Tomato Timer

A tomato timer is a focus timer that runs on the tomato timer method: work with full attention for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break, and repeat. After four rounds, take a longer break. Our free online tomato timer runs in any browser with a built-in todo list — no download, no signup.

Why is it called a tomato timer?

"Tomato timer" and "pomodoro timer" are the same thing — pomodoro is simply the Italian word for tomato. The method's inventor, Francesco Cirillo, timed his study sessions with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer in the late 1980s, and the name stuck. The full story is on our Pomodoro Technique explainer.

The tomato timer method in 30 seconds

1. Pick one task. 2. Start a 25-minute timer and work on nothing else. 3. When it rings, take a 5-minute break. 4. Every four rounds, take a longer 15–30 minute break. That's the whole method — the discipline of the single task and the honesty of the breaks do all the work.

Tomato timer for Mac

If you work on a Mac, the Pomodoro Timer app for macOS keeps the tomato timer countdown in your menu bar — always visible while you work, with your todo list one click away. It's a one-time $3.99 purchase on the Mac App Store.

Start a tomato now

Open the online tomato timer, write down the one task you'll do next, and start the countdown. Twenty-five minutes from now you'll have earned your first break.