# TomatoBar

> Free open-source Pomodoro timer for the Mac menu bar

TomatoBar is a free, open-source Pomodoro timer that sits in the macOS menu bar. It covers the basics of the technique: adjustable work and rest intervals, optional sound effects, notifications when a break starts or ends, and a global keyboard shortcut to start or stop the timer. The app runs sandboxed with no entitlements and is published on GitHub under the MIT license.

- **Category:** Focus Apps
- **Made by:** Ilya Voronin (since 2018)
- **Website:** https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

TomatoBar is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** 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 trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TomatoBar | $0 | The complete Mac app: adjustable intervals, three sound effects, break notifications, a global shortcut and a JSON event log. |

Read from https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with TomatoBar before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Mac users who want a plain Pomodoro timer at no cost
- People who prefer open-source software they can inspect or modify
- Scripting a timer from the command line or reading its log

## Worth knowing

- 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.

**Tags:** Pomodoro timer, Menu bar app, Open source

## Alternatives

- [Flow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flow): Minimal Pomodoro timer for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flow-vs-tomatobar)
- [Be Focused](https://toolgpa.com/tools/be-focused): Pomodoro timer with tasks for iPhone, iPad and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/be-focused-vs-tomatobar)
- [Session](https://toolgpa.com/tools/session): Pomodoro focus timer with analytics for Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/session-vs-tomatobar)
- [Focus - Deep Work Timer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/focus-deep-work-timer): Pomodoro timer with tasks and time tracking for Apple devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/focus-deep-work-timer-vs-tomatobar)
- [Pomofocus](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pomofocus): Browser-based Pomodoro timer with a task list and reports. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/pomofocus-vs-tomatobar)

## Sources

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

- https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar/main/LICENSE
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar/main/TomatoBar/en.lproj/Localizable.strings
- https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar/releases/tag/v3.6.1
- https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar/releases/tag/v3.6.0
- https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar/releases/tag/v1.0.0
- https://api.github.com/repos/ivoronin/TomatoBar/releases?per_page=8
- https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/tomatobar
- https://formulae.brew.sh/api/cask/tomatobar.json

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/tomatobar
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).