Flow Alternative: Focus Sessions Without the Pro Tier
Flow is a pretty timer that keeps its stats and longer features behind a subscription. Notchy runs Pomodoro sessions right on the notch — session chaining, custom durations, an end-of-session chime, streaks, and a 7-day focus chart — with every feature included, free.
Why use Notchy instead of Flow?
- All the stats, no paywall
Streaks, a 7-day focus chart, and session history are simply included. There is no Pro tier because there is no price.
- A timer you can see
The countdown ticks on the notch pill while you work — no app switch, no hidden window. Start it from the panel, the command palette, or a hotkey.
- Focus tools around the timer
Caffeine keeps the Mac awake through long sessions, Focus-aware alerts stay quiet during DND, and a stopwatch covers everything a kitchen timer can't.
Everything Notchy does, for free
- Fluid Dynamic Island animations on the Mac notch
- Command palette (⌃⌥K) — every action one keystroke away
- Knock — double-tap a modifier key to open the notch
- AI usage tracker (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot)
- Detach any tab into a menu-bar popover
- Now Playing music controls (Apple Music & Spotify)
- Time-synced karaoke lyrics under the notch
- Mac clipboard history shelf (password-manager safe)
- Searchable clipboard — filter by text, file name, or OCR'd words
- On-device OCR — copy a screenshot, get its text (Apple Vision)
- Window snapping — drag a window to the notch to tile it
- App Launcher — pin apps to the notch, open with one tap
- Text snippets — TextExpander-style pastes from the ⌘K palette
- One-tap screen capture to clipboard + shelf
- Color eyedropper — sample any pixel, hex auto-copied
- System-wide mic mute for every meeting app at once
- Keystroke HUD for demos & screencasts (secure-input safe)
- Keyboard cleaning lock with countdown island (⌘⎋ unlocks)
- Menu-bar icon hiding — Bartender-style separator & chevron
- Live CPU / memory / network stats flyout
- Open GitHub PR count in the notch (Keychain-stored token)
- iPhone-style call island — Answer/Decline FaceTime on the notch
- Notch Terminal — real VT100/xterm shell in a PTY, its own tab
- Privacy Indicator — pill when any app's camera or mic goes live
- Caps Lock HUD — brief island on every toggle
- Full Charge island with adjustable threshold + low-battery sound
- Alt HUD styles — edge-pinned bar or circular gauge off the notch
- Audio-reactive Now Playing visualizer (real FFT of system audio)
- Custom closed-notch idle animation — drop in your own Lottie JSON
- Drag-and-drop file drop shelf — persists across relaunches
- Zip & unzip files right from the shelf
- Image converter (HEIC, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF) + video → GIF
- Run Apple Shortcuts with one tap
- Screenshots auto-staged on the shelf, ready to drag
- Download finished alerts with Reveal in Finder
- USB drive mount island with one-tap Eject
- Apple Reminders quick capture & due list
- macOS Pomodoro notch timer & stopwatch — streaks + 7-day chart
- Resizable expanded panel (width & height, live preview)
- System HUDs (volume, brightness, battery)
- Audio output switcher (speakers, AirPods, monitor)
- AirPods connection manager & battery
- Magic Mouse, Keyboard & Trackpad battery + low-battery alerts
- Quick notes & Calendar widgets
- Camera Mirror (check your appearance)
- Keep Awake (caffeine toggle)
- Teleprompter (Cuely) for Zoom calls
- Focus-aware alerts & native haptic feedback
- Lock screen widgets & hide-the-notch mode
- 133 languages, fully localized
- Native SwiftUI, tuned for Apple Silicon
Flow alternative — FAQ
Is there a free Flow alternative for Mac?
Yes — Notchy. Flow charges Pro for full Pomodoro stats; Notchy runs focus sessions from the notch with session chaining, streaks and a 7-day chart, completely free.
Does Notchy have Pomodoro stats without a subscription?
Yes. Streaks, session chaining and a 7-day focus chart are all included free — no Pro tier or subscription.
Where does the Notchy timer run?
Right in the notch — start, pause and track focus sessions without opening a separate window.
Is Notchy free?
Yes — completely free, funded only by optional donations.
Compare Notchy vs 165 Mac Apps
See how Notchy replaces dozens of single-purpose paid Mac utilities for free.