What is FocusNod used for?

FocusNod is a Mac menu bar focus app, on a waitlist for an October 2026 launch, that notices when your active window drifts from your stated task and asks once, reading window titles only. It is a good fit for catching drift to YouTube while coding and staying on a writing task without a hard blocker.

How much does FocusNod cost?

Paid plans for FocusNod start at $29 as a one-time payment, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is FocusNod open source?

No. FocusNod is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Zen Browser and Maccy.

What are some alternatives to FocusNod?

FocusNod competes with Freedom, RescueTime and Forest.

FocusNod: features, pricing and alternatives

About FocusNod

FocusNod is a focus tool for the Mac menu bar. You tell it the task you are working on, and it judges each window by its application name and title, never reading the screen contents. If you spend about three minutes on something else, a small dot appears on the ring, and then it asks once whether you are still on the task, with options to go back, mark the detour as part of the task or take a break. Nothing is blocked and nothing beeps.

The site frames it for people working alone on a Mac, such as developers, writers, students and designers, and says it is not for people who want a hard blocker, a monitoring tool for others or a job made of interruptions. There are no accounts or dashboards.

The page is a waitlist, with one email promised when FocusNod launches in October 2026. The listed price is a one-time $29, with a $23 early price for the first 100 buyers, and the site compares it with other Mac focus apps.

Key features

Task-based focus tracking from the menu bar
Reads window titles, not screen contents
Single quiet prompt after about three minutes
Options to return, continue or take a break
No blocking and no accounts
Global shortcut to set the task

Good fit for

Catching drift to YouTube while coding
Staying on a writing task without a hard blocker

Tags: focus; mac; menu-bar; productivity; privacy; no-subscription; waitlist

FocusNod: questions and answers

What is FocusNod used for?: FocusNod is a Mac menu bar focus app, on a waitlist for an October 2026 launch, that notices when your active window drifts from your stated task and asks once, reading window titles only. It is a good fit for catching drift to YouTube while coding and staying on a writing task without a hard blocker.
How much does FocusNod cost?: Paid plans for FocusNod start at $29 as a one-time payment, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is FocusNod open source?: No. FocusNod is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Foqos, Zen Browser and Maccy.
What are some alternatives to FocusNod?: FocusNod competes with Freedom, RescueTime and Forest.