You want a reminder to stop staring at your Mac, without another monthly bill. Start with a free timer if you mainly forget to stop. Pay once only when you can name the extra behaviour you need: a different schedule, a harder-to-dismiss break, or a countdown that pauses when you look back.
We make Have You Rested?, one of the apps below. This is a comparison of official product information checked on 9 October 2026, not a hands-on test of all four apps. Prices are in US dollars where the developer lists them; local App Store prices and taxes may differ. We compare the direct purchase route for LookAway, rather than its separate App Store or Setapp offers.
The costs and limits to check first
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see all four columns.
| App | Without a subscription | Mac requirement | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stretchly | Free; BSD 2-Clause open-source license | macOS 13+; Intel or Apple silicon | Developer installation instructions; some contributor extras are separate |
| Intermission | $7.99 once after a 7-day trial | macOS 13+; Intel or Apple silicon | Mac App Store purchase; Family Sharing included |
| LookAway | $19 / 1 device; $29 / 2; $99 / 5 | macOS 13+ | First two plans include 1 year of updates; $99 includes lifetime updates |
| Have You Rested? | Free timer; Pro lifetime $29.99 / 2 Macs | macOS 13+; Apple silicon only | Free eye breaks use fixed timing; Pro adds custom timing and optional camera checks |
“Pay once” needs one more question: what happens to updates? A license can let you keep using a version without including every future upgrade. Also count the computers you actually use. A personal laptop and a work Mac may need two seats, even when you are the only person using them.
A free download may be the start of a paid trial. Check what remains when the trial ends before putting the app into your daily routine. A reminder that fits today should not come with a payment surprise next week.
When a free timer is enough
Stretchly is our starting recommendation if you want adjustable break times at no cost. Its official repository documents short and long breaks, strict settings and downloads for Mac, Windows and Linux. The current Mac instructions require macOS 13 or later. Both Intel and Apple silicon installation paths are documented.
Read the installation notes before choosing it: the developer documents signing limitations and a dedicated Homebrew tap. This article has not tested an installation on your Mac. Core reminders are free; the documentation marks some extra preferences for contributors. You can compare the relevant settings in our Stretchly guide for Apple silicon.
Have You Rested? Free is a narrower choice. Its eye-break timer uses 20 seconds every 20 minutes, with blink and posture nudges alongside it. If that schedule is what you want, you can keep using it without buying Pro. Custom timing belongs to Pro. It would be misleading to call Free a replacement for every schedule you can set in Stretchly.
Before paying for more controls, try a normal work session with one timer. Keep other reminder apps paused. If the prompt arrives while you are writing, decide whether you need a different interval or simply a short delay to finish the sentence. Those are different reasons to change apps.
Two other ways to pay once
Intermission is worth considering if you want a Mac App Store purchase and a choice between notifications and full-screen breaks. Its official FAQ lists a seven-day trial, a $7.99 one-time unlock and Family Sharing. Version 4 requires macOS 13 or later and supports Intel and Apple silicon. You can change the schedule and choose how readily a full-screen break can be skipped.
LookAway's direct-license pricing separates continued use from updates. The $19 single-device and $29 two-device plans include a year of updates. You can keep using your version afterwards; renewing update access is optional. The $99 five-device plan includes lifetime updates. Its current Mac download requires macOS 13 or later. If you are comparing a store listing, check that offer separately: the developer says App Store pricing differs.
Our choice here would follow the workday. If you want firmer prompts, inspect the skip controls. If interruptions during calls are the problem, test the app's pause behaviour during a normal call before paying. A low price is useful only after the reminder fits the situations in which you will use it.
When Have You Rested? Pro is the relevant upgrade
Our lifetime option costs $29.99 once for up to two Macs. Monthly and yearly plans are also offered, but you do not need either subscription to buy lifetime or use Free. A new install includes five days of Pro without a card, starting at the first successful online launch. The free timer remains afterwards.
The reason to try Pro is specific: you take a break, then keep looking back at the display. During a real Pro eye break with a usable camera signal, detected looking at the screen pauses the countdown. Looking away can let it continue. Detected downward gaze pauses it too. This is an estimate from head and eye position; it does not identify a phone or measure viewing distance.
You can still skip or postpone. If the camera cannot provide a useful signal, the break uses a timer. Preview a break also uses a timer, so Preview cannot test the pause-on-look behaviour. For that comparison, use a real Pro break.
Free needs no camera. Pro Privacy Mode keeps it off during work but can use it during a verified break. To try reminders with no camera access at all, leave macOS camera permission disabled. Our camera-free setup guide explains the choices. The Mac app does not record or upload camera video and has no analytics; licensing and optional update checks still use the internet.
Use the trial to answer one question
Choose a question you can answer after a work session: did I notice the reminder, did it arrive at a manageable time, or did I keep reading another screen while it ran? Avoid changing the interval, break length and reminder style together. Otherwise you won't know which change helped.
- Check the Mac model and macOS requirement before downloading. Have You Rested? does not support Intel Macs.
- Pick one ordinary session with the apps and displays you normally use. Keep one break-reminder schedule active.
- Note what you postponed or skipped and why. A paper note is enough; no new tracking service is needed.
- Before buying, confirm the selected license, device allowance and update terms. Keep the purchase receipt for restoration later.
We would keep the free option if it solves the original problem. A paid reminder can offer more control, but no completed countdown proves that your eyes rested or that your health improved. You still choose to put down the phone and look away.
Questions before buying
Which of these apps can I keep using for free?
Stretchly has free core reminders. Have You Rested? keeps its fixed 20-20-20 timer and blink and posture nudges available in Free after the Pro trial. Intermission's seven-day trial leads to a paid unlock.
Does a one-time price always include future updates?
No. LookAway's direct Single and Personal licenses include one year of updates, with optional renewal. Continued use of the version you have does not require that renewal. Compare update terms separately from the right to keep using an app.
Do I need Pro if I only want a reminder?
No. Start with a timer. Have You Rested? Pro is relevant if you want custom timing or optional camera checks during breaks; it does not prevent you from choosing Skip.
Can a camera tell whether I looked into the distance?
Have You Rested? estimates where you look. It cannot measure the distance to what you focus on, and detection can miss a glance. Treat it as feedback during a break, not proof of rest.
If a fixed 20-20-20 schedule fits your Mac day, start with the free Have You Rested? timer. Apple silicon and macOS 13 or later are required; the included five-day Pro trial needs no card.