The Flow Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Flow in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Flow
The Insider’s Guide
Minimal Pomodoro timer for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among focus apps, read from Flow’s own pages.
Made by Yugen GmbH · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Flow’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Flow’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 59 of the 65 other focus apps we grade
Flow is a Pomodoro-style focus timer for Apple devices from Yugen, a three-person studio in Germany. It splits work into short intervals with recurring breaks and keeps statistics on completed sessions. The basic timer is free with no ads or sign-up, and a paid Pro tier adds app and website blocking, custom durations and cycles, timer sync between devices and Apple Calendar sync.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Flow, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No sign-up and nothing to configure: open it and start a round.
- 1
Best for a Pomodoro timer across Apple devices
Flow is a Pomodoro timer for Apple devices.
- 2
Paid plans start at $1.50 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $17.99 / year ($1.49 / month), or $2.99 monthly (US App Store).
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and iOS.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Statistics and export
Totals of completed sessions by day, week, month and year. Pro adds timesheet export and syncing sessions to Apple Calendar.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 59 of 65
That is against the other focus apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Flow you could make: Pomodoro timer. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Flow at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $17.99 / year ($1.49 / month), or $2.99 monthly (US App Store)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Pro's button on the pricing page reads "Try for free"; no trial length is stated
- Runs on
- macOS, iOS
- Made by
- Yugen GmbH, since 2018
- Category
- Focus Apps
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.8 on the App Store, 1,756 ratings
The report card
Best for a Pomodoro timer across Apple devices
Flow is a Pomodoro timer for Apple devices. The free version has no ads or sign-up and covers the timer, breaks and stats, but custom lengths and app and website blocking need Pro at $17.99 a year, the trial length isn't stated, and if you own anything that isn't Apple, it can't follow you there.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Pro is $17.99 a year on the US App Store, about $1.50 a month, when the cheaper quarter of focus apps starts at $2.99. Lifetime is $39.99, less than a year of the typical focus subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The timer, break reminders, stats and graphs are free for good, with no ads and no account, and one person could live on that. You will hit the edge, though: your own session lengths and the blocker are both Pro. |
| Features | B | Timed rounds with breaks, stats by day, week, month and year, app and web blocking, timer sync across your devices and sessions pushed to Apple Calendar. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job a Pomodoro timer is for. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.8 from about 1,800 App Store ratings. No sign-up and nothing to configure: open it and start a round. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision, with hooks into Apple Calendar, Alfred and Raycast. One family of devices, though. No Windows, Android or web version. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Flow is for
- Fits if you work on a Mac and an iPhone and want one timer on both
- Works for people who run their Mac from Alfred or Raycast
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as it's Apple devices only
- Tight if you're staying free, because your own timer lengths and the blocker are both Pro
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $2.99 against $17.99 for the whole year
- Watch out: timer sync, session titles and Apple Calendar sync are Pro too, and the trial length isn't stated
- Watch out: App Store prices vary by country, and schools and businesses need a separate app, Flow Pro
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$1.50
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Flow has a free plan. Paid plans start at $17.99 / year ($1.49 / month), or $2.99 monthly (US App Store).
The timer, break reminders, stats and graphs are free for good, with no ads and no account, and one person could live on that.
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 & Businesses
Custom
Volume pricing and organization-wide distribution of Flow Pro through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager, arranged by contacting Yugen.
The 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.
Trying it first
Pro's button on the pricing page reads "Try for free"; no trial length is stated
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on flow.appLifetime 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.
Stated on apps.apple.comOther 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.
Stated on flow.app
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Monthly Plan”, against $2.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺15,99 | $0.33 | 89% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 19ribu | $1.06 | 64% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 79.00 | $1.26 | 58% less |
| India | ₹ 129 | $1.33 | 55% less |
| Canada | $3.99 | $2.80 | 6% less |
| Germany | 2,99 € | $3.35 | 12% more |
| Australia | $4.99 | $3.48 | 17% more |
| United Kingdom | £2.99 | $3.95 | 32% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: macOS and iOS
Minimal Pomodoro timer for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, site & app blocker, Pomodoro timer, menu bar app.
Nothing in the listing is missing from the job a Pomodoro timer is for.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- iOS
What it works with
- Alfred
- Raycast
- Apple Calendar
- Apple Health
Who makes Flow
Flow is a focus timer for Apple devices made by Yugen GmbH, a three-person studio in Germany. The basic app is free and the company earns from the Flow Pro subscription and from licences sold to schools and businesses; its About page says it has taken no outside investment.
- Based
- Germanyflow.app
- Ownership
- Privately held. The About page calls Yugen an independent company with no plans of being acquired, and says it avoided investors in order to grow organically.flow.app
- Funding
- Self-funded. The About page says the team avoided investors to stay independent, built Flow in their spare time until the end of 2020 and has grown it on its own revenue since.flow.app
- Team
- A team of three, Lea, Leif and Stefan, based in Germany.flow.app
- Lately
- Version 4.9.2 · Aug 3, 2026
- Version 4.9.0 · Jul 16, 2026
- Version 4.9.1 · Jul 15, 2026
- Version 4.8.0 · Mar 20, 2026
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
59/65
Other focus apps it is graded above
Flow's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 59 of the 65 other focus apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 45 of 65) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 8).
Its paid plans start at $1.50 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.82 for the category: 3 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 66 focus apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Flow’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 40 of 65
- BFree plan and trialAbove 41 of 65
- BFeaturesAbove 48 of 65
- AEase of useAbove 45 of 65
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 8 of 65
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 56 focus apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Flow is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Flow you could make: Pomodoro timer. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 59 of the 65 other focus apps we grade. It costs $17.99 a year.
What you could make
- Pomodoro timer: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Blocking that reaches every browser and app and is hard to switch off.
- A native app living in the menu bar.
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- Hooks into the device itself: an Apple Watch app, widgets, Live Activities and the lock screen.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Flow’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Session, Be Focused, Focus Keeper, Focused Work and Pomofocus
The 5 tools Flow is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Session
Free plan · from $3.33/mo
Pomodoro focus timer with analytics for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Flow can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Flow also covers menu bar app.
- Session also covers time tracking.
- 3.0GPA
Be Focused
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Pomodoro timer with tasks for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Flow also covers menu bar app.
- Be Focused also covers tasks.
- 2.6GPA
Focus Keeper
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Pomodoro timer with progress charts for iPhone, Android and web.
- Only Flow lists a macOS app.
- Only Focus Keeper lists a web app.
- Only Focus Keeper lists an Android app.
- 2.4GPA
Focused Work
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
Focus timer with custom sessions for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Flow also covers menu bar app.
- Focused Work also covers time tracking.
- 3.0GPA
Pomofocus
Free plan · from $3/mo
Browser-based Pomodoro timer with a task list and reports.
- Only Flow lists an iOS app.
- Only Pomofocus lists a web app.
- Only Pomofocus lists Windows and Linux apps.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Flow free?
Flow has a 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.
How much does Flow cost?
Flow lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Flow work on?
Flow is available on macOS and iOS.
Does Flow offer any discounts?
Flow publicly lists the following: Yearly billing is 50% cheaper than monthly; Lifetime Pro Access for a one-time payment; Volume pricing for schools and businesses.
How is Flow rated?
Flow's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1,756 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Flow have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Flow is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Flow have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Flow is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Flow open source?
Flow is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
What does Flow integrate with?
Flow's listing names Alfred, Raycast, Apple Calendar and Apple Health.
Does Flow have a free trial?
Yes. Pro's button on the pricing page reads "Try for free"; no trial length is stated.
Who makes Flow?
Flow is made by Yugen GmbH. The About page calls Yugen an independent company with no plans of being acquired, and says it avoided investors in order to grow organically.
What are the alternatives to Flow?
The closest alternatives to Flow in our directory are Session, Be Focused, Focus Keeper, Focused Work and Pomofocus.
How does Flow compare with other focus apps?
Flow's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 59 of the 65 other focus apps we grade, and level with 5.
Is Flow good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Flow A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $1.50 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.82 for the category: 3 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Flow?
The plain part of Flow you could make: Pomodoro timer. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Flow’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Flow's own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-05.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Yugen GmbH. Prices change, so check flow.app before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Flow, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/flow
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Flow: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/flow
Know someone choosing between focus apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/flow/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded focus apps after Flow, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Focus Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 66 focus apps we grade, compared
- ScreenZen Insider's GuideFree app that delays and blocks distracting apps and sites3.6 GPA
- Flora Insider's GuideFree focus timer that grows trees, alone or with friends3.2 GPA
- Foqos Insider's GuideFree open-source iPhone app blocker using NFC tags or QR codes3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Flow’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Flow is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Yugen GmbH. Prices and plans change: check flow.app before you buy.