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Guided workflow variation

Decide once, at the start.Not every time the work gets hard.focus blockers with "Strict Mode"

TimeFence's optional Strict Mode removes the easy in-app pause and quit during a block you committed to, so the decision is made up front — not re-negotiated mid-task. A visible HUD holds the line. Local-first, no telemetry.

TimeFence's optional Strict Mode removes the easy in-app pause and quit during a block you committed to, so the decision to focus is made once at the start, not re-litigated every time the work gets hard. Per-session and opt-in.

$2.99 USD — Perpetual License

One-time purchase · No subscription · Instant install via the Microsoft Store

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription.

Full TimeFence overview
One-time purchase No telemetry Local-first

windows · local-first · buy direct · one-time purchase

If this sounds like your week

When quitting is free, you'll quit the moment the work gets hard.

Most focus timers keep pause and quit one click away. That feels harmless until the task hits its first uncomfortable stretch — and the easy exit is right there, inviting you to "just take a quick break" or restart later. The session you set is optimized to be abandoned politely.

Where tooling usually breaks

A focus session with an exit hatch is just a suggestion.

You've started the same block a dozen times this week and bailed on every one the instant something felt easier. Each bail is a fresh negotiation with yourself, and willpower loses that negotiation more often than not. The tool isn't on your side — it's neutral, which in practice means it sides with the impulse.

Where TimeFence lands

Strict Mode makes starting the block the decision that counts.

TimeFence's optional Strict Mode removes the easy in-app pause and quit during a block you've committed to, so the meaningful decision is made once — at the start, when your judgment is clearest — instead of re-litigated every time the work gets hard. It's per-session and opt-in: turn it on only for blocks you mean to finish, and keep a normal flexible timer for everything else. A persistent always-on-top HUD keeps the countdown visible the whole time. Local-first, no telemetry.

$2.99 USD — Perpetual License

One-time purchase · No subscription · Instant install via the Microsoft Store

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription.

Learn more about TimeFence

windows · local-first · buy direct · one-time purchase

What you get

Feature highlights

Persistent timer HUD

Always-visible countdown on a zero-latency overlay—peripheral time you can't ignore, without modal chrome blocking your work.

Rust + Tauri, local-first

No Electron tax, no sign-in, and no telemetry. Your focus sessions never leave your machine.

Strict Mode

A real enforcement switch. Start a block and the soft “I’ll just pause it” path disappears—on purpose. Use it when you mean it.

Especially when

  • Combat time blindness: keep a persistent visual timer HUD in view on Windows, not in the tray
  • Reduce context switching: stop tab-flipping to web timers or “focus” apps with account walls
  • When you need commitment, not cosplay: optional Strict Mode for deterministic focus sessions you cannot abandon mid-block

Who benefits

Real-world scenarios

The block you keep bailing on

You set a focus block, hit the first hard part, and your hand goes straight for pause — the same way it has all week. The easy exit is right there, so "later" wins again.

You start the block in Strict Mode, which removes the in-app pause and quit for its duration. The decision is settled at the start, the HUD shows it counting down, and you actually finish what you committed to.

The transition that never happens

You meant to switch tasks at the top of the hour, but with no visible cue the current task just keeps going. "One more minute" stretches into twenty before you notice.

TimeFence keeps the countdown to your transition in view the whole time, so the handoff between tasks happens when you planned it — not whenever you happen to look up.

The tray that swallows the timer

You start a 40-minute timer, it minimizes to the tray behind the chevron, and you drop into the task. The next time you surface, you've blown well past the mark — nothing in your field of view ever showed the time moving.

With TimeFence the countdown floats on top of whatever you're doing. You catch the remaining time in passing, without a deliberate "check the tray" detour, and you wrap up roughly when you meant to.

Deep dive

What Strict Mode actually does — and what it deliberately does not

Strict Mode is a commitment device. The idea, borrowed from behavioral economics, is simple: you make a decision once, at a moment when your judgment is clear, and then remove your own ability to cheaply reverse it later when you're tempted. The classic example is leaving the snacks out of the house instead of relying on willpower at midnight. Applied to focus, the cheap reversal is the pause and quit button. When those are one click away, the real decision isn't made at the start of the block — it's remade continuously, every time the work gets uncomfortable, and willpower tends to lose those repeated negotiations. Strict Mode moves the decision back to the start, where it belongs. Concretely, when you begin a block in Strict Mode, TimeFence removes the easy in-app pause and quit for the duration of that block. The countdown stays visible on the always-on-top HUD the whole time, so the commitment is something you can see, not just something you set. What Strict Mode is not: it's not a default, and it's not a claim that you should lock yourself into everything. It's per-session and opt-in, meant for blocks you've genuinely decided to finish. Use it for those, keep a normal flexible timer for the rest, and treat it as a tool — not a personality. TimeFence stays local-first with zero telemetry throughout.

Trusted by pragmatic desktop users

Built for people who prefer tools that stay local.

Real workflows: focus timers that stay visible, batches that never leave the disk, and renames you can rewind.

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Our Core Moat

Engineered to respect your system boundaries.

System Resource Monitor (Idle State Comparison)
Automata Labs sub-5MB idle memory footprint compared to generic Electron applications

Lightweight Native Stack

Compiled Rust core wrapped inside an optimized Tauri shell. No heavy background node loops or duplicate Chromium engines cooking your memory footprint (<5MB idle RAM).

100% Local-First Privacy

Executes entirely on-device with full offline isolation. Absolute zero background telemetry policies, no metrics aggregation, and zero mandatory cloud-sync accounts.

Perpetual Fallback Licenses

Pay a single, clear one-time purchase price. Own your specific native software utility execution tier permanently without artificial subscription paywalls or ongoing usage tax.

FAQ

Straight answers—no glossary dump

What exactly does Strict Mode do?

When you start a block in Strict Mode, TimeFence removes the easy in-app pause and quit for the duration of that block. The aim is to make the decision to focus once, at the start, rather than re-negotiating it every time the work gets hard. It is per-session and opt-in — you only use it for blocks you mean to finish.

Is Strict Mode safe to use, or could it lock me out?

Strict Mode is meant for intentional blocks you are willing to complete, not as an always-on default. It removes the convenient in-app exits for the block you chose; it is a commitment device for focus, not a system lock. Use it for the sessions that matter and keep a normal flexible timer for everything else.

Will the always-on-top HUD steal focus or interrupt my typing?

No. TimeFence stays on top as a topmost window without becoming the foreground window, so keyboard input still goes to the app underneath. You keep typing in your editor, browser, or call while the countdown stays visible. It is designed to be visible but non-intrusive — a HUD, not a modal pop-up.

Does TimeFence collect any data or require an account?

No. TimeFence is local-first with zero telemetry and no mandatory account. It runs entirely on your machine and nothing about your sessions leaves it. It installs from the Microsoft Store and runs locally.

What do I need to run TimeFence, and where do I get it?

TimeFence is a Windows desktop app (Windows 10 and 11) built with Rust and Tauri, and it installs from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase that runs locally — no subscription and no account required.

Related pages

Your timer is in the tray. That's why you keep losing time. Time blindness isn't about trying harder. It's about seeing the clock. Decide once, at the start. Not every time the work gets hard. Decide once, at the start. Not every time the work gets hard.

The tray is where clocks go to die.
Put time back on screen.

TimeFence is a one-time Windows purchase. No subscriptions, no telemetry. Just a local Rust/Tauri HUD with optional Strict Mode for serious blocks.

$2.99 USD — Perpetual License

One-time purchase · No subscription · Instant install via the Microsoft Store

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription.

Open full product page

Technical specifications

Technical specifications for procurement

Spec Implementation
Data Sovereignty Focus sessions and HUD state remain on-device; no cloud session store
Telemetry Status None; no analytics or sign-in for core timer behavior
Core Runtime Rust / Tauri with native Windows overlay APIs
Network Requirements Fully functional offline
Deployment Compatibility Windows 10 and 11 via Microsoft Store and direct purchase
Overlay behavior Always-on-top HUD designed not to steal keyboard focus
Strict Mode Optional session lock with pause/quit paths disabled until block ends