Best free break reminder apps, and what each one's 'free' actually means
7 October 2026
“Free” covers four quite different deals among break reminder apps. Knowing which one you are getting matters more than the feature list, because it decides whether the app is still free in a month.
Quick verdict
Stretchly, Workrave and BreakTimer are free outright and open source, Time Out's core is always free on a Mac, Keybreak's free plan gives personal users break reminders and 8 of its 37 stretches, and Restier has no free tier, only a 14-day trial.
| 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.
Free and open source
Stretchly (BSD-2-Clause), Workrave (GPL) and BreakTimer (GPL-3.0) are free with no paid tier at all. Stretchly takes optional donations. If free means “nothing will ever be held back”, these are the three. source source source source
Free core, optional support
Time Out’s core features are always free. Its Supporter purchases (from $4.99 for three months to $59.99 for life) do not renew automatically. source
Free plan, paid upgrade
Keybreak’s free plan includes activity-aware break reminders and 8 of the 37 guided stretches, on Mac and Windows, with no account. Keybreak Plus unlocks the other 29 stretches, focus areas, injury exclusions and micro breaks for £1.99 a month or £19.99 a year. Both are licensed for personal, non-commercial use; a business using Keybreak needs a Teams subscription. source
Free trial
Restier has no free tier. Every feature is free for 14 days with no card, and then it costs from €7.99 a year or €19.99 for a lifetime licence on one device, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. 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 guided stretches for free and may pay later for the full library.
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 most complete app that will always be entirely free.
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 free, strict break enforcement 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 are on a Mac and want a free core with the option to support the developer.
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 will pay a small amount after a trial for meeting detection and a Linux build.
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 free, minimal timer with nothing to upgrade to.
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
- Its free plan holds back 29 of the 37 stretches, focus areas and injury exclusions; the open-source apps hold back nothing. source
- Its free plan, like Keybreak Plus, is for personal, non-commercial use; using Keybreak for a business needs a paid Teams subscription. source
More comparisons
- Stretchly alternatives: 6 break reminder apps compared
- Workrave alternatives for Mac and Windows
- Time Out alternatives for Mac
- The best break reminder apps for Mac and Windows in 2026
- Keybreak vs Restier
For what Keybreak does on its own terms, see the Keybreak break reminder app page and pricing.
Keybreak · 2026