Try Focusbox in your browser

You don't have to install anything to try Focusbox. It runs as a focus timer online at app.focusbox.net — the same countdown, task list, and notepad, right in a browser tab.

Open the web app

The web app is the fastest way in. Open the tab, set a timer, jot your tasks, keep notes beside them, and close it when you're done. Nothing to download, nothing to update, and it works the same on a Mac, a PC, or a borrowed machine.

I want to be honest about the tiers, because they're not identical. The web app and the desktop app share the same end-to-end encryption for optional sync: the server only ever holds encrypted blobs and never receives your password or keys. The desktop app is still the strongest tier — it's a signed binary, runs fully offline, and it's what I'd reach for if your notes are sensitive. The web app trades a little of that for pure convenience.

Most people end up using both: the web app when they're away from their own computer, the desktop app as home base. If you'd rather start there, here's the free download for Mac and Windows.

What's in it

The same two halves as the desktop app. On the left, a countdown ring with presets and add-time when it finishes, plus a check-off task list with a count of what's left. On the right, a markdown notepad with a small formatting toolbar for headings, bold, italic, lists, and checkboxes.

It's a real app in the tab rather than a demo: it installs as a PWA if you want it in its own window, it works on a phone (the two columns become tabs on narrow screens), and it follows your system light or dark theme. What's missing compared to the desktop build is the platform-specific stuff — the macOS menu-bar countdown, the tray menu, window-position memory, and the Spotify mini-player.

Where your data goes in the browser

With no account, everything stays in that browser's local storage for the site and never leaves the machine. Which also means it's per-browser and per-device: Chrome on your laptop and Safari on your phone are two separate sets of tasks, and clearing site data clears them. That's the honest limitation of running without an account.

Turning on optional sync is what joins them up. It's the same end-to-end-encrypted sync the desktop app uses — encryption happens in your browser, so the server holds blobs it can't read, and it never receives your password or keys.

One thing to know if you're using a shared or borrowed computer: local storage persists after you close the tab. Sign out, or use a private window, so your notes aren't sitting there for the next person.

Web app, desktop app, or just a timer?

Three doors, and they suit different moments:

• Just need a countdown now — the Pomodoro timer on this site runs in the page. No tab to keep, no account, nothing to load.
• Want the full thing without installing — the web app. Timer, tasks, and the notepad, in a tab or as a PWA.
• Want it to be there every day — the free desktop app. Menu-bar countdown, offline forever, and your data in a file you own.

Open the web app Download for desktop

Questions

Do I need an account to use the web app?

No. It works with no account at all; everything stays in your browser. An account is only needed for optional paid sync across devices.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Below about 720px the timer and notes become two tabs instead of side-by-side columns, and it can be installed to the home screen as a PWA.

Will my tasks be there tomorrow?

In the same browser on the same device, yes. They aren't shared between browsers or devices unless you enable sync, and clearing site data removes them.

Is the web app as private as the desktop app?

The encryption is the same, but the desktop app is the stronger tier — a signed binary that runs fully offline. For genuinely sensitive notes, use the desktop app.