Some people work best in a café: the murmur of voices, cups and the coffee machine make a lively background that keeps you going without pulling you in. Press play above to bring a café to your desk: a busy morning café, a campus café, a lunchtime rush, or the same café while it rains outside.
Why café noise helps some people work
One well-known study found that a moderate level of background noise, about that of a café, helped creative thinking, while louder noise hurt it. The feeling of being among other people also helps many people stay on task. Keep the volume moderate.
Unlike music, café noise has no lyrics or melody to follow, and unlike white noise, it feels alive.
Café ambiences to choose from
- Café: a full, busy morning café with conversations and the espresso machine.
- Campus café: the softer bustle of a university café.
- Lunchtime: the plates and voices of a lunch rush.
- Rainy café: the morning café with rain on the windows.
- Library: a quiet campus café over a light white noise, for calm study.
Work with it in Pomodoro sessions
Choose Pomodoro 25/5 under Timer: the café plays while you focus, pauses during your 5-minute breaks with a soft chime, and starts again. Your finished pomodoros count in your stats, like on the main timer.
How the Pomodoro timer works
Four simple steps. No account, nothing to install: it runs right here in your browser.
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Pick what to work on
Add a task and estimate how many pomodoros it needs. The active task is credited automatically when a session ends.
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Start the timer
Press Start (or the Space bar) and give the task your full attention until the bell rings.
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Take a real break
Step away from the screen for 5 minutes. Stretch, drink some water, rest your eyes.
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Repeat, then rest longer
After four pomodoros, take a longer 15–30 minute break. Your stats and streak update on their own.
Everything you need to focus. Nothing you don't.
A calm, distraction-free timer with the tools serious students and makers actually use.
Pomodoro, Flowtime & countdowns
Classic 25/5, 50/10 or your own durations, a count-up Flowtime mode and simple countdowns, exact even in background tabs.
Ambient sounds & lofi
Layer rain, café or forest sounds, brown noise or 40 Hz binaural beats, and add lofi radio or your own Spotify playlist.
Tasks, projects & templates
A to-do list under the timer: pomodoro estimates, notes, subtasks, projects and reusable templates. See when you'll be done.
Stats, streaks & badges
Daily goal, charts, a year heatmap, time per project, session history with CSV export and 100+ badges to unlock.
Study rooms with friends
Create a room, share the link and focus on one shared timer. See who's working and cheer each other on.
Floating timer
Pop the timer out into an always-on-top mini window while you work in other apps.
Scenes, clocks & themes
Dial, flip clock or kitchen timer. Animated scenes or your own photo, snow or sakura effects, light, dark and any colour.
Keyboard shortcuts
Space to start, R to reset, S to skip, F for fullscreen. Your hands never leave the keyboard.
Private by design
No sign-up, no ads, no tracking of your work. Your tasks and stats stay in your browser, exportable anytime.
Related timers
Each timer below is the same full-featured app, preset for a specific method or duration.
Methods
Countdown timers
Tools
Frequently asked questions
Are these real coffee shop recordings?
Yes, they are recordings of real cafés, looped with a crossfade so they never stop or jump.
Can I hear what people are saying?
The voices blend into a murmur; you won't follow a conversation, which is what makes it a good background.
Can I add rain or music?
Add rain, wind or birds under Add to the mix. For music, open the full Pomodoro timer: its sound panel has focus music and lofi radio.
Is it free?
Yes, free, without ads or an account.
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