The native, meeting-aware Mac break timer app and Pomodoro menu bar tool that tracks desk activity. Prevent MacBook eye strain and build healthy workstation habits effortlessly.
💰 One-time purchase of $4.99 • No subscriptions or ads • Own forever
Protect your eyes and prevent fatigue with an assistant that fits seamlessly into your work day.
Automatically detects when you walk away from your desk. It pauses or resets your timers, preventing annoying break alerts when you return.
Monitors microphone and camera usage to automatically postpone screens locks when you are in a Zoom or Slack huddle.
Runs quietly in the background as a menu bar agent. Zero Dock clutter, keeping your screen clean and distraction-free.
Follow built-in, animated sequences for eye movements and quick desk stretches to release physical tension and fatigue.
Take a look at StepAway's native, clean preferences and statistics screens designed exclusively for macOS.
Breaks Scheduling & Duration
Quick Access Status Menu Bar
GitHub-Style Activity Heatmap
Pomodoro & Deep Work Focus Mode
See how StepAway is helping professionals reduce fatigue, prevent strain, and maintain healthy habits.
"Finally, a break timer that doesn't feel like a nag. The meeting detection is perfect—it never locks my screen during a Zoom call or presentation."
"My eye spasms have completely stopped since I started using StepAway. I love the minimalist menu bar interface and the fact that it runs natively under 20MB of RAM."
"The idle detection is a game-changer compared to other apps. If I get up to grab a coffee, it resets automatically so I don't get bugged right when I sit back down."
Traditional timers interrupt you. StepAway shifts your physical workspace to encourage real wellness.
| Features | StepAway | LookAway | TimeOut | Focus Keeper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price & Revenue Model | Paid Upfront ($4.99) | $19.00 (Setapp option) | Freemium ($4.99 unlock) | $34.99/year (Auto-renewing sub) |
| Native macOS Client | Yes (SwiftUI Agent) | Yes (Swift App) | Yes (Objective-C App) | No (iOS App / Web Wrapper) |
| Meeting Auto-Pause | Yes (Camera & Mic hooks) | Yes (Active process checks) | No | No |
| App Footprint (CPU/RAM) | SwiftUI (<15MB RAM) | Swift (~30MB RAM) | Objective-C (~40MB RAM) | High (WebCatalog Wrapper) |
| Privacy Model | 100% Local (No analytics) | Local with telemetry | Local with telemetry | Cloud-based tracking |
| Guided Exercises | Yes (Custom eye & stretch routines) | No (Break alert overlay only) | No (Text prompts only) | No (Strict Pomodoro focus timer) |
Follow the roadmap and evolution of the StepAway project.
LSUIElement. The application launches completely hidden in the menu bar.Traditional wellness apps operate under the assumption that visual recovery is purely physical—governed by the 20-20-20 rule (looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes). However, clinical study of cognitive fatigue demonstrates that structured breaks with guided eye exercises significantly reduce eye muscle fatigue and mental blocks.
StepAway provides custom-guided eye-care and physical stretching sequences directly on screen during break alerts. By following these visual prompts, users engage the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing a micro-state of rest and active recovery that a simple screen overlay or traditional timer cannot achieve.
StepAway is engineered on strict local privacy principles. Rather than relying on cloud databases or remote tracking telemetry, it operates completely offline:
This architecture ensures that your data is fully protected, establishing StepAway as a highly secure utility compared to cloud-dependent alternatives.
Interruption fatigue is a leading reason users disable screen timers. StepAway integrates intelligent Meeting Awareness by listening to core system hooks:
It checks active macOS audio/video input sessions (via CoreAudio and CoreMedia). If the system camera or microphone is in active use (e.g., in a Zoom, Teams, or Slack huddle), StepAway's scheduler automatically pushes back the timer and schedules a silent snooze. This ensures you are never locked out of your screen mid-presentation.
Resource efficiency is critical for macOS utility apps that remain active 24/7. StepAway is built natively using Swift and SwiftUI, completely avoiding Node.js or Chromium runtime packaging:
IdleMonitor notifications to update state only when active input occurs.Everything you need to know about the StepAway wellness platform.
StepAway monitors keyboard and mouse activity locally using native macOS system events. If no input is detected for a custom period, the app automatically pauses or resets your active timers, preventing false break alerts when you return.
No. StepAway is a native, sandboxed macOS application. All timer scheduling, guided stretches, and settings are saved locally on your Mac. No usage tracking or personal data is collected or transmitted.
Yes. StepAway features intelligent Meeting Awareness. It monitors active camera and microphone sessions on macOS. If you are in a call, it automatically postpones upcoming breaks to prevent interruptions during meetings.