Overview

Pomodoist is a task planner with a built-in Pomodoro timer, aimed at people who want to organize work and focus in the same product. Its combination of detailed planning views, team tools, and an open-source self-hosting option makes it a broader choice than a timer alone. The key trade-offs are the free plan’s 90-day task-history window and the technical work required to host it yourself.

Key features

Planning and focus

Planning tools include an inbox, upcoming tasks, projects, timeline, kanban, and a priority matrix, plus filters, search, quick-add parsing, task decomposition, and CSV import. That range can accommodate both list-based planning and visual review; it is more machinery than someone seeking only a lightweight timer needs. Pomodoro sessions add configurable breaks, local sounds, focus tracking, custom intervals, and statistics, keeping timed work alongside the tasks it serves.

Voice, teamwork, and integrations

Voice input can create tasks and recognize dates, projects, and tags from speech. Pro includes voice tasks and subtasks, making it the relevant upgrade for people who want to capture and break down work this way. Shared projects, task assignment, and activity history make Pomodoist usable for team coordination as well as individual planning.

Optional integrations include Google Calendar, a Telegram Mini-App, Apple Watch and widgets, account sync, and voice input. These extend the planner across devices and services, though the breadth of planning and focus features is the stronger reason to choose it.

Privacy and self-hosting

Cloud sync uses Supabase to process tasks, projects, tags, reminders, settings, and focus-session data for service delivery and device syncing. Pomodoist’s policy says it does not sell personal data or show ads; it uses Axiom for aggregate website statistics with 30-day retention. The AGPL-3.0-only open-source license and self-hosting option give teams more control: a self-hosted setup can use its own accounts, database, and integration credentials. That control comes with infrastructure work, with practical minimum requirements of Docker Compose v2, make, openssl, curl, 4 GB RAM, and 40 GB free disk.

Pricing

The free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes tasks, projects and labels, the Pomodoro timer, and productivity reports. Its important cap is completed and deleted task history limited to 90 days, so it is less suitable for anyone who needs a long record of past work.

Pro costs 29.99 USD per year, billed yearly. It includes everything in Free plus voice tasks and subtasks, recognizing dates and projects from speech, and task history forever. This is the practical choice for people who need voice capture or searchable history beyond the free window. Lifetime costs 99.99 USD per once, with one payment for lifetime access to all Pro features and no subscription renewals; it suits buyers who prefer paying once over a yearly subscription.

Pro Monthly and Pro Annual are also named plans with custom pricing.

Platforms

Pomodoist lists macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, Windows, Linux, web, Telegram, and a Chrome extension in beta. Android is planned for October 2026, so it is not yet a fit for teams that require an Android client now. The listed platform range otherwise gives cross-platform users several ways to access the planner.

Who it's for

Pomodoist is best suited to individuals or teams that want task planning, focus sessions, and shared project work in one product, especially if open-source licensing or self-hosting matters. It is a weaker fit for someone who wants only a timer, needs Android today, or would rather avoid administering a server.

Pros and cons

Pros: Broad planning views and a built-in focus timer keep task organization and timed work together.
Pros: Shared projects, assignments, and activity history support team coordination.
Pros: AGPL-3.0-only licensing and self-hosting allow teams to use their own accounts, database, and integration credentials.
Cons: Free users lose access to completed and deleted task history older than 90 days.
Cons: Self-hosting requires server resources and command-line tools, adding operational overhead.
Cons: Android is planned, not currently available.

Alternatives

For a narrower focus on timers, Pomodoro Timer Apps are worth comparing; readers organizing work into calendar slots can also browse Time Blocking Apps. For a broader task-manager comparison, see To-do list apps.

Focus To-Do is another freemium option, with apps for Android, iOS, macOS, web, Windows, and browser extensions; consider it if Android availability is a priority.
Pomofocus offers a free plan with templates, visual reports, custom settings, and estimated finish times, making it a fit for people who want a simpler timer-centered option.
PomoTodo is a web-only freemium alternative with unlimited focus sessions, tasks, projects, and boards on its free plan, suited to browser-only workflows.
Session is available on macOS, iOS, and as an extension, and its free plan includes calendar events inside the app; consider it if calendar visibility is the priority.
Focus Timer (formerly GNOME Pomodoro) is a free Linux option under GPL 3; it is an alternative for Linux users seeking a standalone timer.
Forest is a freemium focus app for Android, iOS, web, and extensions, with core focus features and occasional ads on its free plan.
Goodtime is an open-source GPL-3.0 Pomodoro app for Android and iOS.
Marinara Timer is a free web productivity tool.

Verdict

Choose Pomodoist if you want a capable task planner and focus timer together, with team features and the option to run your own instance. Its strongest reasons to choose are the breadth of planning tools and the control offered by open source and self-hosting. Look elsewhere if the 90-day free history limit is too short, you need Android now, or server administration is not worth the extra control.

	Ellie Planner	Pomodoist
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	$9.99/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	iOS, macOS, Web, Windows	Android, extension, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Recurring tasks	Yes	—
Calendar sync	Yes	—

Ellie Planner vs Pomodoist

Ellie Planner

Pomodoist