Session Pomodoro Focus Timer 4+

Edit: I’ve been using it for a while now, and the updates, discord server, live actions + shortcut capabilities make this app exceptional to use! Admittedly I haven’t been using it long, but this is a great app! The UI is sleek and very easy to use. The intention and the categorization capabilities are nice, and the free tier has basically all functionality minus the unlimited categorization. Integration with the Calendar app is great. The stand out functionality that I absolutely love is the amount of automation (and through that, customization) of the app. It’s particularly wonderful when you get it to sync through all your devices. I played around with scripting and with “shortcuts” and loved it! I also really loved the notes feature and that these notes can be as long as you want. I’d recommend the app just purely on this feature because it has been so helpful. That said, one of the parts I don’t like is that there is no task tracking or subtask tracking, which seems like a feature of the app (and design). Task and subtask are supplanted by categories and intentions; the categories and intentions seem like a good alternative and really helped me when I procrastinate by planning to the last detail on certain tasks. I also never really got the hang of its scheduling functionality, but that’s user error rather than app dysfunction. All in all it’s a great app, and I’d definitely recommend it!

I was using Sunsama for a while, but the price and features were too much for what I needed. I was also using Toggl Track to measure my time. While I still might use Toggl in the future to record overall time (including breaks) this has been a great replacement, especially the small status bar. I use Obsidian for tasks and time block in apple calendar so the directions of Sunsama focusing on notes and AI does not appeal to me. I want an app that can see time planned vs time spent and this does just that. While Sunsama is very very clean, Session replaces the timer and visualizes time spent much much better. While there are certain things to get used to on Session, it has been a great addition to my productivity. With that said, I do wish that there were more options for breaks or even gray colors to create a category for break times. I would also like to be able to break down my time by larger categories. I’m ADHD and a PhD student and find this really useful for tracking time at work, gym, and cleaning but there is no way for the outputs to distinguish these categories (at least none that I have found) with that said, for what it is, this is a great app and the only tool that I have found that successfully lets me see time planned vs time worked.

It has tremendously helped me as someone with ADHD. Thanks to this app, I've published over 20 research papers, earned my PhD, and now work in academia. When I first discovered this app, I was attracted by its aesthetic appeal, but it turned out to be much more than that. The developer, Philip, has been passionately and consistently improving this app. I love all the features - the shortcuts, notes, everything.

My favorite feature is how categories, notes, and time tracking all sync with my calendar, allowing me to see at a glance how I've spent my day. This is especially helpful when I need to catch up on journaling, and it's great for comparing my planned schedule with how I actually spent my time.

I primarily use this app for time tracking and have tried numerous other apps for task and project management, but I never stuck with them long-term. I'm really excited about the recent TODO feature update, which helps reduce the mental energy needed to decide what to do after taking a break. I can't wait for the cross-device synchronization update. I'll always support this app and look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve. It never fails to meet my expectations.