Deepdesk and Centered solve the same problem from opposite directions: one is source-available software you can own outright for $15, the other is a subscription at ~$10/mo run entirely on someone else's servers.
Head to head
| Deepdesk | Centered | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15 once | ~$10/month |
| Cost over 2 years | $15 | ~$240 |
| Account required | Never | Yes |
| Works offline | Always | Partly |
| Pomodoro + intents + tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Floating mini timer | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient noise | Generated locally | Streamed |
| Source code | MIT, yours | Closed |
What Deepdesk does well
- Pomodoro engine — Configurable focus / short break / long break lengths, auto-cycling, long break after every N sessions, pause and skip.
- Session intents — Answer "what are you working on?" before each session — every intent lands in your session log.
- Tasks with pomodoro tallies — Add tasks, pick the active one, and watch its 🍅 count grow as you complete sessions.
- Always-on-top mini timer — A frameless, draggable floating widget with a live progress ring — hover to expand pause / skip / open controls.
What Centered still does better
There's a real reason Centered costs what it does: a bigger team, broader integrations and dedicated support behind it. If that ecosystem is genuinely what you need, it's worth paying for.
Which one should you pick
If your workflow depends on Centered's specific integrations or you'd rather not run anything yourself, stay put — that's a legitimate call. If you're comfortable owning the tool and want to stop paying ~$10/mo for a job your own hardware can do, Deepdesk pays for itself and then some: deepdesk costs six weeks of Centered — and it keeps working after every focus startup pivots or shuts down.
Try Deepdesk — $15, once
Pomodoro engine, session intents, floating mini timer, generated ambient noise & focus stats.