The best break reminder apps for Mac and Windows in 2026
7 October 2026
This list is written by the maker of Keybreak, which is one of the six apps in it. Each claim links to the vendor’s own page so you can check it. Rather than ranking them, it is more useful to ask three questions, because the answers rule most of them out quickly.
Quick verdict
Stretchly is the best free open-source pick, Workrave is the strictest RSI-focused option on Windows and Linux, Time Out is the easiest Mac-native timer to try first, and Keybreak is the one that actually demonstrates the stretch and leaves out movements you choose to avoid.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price | Free tier (what you actually get) | Guided stretches | Injury-aware | Main watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keybreak | Being shown exactly which stretch to do, leaving out movements you have chosen to avoid. | macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows source | Keybreak Plus: £1.99/month (one month free) or £19.99/year. No lifetime licence. source | Free for personal use: break reminders and 8 of the 37 stretches, no account. source | 37 stretches, each filmed with a real person, with the hold timed on screen. source | Yes (Keybreak Plus): movements you flag are never suggested. source | Mac and Windows only, and breaks are timed from your activity and chosen hours rather than from your calendar. |
| Stretchly | A free, open-source break timer on any desktop OS, including Linux. | macOS (13 or later), Windows, Linux source | Free. Optional donations. source | Everything. Free and open source (BSD-2-Clause). source | 87 one-line text break ideas, many naming a movement and a hold time. No video or illustrations by default. source | No | Each break idea is a single line of text, and nothing screens a suggestion against an injury. |
| Workrave | Strict, RSI-focused break enforcement on Windows and Linux, with micro-breaks, rest breaks and a daily limit. | Windows, Linux. macOS only as an untested development build. source | Free. source | Everything. Free software (GPL). source | 16 exercises, shown with drawn illustrations. source | No | No stable macOS build: the Mac port is a development version the project says has not been thoroughly tested. |
| Time Out | The easiest Mac-native break timer to try first. | macOS only. Also on the Mac App Store and Setapp. source | Core features always free. Optional non-renewing Supporter purchases from $4.99. source | The core break features, always free. source | None. The screen dims and a break theme appears (text, images, a web page or a video). source | No | Mac only, and the break shows a theme rather than demonstrating a stretch. |
| Restier | The cheapest paid option, with a lifetime licence, meeting detection and a Linux build. | macOS 11+, Windows 10+, Linux (x86_64) source | €7.99/year or €19.99 lifetime for one device; 2- and 5-device tiers. 14-day money-back guarantee. source | None. A 14-day trial with every feature, no card required. source | Visual resets, breathing prompts and posture cues. No filmed demonstrations. source | No | No free tier: after the 14-day trial you have to buy a licence to keep using it. |
| BreakTimer | A simple, free, configurable break timer that stays out of the way. | Windows, macOS, Linux source | Free. source | Everything. Free and open source (GPL-3.0). source | None built in. A notification or a fullscreen break window, with a message you can customise. source | No | There is no exercise guidance: the break is whatever message you set. |
Verified against each app’s own documentation on 7 October 2026.
1. Which computers do you use?
Mac only: Time Out is the most native choice. Mac and Windows: Stretchly, BreakTimer, Restier and Keybreak. Linux as well: Stretchly, BreakTimer, Workrave and Restier, not Keybreak or Time Out. source source source source source source
2. Will you pay?
Stretchly, Workrave and BreakTimer are free outright. Time Out’s core features are always free, with optional Supporter purchases. Keybreak is free with 8 of its 37 stretches, and Keybreak Plus is £1.99 a month or £19.99 a year. Restier has a 14-day trial and then costs from €7.99 a year or €19.99 once, the cheapest paid option here. source source source source source source
3. What should happen when the break starts?
This is where the apps differ most. BreakTimer shows a notification or a fullscreen window with your own message. Time Out dims the screen and shows a theme. Stretchly suggests a one-line idea in text. Restier shows visual resets, breathing prompts and posture cues. Workrave shows 16 drawn exercises. Keybreak plays a filmed stretch with the hold timed on screen, and leaves out movements you have excluded. source source source source source source
Meetings and idle time
All six pause or reset when you step away, in different ways. Restier says its meeting detection avoids interrupting calls; Stretchly pauses while Do Not Disturb is on. Keybreak does neither. It relies on you not typing during a call. source source source source source source
The apps, one by one
Keybreak
Best for: Being shown exactly which stretch to do, leaving out movements you have chosen to avoid.
Watch out: Mac and Windows only, and breaks are timed from your activity and chosen hours rather than from your calendar. source
Choose Keybreak if you want each break to be a demonstrated stretch, leaving out movements you need to avoid.
Stretchly
Best for: A free, open-source break timer on any desktop OS, including Linux.
Watch out: Each break idea is a single line of text, and nothing screens a suggestion against an injury. source
Choose Stretchly if you want the best free, open-source all-rounder on any desktop OS.
Workrave
Best for: Strict, RSI-focused break enforcement on Windows and Linux, with micro-breaks, rest breaks and a daily limit.
Watch out: No stable macOS build: the Mac port is a development version the project says has not been thoroughly tested. source
Choose Workrave if you want strict enforcement, with a daily limit, on Windows or Linux.
Time Out
Best for: The easiest Mac-native break timer to try first.
Watch out: Mac only, and the break shows a theme rather than demonstrating a stretch. source
Choose Time Out if you only use a Mac and want the quickest free thing to try.
Restier
Best for: The cheapest paid option, with a lifetime licence, meeting detection and a Linux build.
Watch out: No free tier: after the 14-day trial you have to buy a licence to keep using it. source
Choose Restier if you want the cheapest paid option, meeting detection, Linux, or a lifetime licence.
BreakTimer
Best for: A simple, free, configurable break timer that stays out of the way.
Watch out: There is no exercise guidance: the break is whatever message you set. source
Choose BreakTimer if you want a minimal free timer and will decide what to do in the break yourself.
Who should choose something else
- Keybreak runs on macOS and Windows; for a native Linux build, Stretchly, Workrave and BreakTimer all have one. source
- Keybreak schedules breaks from real keyboard and mouse activity within the hours you choose, rather than from your calendar; Restier reads your microphone and camera to detect meetings. source
- Keybreak Plus is a monthly or yearly subscription and the free plan stays free; Restier sells a one-off lifetime licence. source
More comparisons
- Stretchly alternatives: 6 break reminder apps compared
- Workrave alternatives for Mac and Windows
- Time Out alternatives for Mac
- Best free break reminder apps, and what each one's 'free' actually means
- Keybreak vs Restier
For what Keybreak does on its own terms, see the Keybreak break reminder app page and pricing.
Keybreak · 2026