Stretchly vs Poxture App

It's 4 pm. You haven't stood up since lunch, and your face is a few inches closer to the screen than it was at 10. Those are two different problems. Stretchly is a free, open-source break timer: it reminds you to step away from the screen. Poxture App checks your posture through your Mac's camera and nudges you when a habit shows up, like leaning in or looking down. You may want one, or both. Every fact about Stretchly below comes from Stretchly's own GitHub pages.

By Shyam Verma, maker of Poxture App · Checked 3 November 2026

Break timer · Mac, Windows, Linux

Stretchly

Notices with: A timer
Nudge: A break window with an idea for a break
Works: At your computer
Price: Free and open source

Mac app · ours

Poxture App

Notices with: Your Mac's camera
Nudge: A glow and a how-to card
Works: At your Mac
Price: Free an hour a day, $19 once for all day

The short version: want a free timer that gets you away from the screen every half hour by default? Stretchly. Want to know how you sit in between, and how to fix it? Poxture App. Want both? They can run side by side.

Download Poxture App for Mac

Choose Stretchly if

You want regular breaks away from the screen, on a schedule you set.
You work on Windows or Linux too. Stretchly runs on all three.
You only want reminders to get up and move.
You want free, open-source software.

Choose Poxture App if

You want to know how you sit between breaks, from leaning too close to the screen to looking down.
You want each nudge to say what's wrong, show the fix, and tell you when you've fixed it.
You'd like a free hour every day, with every feature all day for your first 14 days, before you pay anything.

What Stretchly is

Stretchly calls itself "The break time reminder app". It "reminds you to take breaks when working on your computer". It sits in your menu bar and shows a break window from time to time, "which contains an idea for a break". By default you get a 20-second Mini break every 10 minutes and a 5-minute Long break every 30 minutes. A notice comes 10 seconds before a Mini break and 30 seconds before a Long one. You can change the timing in its Preferences. It is made by Jan Hovancik, and its latest version, 1.22.1, came out on 13 August 2026.^1,2

A timer, or a check on how you sit

Stretchly works from the clock. By default it pauses its breaks when you have been idle for 5 minutes, and while Do Not Disturb is on. When a break starts, the default lets you put it off once, by 2 minutes for a Mini break or 5 for a Long one, and skip it after a while. Its page does not mention posture or a camera.¹

Poxture App tells you which of eight habits you slipped into: too close to the screen, looking down, hand on face, slouching, sitting still too long, hunched over, leaning to one side, or not working from a proper desk setup. The card for that habit shows the fix, and the glow at the top of the screen turns green once you've fixed it.

Different jobs, so you can use both

A break timer gets you up on a schedule, however you were sitting. Poxture App checks your posture between those breaks, and nudges you only when a habit shows up. If you want regular breaks and a check on your posture in between, run both: Stretchly for the breaks, Poxture App for the time you're at the desk.

Where they run

Stretchly runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. On a Mac it "Requires macOS Ventura (13) or later". Its page recommends installing it with Homebrew, and says it is "only ad-hoc signed", so the first launch on a Mac needs a workaround.¹

Poxture App is built for the Mac. It runs from your menu bar on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 15 or later, and checks your posture while you work in any app. The camera is off whenever it isn't checking: when you pause, outside your work hours, during calls if you choose, and when the Mac is locked.

Free, or try it, then pay

Stretchly is free. In its own words, "Stretchly is free but you can support it by contributing code, translations or money." People who support it, through GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, code or translations, get extra Contributor Preferences and can sync their preferences.¹

Poxture App is free to use: the first hour of each day is free for good, and for your first 14 days every feature works all day. There is no account. $19 once keeps it on all day, with a full refund within 14 days, no questions.

Privacy

Stretchly has a setting to check for new versions, which you can turn off in its Preferences.¹

Poxture App has no account and no web app, so there is no sign-in to keep. Its camera images never leave your Mac. Poxture App sends usage counts with a random install number and, once a day, rounded posture scores with no install number, and supporters can turn both off in Settings. The privacy page lists all of it.

Side by side

	Stretchly	Poxture App
Runs on	macOS Ventura (13) or later, Windows and Linux	Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 15 or later
How it works	A timer: a Mini break every 10 minutes and a Long break every 30, by default	Your Mac's camera or an external webcam, once a minute
What it tells you	That it's time for a break, with an idea for one	Which of eight habits slipped, and how to fix it
How it nudges	A notice, then a break window you can put off once or skip, by default	A soft glow at the top of the screen, a card that shows how to fix it, and a green glow once you've fixed it
Free use	Free and open source; some extra preferences for supporters	1 hour a day, free for good; all day for your first 14 days
Price	Free; support it with code, translations or money	$19 once
Account	A GitHub or Patreon sign-in unlocks Contributor Preferences	None

Questions

Is Poxture App a Stretchly alternative?

Only in part. Stretchly reminds you to take breaks on a timer. Poxture App checks your posture while you work, and one of its eight habits is sitting still too long. If you want breaks on a fixed schedule, keep Stretchly and add Poxture App for how you sit in between.

Is Stretchly a posture app?

It is a break reminder. Its page does not mention posture or a camera. By default it asks for a 20-second break every 10 minutes and a 5-minute break every 30 minutes.

Is Stretchly free?

Yes. It is free and open source. You can support it with code, translations or money, and supporters get extra Contributor Preferences, per its page on 3 November 2026.

Does Poxture App run on Windows or Linux?

No. Poxture App runs only on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later.

Download Poxture App for Mac

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What Poxture App costs

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Sources, read 3 November 2026

Stretchly's website (GitHub project page), checked 2026-11-03
Stretchly's website (GitHub releases page), checked 2026-11-03