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Day 69: new resources are added every day. See what's new
Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

Workrave

A free break reminder that nudges you to rest your eyes and hands.

Visit Workrave4.4

  • Rating

    4.4 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Beginner

  • Works on

    Windows, Linux, Offline

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is Workrave?

Workrave is a free, open-source app for Windows and Linux that reminds you to take short micro-breaks, longer rest breaks and to stop at a daily limit. It counts real keyboard and mouse activity rather than clock time, so the reminders arrive when you have genuinely been working hard, helping you stay fresh and avoid strain over a long day.

Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.

Pros: what Workrave does well

  • Breaks based on real activity
  • Micro-breaks, rest breaks and daily limits
  • Free and open source

Cons: where it falls short

  • No macOS version
  • Interface looks dated

Who Workrave is for

People who spend long hours at a keyboard and forget to take breaks.

Who can skip it

Anyone already using a Pomodoro timer they stick to.

Workrave alternatives

Not sold on Workrave? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Focus resources

Timewarrior

Focus: time tracking, timesheets and command line. Shares open source and github with Workrave. Adds macOS. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.5Visit

Stretchly

Focus: eye strain, healthy habits and desktop app. Shares break reminder and open source with Workrave. Adds macOS. Rated 4.6 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit

Starship

Focus: shell prompt, terminal and developer tool. Shares open source and github with Workrave. Adds macOS. Rated 4.7 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

Pomotroid

Focus: pomodoro, focus timer and desktop app. Shares open source and github with Workrave. Adds macOS. Rated 4.6 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit

Taskwarrior

Focus: to-do list, task manager and command line. Shares open source and github with Workrave. Adds macOS. Rated 4.6 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit

hop

Focus: macos, menu bar and utilities. Shares open source with Workrave. A Mac app, not a desktop app. Adds macOS. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Mac AppFreemacOS
4.5Visit

Free alternatives to Workrave

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Stats

Focus: system monitor, menu bar app and mac utility. Shares open source and github with Workrave. A Mac app, not a desktop app. Adds macOS. Rated 4.7 (Workrave: 4.4).

Mac AppFreemacOS, Offline
4.7Visit

Dayflow

Focus: time tracking, work journal and daily standup. Shares open source and github with Workrave. A Mac app, not a desktop app. Adds macOS. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Mac AppFreemacOS
4.5Visit

Tridactyl

Focus: keyboard shortcuts, vim and firefox. Shares open source and github with Workrave. A browser extension, not a desktop app. Adds Firefox. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Browser ExtensionFreeFirefox
4.5Visit

Wakapi

Focus: time tracking, coding stats and wakatime. Shares open source and github with Workrave. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit

ActivityWatch

Focus: time tracking, screen time and privacy. Shares open source with Workrave. Adds macOS, Android and Chrome. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit

Super Productivity

Focus: to-do list, time tracking and timeboxing. Shares open source with Workrave. Adds macOS, Android and iOS. Rated 4.5 (Workrave: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeLinux, macOS
4.5Visit
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