Comparison

Needle · Pomodoro Timer vs Pomo Tender

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Needle · Pomodoro Timer

Features
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Needle is a calm, beautiful Pomodoro timer that helps you spend your time on what matters, one session at a time. Pick what you want to focus on, set the length, and start. When the time is up, take a real break. That's the whole method, proven for decades. FOCUS WITHOUT FRICTION • Set the length on a tape in the middle of the screen, then start in one tap • Focus Lock adds a few seconds of friction before you can give up early — or, set to Locked, refuses to let you stop until the block ends • Tag every session: Work, Study, Code, anything you like • A real alarm at the end of a session that breaks through silent mode and Focus SOUND AND SCENES TO WORK TO • A full-screen focus player opens as your session starts • Quran recitations, free for everyone: choose from up to 14 reciters and listen to all 114 surahs • Lofi tracks across three moods — Ambient & Zen, Chillhop & Jazz, Late Night — bundled and offline, no account, no streaming; one free track in every mood, the full library with Needle+ • 40 ambient sounds — rain, nature, night, travel and more — to layer, each with its own volume (Needle+) • Looping video scenes, or none at all SEE WHERE YOUR TIME GOES • A day view, a week strip, and a full session timeline • Build a daily streak and keep it alive • Set a daily goal that fits your life and watch it fill • Export every session to CSV whenever you want ON EVERY SCREEN YOU OWN • iPhone, iPad and Mac — on Mac, a compact Liquid Glass timer that lives in the menu bar • An Apple Watch app that runs sessions on its own • Control Center tiles • Start, pause and stop the timer from Spotlight, Siri and Shortcuts MAKE IT YOURS • Backgrounds and eight alternate app icons • Eleven languages • Dark by design, easy on the eyes at 2am Needle+ (optional subscription) The full lofi library and all 40 ambient sounds, unlimited tags and colors, detailed stats and insights, and Live Activity with the Dynamic Island. Family Sharing supported, so one subscription covers your whole family. Monthly or yearly; payment is charged to your Apple Account and renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Your time is your most valuable asset. Spend it on what matters. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pomo Tender

Features
Read full description

Pomo Tender is a focus timer built to last, not to make you feel guilty. It follows the Pomodoro method — work sessions broken up by rests — without turning your attention into a score to beat. No streak to protect, no accusing reminder: your statistics tell you what happened, kindly. YOUR DATA NEVER LEAVES YOUR DEVICE Pomo Tender has no server and makes no network calls. No account to create, no tracker, no advertising. Your tasks, statistics and settings are encrypted locally (AES-GCM 256-bit) with a key tied to your device, and excluded from iCloud backup. Nothing reaches us, because there is no one at the other end. THE TIMER • Freely adjustable work and rest durations • Automatic cycle sequencing • Full-screen view with estimated finish time • Faithful recovery after the app is closed: elapsed cycles are recovered YOUR TASKS • Activity types, due dates, notes • Search by title, activity or date • Pomodoro counter per task • Start a session straight from a task YOUR STATISTICS • Focus time, completed cycles, consistency • Day, week, month and year views • Readable charts, never preachy ONE TIP A DAY A focus tip when you open the app, one per day, in a pop-up you dismiss with a tap. It follows what you actually work on: after a study, sport or creative session, every other tip comes from that same category. Can be turned off in settings. WHEREVER YOU ARE • Apple Watch: ring, controls and wrist haptics • Quick start widget on the home screen • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • Interface adapted for iPad FIVE LANGUAGES English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. YOUR THEME Light or dark, Pomo Tender stays clean and distraction-free — that's the default theme, entirely free. POMO TENDER PRO Some features are gathered in Pomo Tender Pro, available as a one-time purchase or a subscription — both unlock exactly the same thing: • Day Sky and Night Sky themes: animated clouds that drift and part at your touch, stars, a shooting star • Bali theme, its golden jungle and fireflies • Ambient sounds: rain, forest, café, ocean, white noise • Blocking distracting apps and websites during focus • Smart calendar: slot reservation and suggested times • Automatic adaptation to iOS Focus modes • Weekly report • Gentle summary and activity breakdown • Unlimited timer presets • Multi-select for tasks Without Pomo Tender Pro, the timer, tasks, today's statistics, daily tip, light and dark theme, Watch app, widget and data export remain fully usable. COMPATIBILITY Live Activity: iOS 16.1 or later. Quick start widget: iOS 17 or later. This app does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Always consult a doctor for any medical concerns. Questions? hello@pomotender.app

Screenshots

Needle · Pomodoro Timer4 screens
Pomo Tender4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Needle · Pomodoro Timer at every 2 weeks against Pomo Tender's every 5 weeks. Pomo Tender's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Needle · Pomodoro Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Pomo Tender sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Needle · Pomodoro Timer ships an update every 2 weeks, Pomo Tender every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Needle · Pomodoro Timer versus Pomo Tender: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNeedle · Pomodoro TimerPomo Tender
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGaliya ZhenisLyvia Najos

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Needle · Pomodoro Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Needle+ Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Needle+ Yearly7 Days trial$5.991 Year
2 purchases

Pomo Tender

Subscriptions1
  • Pomo Tender Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pomo Tender Pro Lifetime$22.99

Questions

Is Needle · Pomodoro Timer free?
Needle · Pomodoro Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pomo Tender free?
Pomo Tender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Needle · Pomodoro Timer or Pomo Tender have ads?
Neither Needle · Pomodoro Timer nor Pomo Tender shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Needle · Pomodoro Timer or Pomo Tender?
Needle · Pomodoro Timer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pomo Tender every 5 weeks. Most recently, Needle · Pomodoro Timer was updated on October 3, 2026 and Pomo Tender on October 13, 2026.

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