# Pawodoro - Paws for a Break

Pawodoro is a native macOS Pomodoro timer that lives in the menu bar and plays a full-screen cat video during every break, so the rest actually gets taken.

- URL: https://swiftfox.studio/apps/pawodoro
- Price: $4
- Category: focus (Pomodoro Timer)
- Platform: macOS 14.0 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel
- Version: 1.0.3
- Publisher: Swiftfox Studio (https://swiftfox.studio)

## A pomodoro timer that pays you in cats

Most pomodoro apps end your focus block with an empty screen. Pawodoro ends it with a cat - a handpicked cat video from its bundled library plays full-screen during every break. No account, fully offline.

### How it works

1. Pick a preset (Classic 25/5, Flow 45/15, Deep 50/10) or set your own work, break and long-break durations, then start from the menu bar.
2. The timer counts down quietly; pause, resume, skip or reset any time, with a live cycle counter toward the next long break.
3. When a break begins, a full-screen cat video takes over every connected display. Hit ESC to skip, and the next cycle starts on its own.

Native, sandboxed, signed and notarized.

## Features

- Full-screen cat video on every break, from a curated library
- Presets - Classic 25/5, Flow 45/15, Deep 50/10
- Fully custom work, break and long-break lengths
- Configurable cycles and optional auto-start
- Menu-bar controls: pause, skip, reset, live counter
- Break videos play on every connected display - skip with ESC
- Daily and weekly stats with a bar chart and CSV export
- Native notifications at every phase change

## When to use it

### Starting work you have been avoiding

A 25-minute block is small enough to agree to when a whole afternoon is not. Start Classic 25/5 from the menu bar and the decision is made for the next half hour.

### You never actually take the break

The usual failure of the Pomodoro method is the pause: the timer ends, you think one more minute, and rest never happens. A full-screen video that takes over every display is hard to half-take.

### Long editing, writing or coding sessions

Flow 45/15 and Deep 50/10 suit work that needs a longer runway, with a cycle counter tracking how many rounds are left before the long break.

### Working offline or on a locked-down machine

The cat library ships inside the app, so breaks work on a plane and nothing calls out. There is no account, so there is no login screen between you and a timer.

## Frequently asked questions

### What session lengths does Pawodoro support?

Three presets - Classic 25/5, Flow 45/15 and Deep 50/10 - plus fully custom work, break and long-break durations, a configurable number of cycles before the long break, and optional auto-start for the next phase.

### Do the cat videos need an internet connection?

No. The curated library is bundled with the app, so breaks play offline. That is also why the download is around 75 MB, larger than the other apps here.

### Can I skip a break?

Yes - press ESC and the video closes immediately. Breaks are meant as a prompt, not a lock; a timer you cannot escape is a timer you eventually quit.

### What happens on a multi-display setup?

The break video plays on every connected display, so a second monitor cannot quietly keep you working through the pause.

### Does Pawodoro block distracting websites?

No. It times work and rest; it does not police what you open. If your problem is drifting mid-session rather than starting, NoMore is the tool for that, and the two work well together.

### Does it track how much I focused?

Yes - daily and weekly stats with a bar chart, exportable as CSV. Everything is stored on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.

### How much does it cost?

$4 as a one-time purchase, with a 14-day free trial that needs no card and no email. There is no subscription and no in-app purchase.