daily limit. Everything runs in your browser, so it is safe to use on a work laptop with confidential tabs open. Nothing from this page touches your data.
Your sessions stay on your device
Session counts and the task label are stored in your browser's localStorage only. There is no account, no sync, no server. The chime is generated live with the Web Audio API, no audio file is ever downloaded. Clearing site data resets everything. Read how we keep it private.