Flow vs Vitamin-R
We give Flow a 3.6 GPA and Vitamin-R a 2.8, out of 4.0. Flow grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Flow
Minimal Pomodoro timer for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Vitamin-R
Time-boxing and Pomodoro timer for the Mac
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAFlowExcellent | 2.8GPAVitamin-RGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $17.99 a year on the US App Store, which Flow's site shows as $1.49 a month. That's about as cheap as paid focus apps get. Lifetime is $39.99 if you'd rather pay once. | A$29.95 once for a Single User licence, on as many of your own Macs as you like, with a free Noise Machine licence included. That's about half a year of a typical focus app. The catch: updates stop before version 5.0, and covering all future upgrades costs a further $29.95. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe timer, break reminders, stats and graphs are free for good, with no ads and no account. Most people could stop here. Fully custom durations and blocking are the Pro bits. | CThere's no free plan. The trial is fully functional for 14 days, with no sign-up and no credit card, and then it stops working until you buy an unlock code. |
| Features | ATimed work rounds with breaks, stats by day, week, month and year, and a blocker for apps and websites in Pro. It shows on your lock screen and Apple Watch, syncs sessions to Apple Calendar, and takes orders from Alfred. | AOne objective per time slice, a Now & Later Board for stray thoughts, breaks that can lock the screen, and a log book with charts of the hours you focus best. Slices can be tagged by project or client and exported to CSV. Classic Pomodoro timing and ambient soundscapes are built in too. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 1,800 App Store ratings. No sign-up and nothing to set up: open it and start a round. | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as far as we'll go. It asks more of you than a countdown: name the objective, pick a slice, reflect at the end. A global shortcut opens a command window so you can run it all by typing. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision, with hooks into Apple Calendar, Alfred and Raycast. All Apple, though. There's no Windows, Android or web version. | DMac only, and the current version needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. No iPhone, Windows or web version is offered. The vendor positions it alongside to-do apps such as OmniFocus and Things. |
| Best for | a clean Pomodoro timer across Apple devices | getting started on tasks you keep putting off, on a Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Flow and Vitamin-R. How we grade
Where they differ
- Flow starts at $17.99 / year ($1.49 / month), or $2.99 monthly (US App Store). Vitamin-R starts at $29.95 one-time purchase (Single User license).
- Flow has a free plan. Vitamin-R does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Flow lists an iOS app.
- Flow also covers site & app blocker.
- Vitamin-R also covers time tracking and focus music.
At a glance
| Flow | Vitamin-R | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $17.99 / year ($1.49 / month), or $2.99 monthly (US App Store) | $29.95 one-time purchase (Single User license) |
| Free plan | Interval-based focus timer, preset duration options, statistics and graphs, short-break reminders and iCloud sync of statistics, with no ads and no sign-up. | None |
| Free trial | Pro's button on the pricing page reads "Try for free"; no trial length is stated | 14-day free trial, fully functional, with no sign-up and no credit card |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Yugen GmbH | publicspace.net |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | publicspace.net |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Flow
- People who work only on Apple devices and want one timer across them
- A Pomodoro timer that needs no account and shows no ads
- Mac users who run their tools from Alfred or Raycast
Vitamin-R
- People who keep postponing vague or intimidating tasks
- Mac users who want more structure than a bare countdown timer
- Light time tracking by project or client with CSV export
- Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
Worth knowing
Flow
- Apple platforms only: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision. There is no Windows, Android or web version.
- App and web blocking, custom durations, session titles, timer sync and Apple Calendar sync all need Pro.
- Flow notes that App Store prices vary by country; the figures here are from the US App Store.
- Organizations buying in volume use a separate app, Flow Pro: Schools & Businesses, which Yugen enables per organization on request.
Vitamin-R
- Mac only: the current version needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. No iPhone, Windows or web version is offered.
- There is no free plan: the trial stops working after 14 days until an unlock code is bought.
- The standard license stops before version 5.0; covering all future upgrades costs a further $29.95 for the Forever Upgrade.
- It is not a task manager. The vendor positions it alongside to-do apps such as OmniFocus and Things.
Key features
Flow
- Interval timer with breaks
- Work is divided into short focus intervals with recurring breaks, following the Pomodoro method, and notifications mark the end of each one.
- App and web blocker
- Blocks chosen apps and websites during focus sessions. It is a Pro feature, as are Commitment Mode and the fullscreen break.
- Statistics and export
- Totals of completed sessions by day, week, month and year. Pro adds timesheet export and syncing sessions to Apple Calendar.
- Timer sync between devices
- With Pro, the running timer and its session settings stay in step across iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to the same iCloud account, without a Flow account.
- Lock screen, widgets and watch
- Live Activities and the Dynamic Island show the timer on iPhone, alongside home and lock screen widgets and an Apple Watch app.
- Alfred and Raycast control
- An Alfred workflow from Yugen covers Flow's controls, such as pausing the timer and skipping or resetting a session, and a community member maintains a Raycast extension.
Vitamin-R
- Objectives and time slices
- Each session starts with one specific, reachable objective and a time slice of 15 to 25 minutes. Visual, audio and spoken prompts keep it in view, and the app can shrink to a menu-bar countdown.
- Now & Later Board
- A stray thought, such as an email to send or an errand, is written down as one line on the board so you can return to the task and pick it up afterwards.
- Log book and analytics
- Every completed time slice is recorded. Charts show a week of focused time and the hours when you focus best, and slices can be tagged by project or client and exported to CSV.
- Breaks and Pomodoro timing
- Time slices alternate with timed breaks, which can lock the screen. The timing and rhythm of the classic Pomodoro Technique are built in as an option.
- Keyboard command window
- A global shortcut opens a command window from any app, where a time slice can be set up and controlled by typing instead of using the mouse.
- Focus soundscapes
- White noise and ambient soundscapes, from busy coffee shops to quiet beaches, can play while you work to mask distractions.
Plans
Flow
Free$0
Interval-based focus timer, a set of duration options, statistics and graphs, break reminders and iCloud sync of statistics.
Pro (yearly)$17.99
per year, US App Store; shown on the site as $1.49 / month
Timer sync, custom session titles and cycles, fully custom durations, app and web blocking, Apple Calendar sync and export.
Pro (monthly)$2.99
per month, US App Store in-app purchase
The same Pro features paid month to month. The pricing page labels yearly billing as 50% cheaper.
Lifetime Pro Access$39.99
one-time purchase, US App Store
Pro features for a single payment instead of a subscription.
Schools & BusinessesCustom
Volume pricing and organization-wide distribution of Flow Pro through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager, arranged by contacting Yugen.
Vitamin-R
Single User$29.95
one-time purchase
Any number of installations for one person, minor updates up to but not including version 5.0, and a free Noise Machine license.
Family$59.95
one-time purchase, up to 5 people
Any number of installations for up to 5 people in the same family. The order page lists it as $30.00 on top of the Single User price.
Small Business$149.95
one-time purchase, up to 20 people
Up to 20 people in the same family or organization, listed as $120.00 on top of the Single User price.
Business$299.95
one-time purchase, up to 50 people
Up to 50 people in the same organization, listed as $270.00 on top of the Single User price.
Enterprise$749.95
one-time purchase, unlimited people
An unlimited number of people in the same organization, listed as $720.00 on top of the Single User price.
Ways to pay less
Flow
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is 50% cheaper than monthly
Flow's pricing page labels the yearly option "-50%". The US App Store lists Pro at $17.99 a year against $2.99 a month, which comes to $35.88 over twelve months.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Pro Access for a one-time payment
The US App Store lists a Lifetime Pro Access in-app purchase at $39.99, paid once instead of a subscription.
- Other savings
Volume pricing for schools and businesses
The pricing page offers volume pricing and organization-wide distribution of Flow Pro through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.
Vitamin-R
- Lifetime license
Forever Upgrade for a further $29.95
Adding the Forever Upgrade option on the order page costs $29.95 on top of the license and includes all future product upgrades.
- Other savings
Upgrade pricing for existing owners
Owners of any earlier version can buy the Single User upgrade to version 4 for $19.95, and anyone who bought after 1 January 2021 gets version 4 free.
