Finch popularized the self-care pet: check in daily, keep your bird alive, earn kindness points. Millions love it — but it only exists on your phone, and the good parts sit behind a subscription. If you've been hunting for a web-based Finch alternative, this is it: open a tab, and your bird is already there.
| Finch | Pomodoro Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | iOS / Android app only | Browser — phone, laptop, anything |
| Core loop | Daily self-care check-ins | Focus sessions (Pomodoro) + daily check-in |
| Pet reacts to | Your check-ins and goals | Your actual focus time — and remembers quits |
| Free tier | Basic; Finch Premium ~$39/yr | Timer, bird moods, check-in, streaks — free |
| Data | In-app account | Your account, export/import any time |
Like Finch, the motivation here is emotional, not mechanical: your companion's condition reflects how you've been treating your own work. Quit three times this week and the bird's eyes go red and it looks thin. Disappear for a few days and it waits, visibly glad when you return. Come back and finish something, and it hops, flaps and celebrates.
Unlike Finch, the "something" is real focused work: each 25-minute session earns grain, feeds your streak, and counts toward accessories, new bird species and themes in the shop. Finch rewards intention; this rewards completion — with the same guilt-trip charm.
People who want the pet motivation at their desk while working (Finch lives on the phone, away from the screen you're trying to not doomscroll); students who can't install apps on school devices; anyone who read the "I want to strangle that bird" discourse and still kept the app — that ambivalence is the point. A pet that asks for ten minutes of real work earns a very different attachment than one that asks for a mood tap.
Finch itself has no official web version — it's iOS/Android only. Pomodoro Bird runs entirely in the browser on any device, which is usually what people mean when they search for a web-based Finch alternative.
The full focus loop — timer, bird moods, check-in, streaks, cloud sync — is free. Cosmetic shop items exist as an optional layer; the timer never locks behind a paywall.
Plenty of users do: Finch for morning intentions, Pomodoro Bird for actual desk hours. They don't overlap much — one tracks self-care, the other tracks focus.
Progress lives in your own free account (Supabase-backed). Export, import, or delete everything from Settings with one click.
Finch is a trademark of its respective owner. Pomodoro Bird is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Finch.