Workrave alternatives for Mac and Windows
7 October 2026
Workrave is actively maintained (version 1.11.4 shipped on 25 September 2026), and it is free software built around micro-breaks, rest breaks and a daily usage limit. The most common reason to look elsewhere is not quality. It is that Workrave’s stable releases are for Windows and Linux only, and the macOS port is a development build the project itself says has not been thoroughly tested. source source
Quick verdict
On a Mac, Stretchly is the closest free replacement for Workrave and Time Out the most Mac-native; on Windows, Workrave itself is still hard to beat for free; Restier covers Linux too for a small yearly fee; and Keybreak is the pick if you want the exercises demonstrated by a real person instead of drawn.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price | Free tier (what you actually get) | Guided stretches | Injury-aware | Main watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Verified against each app’s own documentation on 7 October 2026.
If you are moving to a Mac
Every other app in the table has a supported macOS build. Stretchly is the nearest in spirit: free, open source and cross-platform. Time Out is Mac-only and the most at home there, with the core features free and versions on the Mac App Store and Setapp. Note that Time Out 3.1 needs macOS 26; older Macs get version 2.9.7. source source
If you are staying on Windows
Workrave’s three-layer model (a micro-break every few minutes, a longer rest break, and a daily limit that tells you to stop for the day) is the strictest setup here. None of the alternatives is a reason to leave it if strict enforcement is what you want. source
Where they differ is the exercise itself. Workrave shows 16 exercises as drawings. Keybreak has 37 stretches filmed with a real person, with the hold timed on screen, and Keybreak Plus lets you exclude movements you have been told to avoid. Keybreak’s micro breaks, part of Keybreak Plus, come every 10 to 15 minutes rather than every few. source source
The apps, one by one
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 are on Windows or Linux and want the strictest free break enforcement, including a daily limit.
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 need a free replacement that runs properly on a Mac as well as Windows and 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 have moved to a Mac and want the most Mac-native free option.
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 lighter, simpler free timer than Workrave on any platform.
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 need Mac, Windows and Linux under one paid licence, with meeting detection.
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 Workrave’s idea of exercise breaks, demonstrated on video, with movements you exclude left out, on Mac and Windows.
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
- It has no daily usage limit like Workrave’s. source
More comparisons
- Stretchly alternatives: 6 break reminder apps compared
- Time Out alternatives for Mac
- The best break reminder apps for Mac and Windows in 2026
- 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