TomatoBar vs Tomighty (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tomighty grades higher than TomatoBar: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tomighty grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick TomatoBar if
- Fits if you want a plain Pomodoro timer in the Mac menu bar at no cost
- Works for people who want to start the timer from a script or read its log themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're not on a Mac, as it's macOS only, and version 3.0 on needs Big Sur or newer
- Too light for anyone who wants a task list, reports or sync between devices
- Not for you if you install everything through Homebrew, since its cask there is marked as disabled
- Watch out: before the 3.6 releases of February 2026, the last one, 3.5.0, was from September 2023
Pick Tomighty if
- Fits if you want a no-account Pomodoro timer in a browser tab
- Works for Windows or Mac users who want a small free desktop timer
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want your own interval lengths, because custom times are only planned
- Skip it if you want notifications or background music; the site lists both as planned
- Not for you if you want tasks or statistics, as the pages we read show neither
- Watch out: no Linux, iOS or Android app is listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPATomatoBarGood | 3.0GPATomightyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the MIT license, straight from the project's GitHub releases, with no paid version anywhere in the repository. The middle of this category is $3.99 a month. | AFree to use online and to install, with no paid plan on the site. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with nothing to upgrade to: the intervals, the three sounds, the break notifications, the global shortcut and the JSON log are all there is, and all of it is included. | AFree outright on the web and on Windows and Mac, with no paid plan listed and no cap. |
| Features | CIt does the Pomodoro job fully, and that job is a small one. Work, short rest and long rest lengths, sets, three sounds, break notifications with a Skip button, a global shortcut. The README describes no task list, no reports and no sync, and your history is a JSON log file. | CThree timer modes, with a short technique explainer. Custom times, auto-start and notifications are planned, so the web timer has none of them, and there is no task list or statistics. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and getting it onto the Mac is the awkward part: you download it from GitHub releases, and Homebrew has had its tomatobar cask disabled since September 1, 2026 for failing the Gatekeeper check. After that it's one menu bar popover. | BNo store rating on record. Open the page or install the app and start a round, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | DOne operating system. macOS only, and version 3.0 and later need Big Sur or newer. No integrations listed, though opening a tomatobar:// URL will start or stop the timer from a script. | CWeb, Windows and Mac. No phone app and no integrations. |
| Best for | a no-frills Pomodoro timer in the Mac menu bar | a plain Pomodoro timer, free in browser or desktop |
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: TomatoBar and Tomighty. How we grade
Price against what you get
TomatoBar has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tomighty has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Tomighty scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other focus apps on the chart, none scores higher than TomatoBar for less, and none scores higher than Tomighty for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- TomatoBar also covers menu bar app.
In commonFree planmacOSOpen sourcePomodoro timer
At a glance
| TomatoBar | Tomighty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open-source software under the MIT license, downloaded from the project's GitHub releases. The repository lists no paid version. | Free to use online and to install on Windows or Mac; the site lists no paid plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Ilya Voronin | Célio Cidral Junior |
| Price read from | github.com | tomighty.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
TomatoBar
- macOS only. Version 3.0 and later need macOS Big Sur or newer; older macOS versions and the Touch Bar are supported only by releases before 3.0.
- The README describes no task list, reports or sync between devices; session history is kept only as a JSON log file.
- Homebrew marks its tomatobar cask as disabled since September 1, 2026 for failing the Gatekeeper check, though the README still gives the Homebrew command.
- The latest stable version, 3.6.1, is dated February 19, 2026. Before the 3.6 releases that month, the previous one, 3.5.0, came out in September 2023.
Tomighty
- The site lists custom times, auto-start, notifications and background music as planned features, so the web timer has none of them yet.
- No Linux, iOS or Android app is listed.
- There is no task list or statistics on the pages we read.
Key features
TomatoBar
- Adjustable intervals
- Set the length of the work interval, the short rest and the long rest, and how many work intervals make up a set before the long rest is taken.
- Menu bar timer
- Start and stop the timer from a menu bar popover. Showing the countdown in the menu bar, stopping after a break and launching at login are each a setting.
- Optional sounds
- Three sound effects, named Windup, Ding and Ticking, can each be switched on or off. Version 3.6.0 added volume controls for them.
- Break notifications
- A notification says when it is time for a short or long break and when the break is over. The break notification carries a Skip button.
- Global shortcut and URL control
- A global keyboard shortcut starts or stops the timer, and so does opening the tomatobar://startStop URL, for example from the command line.
- JSON event log
- Each change of timer state is written in JSON to a log file inside the app's container, which other tools can read to analyze how time was spent.
Tomighty
- Three timer modes
- Switch between pomodoro, short break and long break from one screen; the default pomodoro is 25 minutes.
- Runs in the browser
- The online version needs no install and starts from the home page.
- Windows and Mac apps
- Separate downloads exist for Windows and macOS.
- Open-source desktop apps
- The Windows and Mac pages say the apps are free and open source under the Apache 2.0 License.
- Technique explainer
- The home page walks through the Pomodoro Technique in five steps.
Plans
TomatoBar
TomatoBar$0
The complete Mac app: adjustable intervals, three sound effects, break notifications, a global shortcut and a JSON event log.
Tomighty
Tomighty$0
The Pomodoro, short break and long break timer in the browser and as Windows and Mac apps.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, TomatoBar or Tomighty?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both TomatoBar and Tomighty are free to use.
Which has a free plan, TomatoBar or Tomighty?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both TomatoBar and Tomighty have a free plan.
Which platforms do TomatoBar and Tomighty run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Tomighty lists a web app and a Windows app. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.