Respite
A mindful break reminder app for macOS.
Gentle nudges to step away, breathe, and reset.
Built for focused work
Thoughtful details that respect your flow in a break reminder app for macOS.
Smart Break Scheduling
Configurable intervals that adapt to your rhythm. A gentle countdown appears before each break.
Streak Tracking
Build consistency with break streaks that reward follow-through.
Menu Bar App
Lives in your menu bar. Always accessible, never in your way.
Meeting & Focus Suppression
Breaks pause automatically when your mic is active, a calendar event is running, or a whitelisted app is in focus.
Customizable Intervals
Set your own work and break durations. From 15 minutes to 2 hours.
macOS Native
Built with Swift and SwiftUI. Fast, lightweight, and feels right at home.
Accountability
Optional charges add real stakes when you skip too many breaks in a row.
Your data stays on your Mac
Respite needs a few permissions to work intelligently. Here is exactly what each one does -- and what it does not.
Microphone Access
Detects active calls and meetings. Audio is never recorded, stored, or transmitted.
Calendar Access
Reads your schedule to pause breaks during meetings. No calendar data leaves your device.
Activity Monitoring
Tracks idle and active states locally to time breaks intelligently. No usage data collected.
No Cloud, No Accounts
Everything runs on-device. No sign-up required, no analytics, no data sent anywhere.
Frequently asked
Everything you need to know about Respite.
Respite is a macOS menu bar app that reminds you to take regular breaks from your screen. It uses the Pomodoro technique to help you maintain focus while building healthy habits around rest.
Respite offers a 14-day free trial so you can try every feature. After the trial, it's a one-time $36 payment with 1 year of updates included. Optionally renew at $24/year for continued updates -- your version works forever.
Yes. Respite integrates with Calendar.app to automatically suppress break reminders during meetings, so you are never interrupted at the wrong time.
No. Everything stays local on your Mac. There are no accounts, no cloud sync, and no analytics. Your usage data never leaves your device.
Respite supports macOS 14 Sonoma and later.
Fully. You can adjust break duration, intervals between breaks, and work session lengths to match your preferred workflow.