Question 1

What is BentoBoard, in one line?

Accepted Answer

One screen with your timer, tasks, habits and music on it, floating over whatever you are working on. You lock in, it keeps everything you need in reach, and you never leave your work to check on any of it.

Question 2

Why not just keep a browser tab open?

Accepted Answer

Because a tab is somewhere you have to go. Every time you switch windows to look at a timer you pay to get back into what you were doing, and that toll is what turns three hours at the desk into one hour of work. BentoBoard sits on top of your work instead, so a glance costs you nothing.

Question 3

Is this just another Notion?

Accepted Answer

No, and it is not trying to be. Notion is a second brain you build and then maintain. BentoBoard is a surface you glance at: timer, tasks, habits and music already laid out, usable in five minutes, no setup weekend. If you keep a wiki, keep it. This is the thing that stays open on top of it.

Question 4

What do I actually get for free?

Accepted Answer

The whole study loop, on the board. Up to 6 blocks, the pomodoro timer, tasks, habit tracking, your Pulse score, the music player, themes, stickers and aesthetic exports, on Windows, macOS and the web. Free forever, not a trial, and no card to find out.

Question 5

What does Pro change?

Accepted Answer

Pro is where BentoBoard stops being a window you open and becomes the thing that stays with you. The overlay and the notch are Pro: your blocks floating on top of whatever you are doing, and a panel in the menu bar you pull down mid sentence without leaving the document. That is the part nothing else on your machine does. Under it you also get unlimited blocks and boards, cloud sync so the same setup opens on every device you own, Google and iCloud calendar sync, the full focus stats and streak analytics behind your Pulse score, flashcards with no 20 card cap, the YouTube player, Notion and native notifications. Cancel whenever.

Question 6

Will I spend more time decorating this than studying?

Accepted Answer

The default board works out of the box without touching a single setting, so you can be studying inside five minutes and customise later if you feel like it. Dynamic mode also re-sorts your blocks by what is actually urgent, so the board keeps itself in order instead of asking you to.

Question 7

Where does my data live?

Accepted Answer

On your machine. BentoBoard is local first: your board is stored on your own device by default and nothing is uploaded unless you turn on cloud sync, which is a Pro feature. On the desktop app you can work with no internet connection at all.

Question 8

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

Not for the desktop app. Download it and start, no sign up. The web version gives you the full board for 15 minutes before asking for a free account, which is what lets us keep your work between sessions.

Question 9

What happens to my board if I stop paying for Pro?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is deleted. Your board stays on your device and stays readable. You drop back to the free limits, 6 blocks on one board and no cloud sync, and everything above that is still there waiting if you come back.

Question 10

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. iOS is in progress and we are not going to put a fake date on it. BentoBoard is built for the screen you actually study in front of, which is the one your work is already open on.

Question 11

Windows and macOS both, really?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both are native desktop builds from the same codebase, shipped together on every release, currently v1.1. Not a browser tab in a wrapper.

The aesthetic study dashboard