# Focus Timer

> Free Pomodoro timer for Linux, formerly GNOME Pomodoro

Focus Timer, formerly GNOME Pomodoro, is a free, open-source Pomodoro timer for the Linux desktop. It alternates focus sessions with short and long breaks, covers the screen with an overlay when a break is due and keeps daily, weekly and monthly statistics in a local database. An optional GNOME Shell extension adds a top bar indicator, and the timer can be scripted through shell commands, D-Bus and a command-line interface.

- **Category:** Focus Apps
- **Made by:** Kamil Prusko (since 2011)
- **Website:** https://focustimerhq.github.io
- **Runs on:** Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Focus Timer is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Free and open-source software under the GPL 3 or later, installed from Flathub. The project lists no paid version and takes donations through GitHub Sponsors, Ko-fi, Liberapay and PayPal.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Focus Timer | $0 | The complete Linux app and its optional GNOME Shell extension: timer, break overlay, statistics, tray icon, shortcuts and automation. |

Read from https://flathub.org/en/apps/io.github.focustimerhq.FocusTimer on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Focus Timer before buying.

## Key features

- **Custom sessions with full control:** Set your own focus, short-break and long-break lengths. A running session can be paused, rewound, extended or skipped, and work resumes automatically after a break by default.
- **Screen overlay on breaks:** A full-screen overlay appears when a break starts as a prompt to step away. Notifications and sounds mark the start and end of sessions, and an announcement warns before a break.
- **Statistics:** Daily, weekly and monthly statistics show how much focused work was logged. History sits in a local SQLite database that is backed up automatically every day.
- **Tray icon and global shortcuts:** A system tray icon shows timer status with quick actions, global shortcuts control the timer from any app, and a compact mode shows a small countdown window.
- **GNOME Shell extension:** An optional extension for GNOME Shell 48 and later adds a top bar indicator, a live countdown in notifications, automatic Do Not Disturb and a lock screen widget.
- **Automation, D-Bus and CLI:** Custom actions run shell commands on timer events, media playback can pause for breaks, and a D-Bus interface and command-line options link the timer to your own scripts.

## Good for

- Linux users who want a Pomodoro timer built for their desktop
- People who skip breaks and want a full-screen reminder
- Scripting actions around the timer with shell commands or D-Bus

## Worth knowing

- Linux only: it ships as a Flatpak on Flathub, with community packages for Fedora and Arch. No Windows, macOS or phone app is listed.
- On GNOME, the top bar indicator needs the separate Focus Timer extension, which supports GNOME Shell 48 and later and is only picked up after logging out.
- Renamed from GNOME Pomodoro: people moving to the Flatpak version copy their old database file across by hand to keep their statistics.
- The D-Bus interface has no reference manual yet; the FAQ points to the interface XML files in the repository instead.

## Works with

GNOME Shell

**Tags:** Pomodoro timer, Time tracking, Open source, Local-first

## Alternatives

- [Pomofocus](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pomofocus): Browser-based Pomodoro timer with a task list and reports. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gnome-pomodoro-vs-pomofocus)
- [Pomello](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pomello): Desktop Pomodoro timer that runs on your Trello cards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gnome-pomodoro-vs-pomello)
- [RoundPie](https://toolgpa.com/tools/roundpie): Pomodoro timer that tracks time on tasks from other tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gnome-pomodoro-vs-roundpie)
- [TomatoBar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tomatobar): Free open-source Pomodoro timer for the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gnome-pomodoro-vs-tomatobar)
- [Goodtime](https://toolgpa.com/tools/goodtime): Minimalist open-source Pomodoro timer for Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gnome-pomodoro-vs-goodtime)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://focustimerhq.github.io/
- https://gnomepomodoro.org
- https://flathub.org/en/apps/io.github.focustimerhq.FocusTimer
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/focustimerhq/FocusTimer/main/README.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/focustimerhq/FocusTimer/main/NEWS
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/focustimerhq/FocusTimer/main/CONTRIBUTING.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/focustimerhq/gnome-shell-extension-focus-timer/main/README.md
- https://api.github.com/repos/focustimerhq/FocusTimer

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/gnome-pomodoro
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).