EMB / ege-mert-balcik

Focus and Pomodoro timers that stay in view on a Mac

By Ege Mert Balçık · Last updated 3 November 2026 · Disclosure: I make Ledge, one of the apps compared

Short answer: macOS has countdown timers in the Clock app but no Pomodoro cycle. A Focus mode silences notifications without counting anything down. To keep the time left where you can see it, use a menu bar timer (TomatoBar is free and open source; Session, Flow and Be Focused are free with paid Pro tiers) or a notch app with a timer (Ledge, Droppy, NotchNook, Atoll).

Built into macOS

  1. Clock timers. In the Clock app, click Timers at the top of the window (or choose View > Timers), set the time and click Start. Apple says a timer keeps running when you open another app or the Mac goes to sleep. You can run several at once. To get to Clock quickly, click the time in the menu bar, then the Clock widget. Apple's guide does not say that a running timer shows its countdown in the menu bar.
  2. Focus is not a timer. A Focus silences or filters notifications. In Control Center you can turn one on and choose a duration such as "For 1 hour". Apple's guide says the Focus icon then shows in the menu bar. It does not mention a countdown or any breaks.
  3. Live Activities from your iPhone. On macOS Tahoe 26 with iPhone Mirroring set up, Apple says Live Activities from your iPhone appear in the Mac's menu bar. So a timer app on the phone that publishes a Live Activity can show there. Flow's listing, for example, says it supports Live Activities.

Apps that keep the countdown in view

AppWhere the time showsPricemacOSNotes
TomatoBarMenu bar ("Show timer in menu bar" setting)Free, MIT11+Work and rest intervals, global hotkey, tomatobar:// URLs; Homebrew cask; 3.6.1, Feb 2026
SessionMenu bar (minutes left); Mini Player window that stays on topFree; Pro US$4.99/month or US$39.99/year10.15+Pro blocks apps and websites (Mac only); App Store or direct download
FlowMenu bar timerFree; Pro US$2.99/month, US$17.99/year or US$39.99 lifetime (App Store)26+App and web blocking; version 5.0 was rebuilt for macOS 26 and 27
Be FocusedMenu bar icon to start, pause or skip; the listing does not say the countdown shows thereFree; Pro US$2.99/month, US$19.99/year or US$39.99 lifetime12+Tasks with intervals, reports, global hotkeys; Pro adds sync and blocking
LedgeBeside the notchFree, GPL-3.026+Pomodoro cycle, one-off timer and stopwatch. Notched MacBooks only
DroppyAt the notch (Pomodoro extension)US$9.99 once14+"Start a focus session and the countdown lives at the notch, with a break when it ends"; works on Macs without a notch
NotchNookPomodoro Timer widget in the Nook; timer Live ActivityClassic US$15 lifetime or US$2/month; Pro US$19 lifetime or US$3/month14.6+Pick Focus or Break and drag a ruler to set the minutes; works on screens without a notch
AtollTimers tab in the opened notch; timer widget on the lock screenFree, GPL-3.014+Notched MacBooks

A menu bar timer works on any Mac and any display. The catch, which Session's own changelog describes, is that the icon can be hidden when the menu bar is crowded; Session added its always-on-top Mini Player for that reason. I did not find a timer in Alcove or boring.notch.

How the Ledge timer works

Ledge's timer card has three faces: Timer, Focus and Stopwatch. Focus is the Pomodoro cycle. Click Start focus (or Break) and the countdown sits beside the notch while you work. The defaults are 25 minutes of focus, 5-minute breaks and a 15-minute long break after every fourth session. Settings has a slider for each plus a switch that starts the next session on its own (on by default). The Timer face is a one-off countdown: drag the number sideways to set anything from 1 to 180 minutes, then click Start. It remembers the lengths you use.

While a session runs, the card shows the time it will end and buttons to pause, skip to the next leg (Focus only) or cancel. When a leg ends, the notch grows for about three seconds with "Break time", "Back to work" or "Timer done". A card then offers Repeat and Done. Ledge plays no sound. If the lid is shut or the screen is asleep when a leg ends, the next leg waits paused. The notice appears once you can see the screen again.

What it does not do: it blocks no apps or websites, keeps no history of your sessions and only runs on the built-in display of a notched MacBook on macOS 26 or later. Install it with brew install --cask egemertbalcik/tap/ledge or get the notarized DMG from GitHub.

Which to choose

FAQ

Does macOS have a built-in Pomodoro timer?

No. The Clock app runs one or more countdown timers, which keep going while you use other apps or while the Mac sleeps. It has no cycle of work sessions and breaks.

How do I show a timer countdown in the Mac menu bar?

Use a menu bar timer app. TomatoBar is free and open source (MIT) with a "Show timer in menu bar" setting. Session shows the minutes left in the menu bar and Flow has a menu bar timer; both are free with paid Pro tiers.

Is a Focus mode on Mac the same as a focus timer?

No. A Focus silences notifications. You can turn one on for a set time, such as "For 1 hour", from Control Center. Apple's guide says its icon shows in the menu bar while it is on. It does not describe a countdown.

Can the MacBook notch show a Pomodoro timer?

With a notch app. Ledge shows the countdown beside the notch on macOS 26. Droppy's Pomodoro extension keeps it at the notch and also works on Macs without one. NotchNook and Atoll have timers inside the opened notch.

Related

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