You need cross-platform
Look at Stretchly: macOS, Windows and Linux, with a long history of configurable break reminders.
UNCHAIR · COMPARISON
Unchair vs Stretchly vs Time Out
Three quite different ways to solve the same problem: stop spending hours sitting in front of a screen.
Disclosure: I build Unchair, so this is intentionally a first-party comparison. Stretchly and Time Out facts come from their official pages, checked on November 10, 2026.
The useful shortcut
You want deep break customization on Mac
Time Out is the most focused on scheduling, themes and advanced rules.
You want the Mac to verify that you actually stood up
That is the specific problem Unchair tackles with on-device Apple Vision.
Factual comparison
| Criterion | Unchair | Stretchly | Time Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS 14+ | macOS 13+, Windows, Linux | macOS 26+ |
| Break model | Configurable breaks + movement debt | Configurable mini breaks + long breaks | Highly configurable breaks and schedules |
| Verifies that you moved | Yes — sit → stand + movement via Apple Vision on the Mac | No documented body-movement verification | No documented body-movement verification |
| Meetings / context | Presentation guard + lock/sleep/idle | Idle, Do Not Disturb and app exclusions | Rules, fullscreen and configurable meeting detection |
| Open source | Yes — MIT | Yes — BSD-2-Clause | No |
| Price | Free | Free / open source | Free to use + Premium / Supporter / Lifetime options |
| Home Assistant | Native MQTT Discovery + constrained commands | No native integration documented | No native integration documented |
| Observability | Optional OpenMetrics / Prometheus + OpenTelemetry | Not positioned as a product feature | Not positioned as a product feature |
| macOS distribution | Developer ID signed, notarized and stapled DMG + Sparkle + Homebrew cask | Homebrew recommended; app is ad-hoc signed | Native macOS distribution by Dejal (4.x: macOS 26+) |
What the table hides
Stretchly
The obvious fit if cross-platform is the main requirement. It is mature, highly configurable and supports all three major desktop operating systems. On macOS, installation requires more tolerance around Gatekeeper because the app is not Developer ID signed.
Time Out
A long-running native Mac product with deep control over break types, themes, rules and scheduling. Time Out 4.x targets macOS Tahoe (26+) / Golden Gate (27+); older Macs stay on the 2.9.x line. Some advanced features are tied to Premium/Supporter options.
Unchair
Much younger and Mac-only. Its angle is not having the most themes or running everywhere: it preserves movement debt, can verify sit→stand locally with Apple Vision, and ships a privacy-safe Human Runtime weekly card exportable from local history only.
Sources
To keep this from becoming a made-up marketing comparison, the claims above link to official product sources.