Automated focus app that starts sessions by itself and blocks distractions
Your second brain on your desktop
Stage
Not given
Not given
Founded
Not given
Not given
Based in
Not given
CA
Pricing model
Free trial
Free
Pricing
7-day free trial, then $2.88/week ($149.99/year, save 37%) or $19.99/month billed in USD
Free for the desktop app. Barside Plus: US$20 a month or US$200 a year. Paid Spaces: creators set their own pricing through Stripe, with Barside taking 8% (5% for Plus subscribers).
Key features
Automatic session start after 5 minutes of active work
AI classifies new sites in real time
Blocks distracting tabs with warning first
Learns from past sessions to predict work duration
iPhone app syncs sessions across devices
Breathing room before blocking distraction
Session history and focus statistics
Three focus modes: Strict, Balanced, Lenient
Private, local-first architecture
Notes with rich formatting including headings, checklists, tables, code and links
Integrated drawing and diagramming with Excalidraw editor
Screen recording that saves directly into notes
Video transcription with timestamps
AI-powered search across all notes and content
Built-in password manager with auto-fill
Video meetings for up to 6 people
Cloud backup with up to 90 days of history for Plus subscribers
Team Spaces with chat, polls and shared notes
AI agents that run on schedule with approval workflow
What makes it different
Starts automatically without manual setup or timer management
AI learns distraction patterns instead of using static blocklists
Gives brief warning before blocking, not instant hard blocks
Syncs focus sessions to iPhone to prevent device switching
Local-first privacy with no page content tracking
Completely free for core features with local-first architecture requiring no account
Replaces 10+ subscription apps in one unified desktop application
AI agents with approval workflow for safe automation
Integrated screen recording and transcription without external tools
Supports multiple operating systems with native desktop integration
Focen
Barside