It monitors your keyboard and mouse usage and using this information, it frequently alerts you to take microbreaks, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily computer usage.
Reviewed by Marcus Holmberg
Workrave
workrave.org 1 rating so far*
Rate Workrave: No account needed
Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
Older and Windows-and-Linux-only, with an interface that looks its age, so set expectations before installing. What Workrave does that lighter reminder apps don’t is actually enforce breaks and track daily usage limits, which suits people who need RSI prevention rather than a gentle nudge. Skip it if you’re on a Mac or want something modern-looking; pick it if you have a genuine repetitive-strain problem and want a tool that will lock you out until you rest.
GitHub at a glance
rcaelers/workrave GPL-3.0
Stars
1,845
+3 this week
Forks
233
31 watching
Last commit
5d ago
healthy
Latest release
v1_11_5
20d ago, 51 total
Star history
Issues
52% closed
216
open
232
closed
+7 / -10
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
598 commits, active 25 of 26 weeks
88 contributors since May 2009
Languages
- C++ 65.4%
- Rust 11.7%
- QML 7.6%
- Other 15.3%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
workrave.org
D score 30
Weak website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested today
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Workrave alternatives
PrivacyNotes Encrypted notes, tasks, calendar, files, passwords and a journal with mood and medication tracking, all unlocked by one 12-word recovery phrase. Sign up with no email and no password. Open source.
drip Respects your privacy. No collection of usage data or personal information, no ads, no spyware. Drip stores data related to menstrual health locally on your device. Read the…
Euki Reliable, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health information. Euki takes privacy seriously. They do not store any of the information you enter into the app in the cloud…
Loop Habit Tracker Helps you to achieve long-term goals. Detailed charts and statistics show you how your habits improved over time. The app is completely ad-free, open source and it respects…
Stretchly A cross-platform open source app that reminds you to take breaks when working on your computer.
CommonHealth Android alternative to Apple Health. Helps you collect and manage personal health data and share it with the health services, organizations, and apps you trust. Data is only…
Workrave license, in plain English
GPL-3.0 Strong copyleft
Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Patent use
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.
* Average ratings will show on this page once the threshold of 5 ratings is reached.