AI-Powered Focus for Mac

The focus app that thinks for you.

The focus app that thinks for you.

Tell Hugo what you're working on. It evaluates every tab and app in real time and quietly handles anything off-task. No blocklist to build. No rules to set. Free to download.

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See how it works

See how it works

See how it works

See how it works

Why focus is harder than it's ever been

23 min
Average time to regain focus after one distraction
UC Irvine
40%
Of productive time lost to context switching
APA Research
1,200×
Times the average person switches apps or tabs every single day
Harvard Business Review, 2022
47 sec
The average time spent on any screen before attention shifts to something else
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine — Attention Span, 2023
23 min
Average time to regain focus after one distraction
UC Irvine
40%
Of productive time lost to context switching
APA Research
1,200×
Times the average person switches apps or tabs every single day
Harvard Business Review, 2022
47 sec
The average time spent on any screen before attention shifts to something else
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine — Attention Span, 2023
23 min
Average time to regain focus after one distraction
UC Irvine
40%
Of productive time lost to context switching
APA Research
1,200×
Times the average person switches apps or tabs every single day
Harvard Business Review, 2022
47 sec
The average time spent on any screen before attention shifts to something else
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine — Attention Span, 2023
23 min
Average time to regain focus after one distraction
UC Irvine
40%
Of productive time lost to context switching
APA Research
1,200×
Times the average person switches apps or tabs every single day
Harvard Business Review, 2022
47 sec
The average time spent on any screen before attention shifts to something else
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine — Attention Span, 2023
23 min
Average time to regain focus after one distraction
UC Irvine
40%
Of productive time lost to context switching
APA Research
1,200×
Times the average person switches apps or tabs every single day
Harvard Business Review, 2022
47 sec
The average time spent on any screen before attention shifts to something else
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine — Attention Span, 2023

The Problem

You already know what this looks like.

Same Tuesday. Same report. Two completely different outcomes. The only difference is whether your environment is working for you or against you.

Your current setupSame Tuesday afternoon
2:00
Opened the report. Stared at it.
2:03
Stuck on the intro. Checked email instead.
the intro wasn't coming together
2:11
Slack notification. Read the whole thread.
felt like it might be urgent
2:18
Back to the report. Reread the same paragraph.
2:22
Opened YouTube. 'Just one video.'rabbit hole
you told yourself it would be 5 minutes
2:47
Three videos later. Closed the tab.
you knew the whole time
2:52
Reddit. No idea how.
you don't even remember opening this
3:14
Back to the report. Lost the thread entirely.
3:30
Slack again. Replied to something that could wait.
easier than the report
5:00
Report is half done.
Report progress0%
Three hours. Half a report.
"I was busy all day."
With HugoSame Tuesday afternoon
2:00
Set goal: 'Write the Q1 investor update.'
2:03
Email attempt. Hugo asked why. Closed the tab.
2:11
Slack hidden automatically. Didn't notice.
2:47
YouTube tutorial on investor updates. Hugo allowed it.allowed
3:42
Report done. Session ended.
3:43
Share card posted. 1h 42m focused.
Report progress0%
One hour forty-two. Report shipped.
Share card posted. 0 overrides.

The Origin Story

Victor Hugo locked away his clothes. We built the app.

In 1830, Victor Hugo was behind on a deadline. So he removed the option to do anything other than write. I built Hugo because the left column was my life for three years. This app is the modern version of that idea.
“
Paris, 1830

He bought a large grey woollen body-stocking, a new bottle of ink, and locked his formal clothes in a wardrobe. With nothing suitable to wear outside, Victor Hugo could not leave his study.

From Adele Foucher's memoir, Victor Hugo Recounted by a Witness of His Life

Victor Hugo was behind on a deadline. His publisher, Gosselin, had given him until December 1 to deliver a novel, with penalties of 1,000 francs for every week he was late. He had already missed his original deadline the year before.

So Hugo changed his environment. He couldn't leave the house. He couldn't accept invitations. He couldn't go to dinner. The only option left was to sit at his desk and write.

He started on September 1, 1830. He finished on January 14, 1831. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, nearly 200,000 words, in four and a half months. Two weeks ahead of the extended deadline.

Hugo didn't rely on discipline. He changed his environment so that the work was the only thing left to do. That's exactly what this app does.
1830
Hugo locks his clothes in a wardrobe
1831
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame published two weeks early
2026
Hugo (the app) constructs the same environment with AI

Hugo locked away his clothes. You download an app. Same principle.

Hugo locked away his clothes. You download an app. Same principle.

How Hugo Works

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

Hugo is a native macOS app with a Chrome extension. AI evaluation, app hiding, project memory, session modes, insights, and share cards. Here's what each one does for you.
The Intelligence Layer

Same website. Different answer.

You open YouTube. Hugo knows you're researching investor updates, not procrastinating. It lets the video play. Twenty minutes later, you open YouTube again. Cat videos. Hugo catches it. No list made that call. The AI did. Every tab evaluated against your session goal in real time. Every desktop app either belongs or disappears.

Hugo AI Active
Session goal
Writing the Q1 investor update
Google Docs
Q1 Investor Update
YouTube
How to Write an Investor Update
YouTube
Why the Roman Empire Fell
2 allowed1 caught
Hugo
Your Mac, Reconfigured

Start a session. Everything else vanishes.

The moment you hit start, Slack disappears. Messages disappears. Every app that isn't your work disappears. Switch to a different project tomorrow and Hugo remembers exactly which apps and tabs belong. No setup. No configuration. Just the tools you need and nothing else.

Workspace reconfigured
Slackhidden
Messageshidden
Discordhidden
Google Docsvisible
Chromevisible
Notionhidden
Project: Q1 Reportauto-loaded
Five Ways to Focus

Pick the mode. Hugo handles the rules.

Deep Work when you need total lockdown. Hugo AI when you want intelligent, contextual evaluation. Pomodoro when you need timed sprints with breaks. Research when the internet is the tool, not the trap. Break when you need to breathe. At the end of every session: a share card showing exactly how locked in you were. Post it like a Strava run.

Session modes
Deep WorkTotal lockdown
Hugo AIIntelligent evaluation
PomodoroTimed sprints
ResearchOpen with guardrails
BreakGuilt-free rest
1h 42m
focused today

The Process

Set the goal. Hugo handles the rest.

Four steps. No configuration. No blocklist. Just tell Hugo what you're working on and start.
1
2
3
4
01
Set your goal
Tell Hugo what you're working on. 'Writing the Q1 report.' 'Debugging the checkout flow.' That's all it needs.
02
Choose your mode
Deep Work, Pomodoro, Research, or Hugo AI. Pick the mode that fits how you need to think today.
03
Hugo runs it
Apps step aside. Tabs stay on track. Anything off-task gets caught and questioned. You just work.
04
See what you shipped
Every session logged. Every interruption you dodged. A share card you can post like a Strava run.

Share Your Focus

Finish a session. Show the receipts.

Hugo generates a share card at the end of every session. Post it, build a streak, watch your focus compound.

Every session ends with proof.

Hugo generates a share card at the end of every session. Session recaps, weekly reviews, streak milestones. Post them like Strava runs. Build streaks. Watch your focus compound.

Day 1 is hard. Day 7 is a habit. Day 30 is identity.

Share cards are designed to be screenshotted, posted, and talked about. Your focus becomes visible. Your streaks become accountability.

WEEKLY REVIEW

Mar 10 - Mar 16

+18%

14.2

hrs protected

12 sessionsHugo

30

day streak

Hugo
Hugo AIQ1 Planning

2h 14m

Did the thing.

Writing the Q1 investor update

3 caught
12 streak
Hugo

Hugo vs Everything Else

Every other focus tool needs a blocklist. Hugo needs a goal.

Blocklists need you to predict every distraction in advance. Hugo evaluates every tab against what you said you were working on. YouTube is a tutorial or a rabbit hole depending on context. No list can know the difference. Hugo can.
Other Focus Apps
Block everything or nothing - no middle ground
Browser-only, your real distractions stay wide open
Dumb rules with no understanding of what you're working on
No memory, rebuild your setup from scratch every time
One tap and the whole session collapses
Treats you like a problem to be managed
A wall, not a thoughtful colleague
Hugo
Tab-level precision across your entire browser
Actually hides your apps, not just a website block
AI reads every new tab in 0.3 seconds and decides silently
Every project remembers its own apps, tabs, and tools
You justify it first - Hugo decides based on your actual goal
Works from what you said you're doing, not a generic blocklist
Deep Work, Pomodoro, Research, Hugo AI - built for your whole day

Compared against Cold Turkey, Freedom, Opal, and Self-Control.

03

One-Click Integrations

Connect Saaset with your favorite tools in seconds to create a truly unified, seamless workspace.

05

Bank-Level Security

Your data is protected with encrypted infrastructure designed for reliability, privacy, and trust.

06

Fast, Frictionless Setup

Start using Saaset in minutes with an onboarding experience designed for absolute simplicity.

Testimonials

Loved by Students at the University of Cambridge

genuinely forgot it was even running and then i looked up and id done two hours straight

K

Katie

Student, University of Cambridge

The AI blocked a tab I didn't even consciously decide to open. That's the whole problem it's solving, right there.

J

Jay

Entrepreneur

I've tried everything. Hugo is the first one that doesn't require me to also fix myself to make it work.

A

Alex

Founder & CEO

it blocked me from something and i was annoyed for like half a second and then i remembered that's literally what i asked it to do

K

Keira

Freelance Designer

tab opened, screen went red, tab was gone. didn't have to do anything. that was kind of it for me

E

Eve

PhD Researcher

An hour of actual work feels different when nothing interrupted it. I forgot what that felt like.

N

Nick

Account Executive

Pricing. 14-Day Pro Trial Included.

You're already paying for distraction. This is what focus costs.

The Free tier gives you two real sessions a day. Pro gives you your whole day back.

Hugo Free

$0/month

Start protecting your focus, free.

Up and running in under two minutes.

Download Free
  • Your desktop protected the moment you start
  • Deep Work and Break Time modes
  • Keep only the tabs you need open
  • Works with Chrome and Safari
  • Try Hugo AI, free every day
Most Popular

Hugo Pro

$99/yearSave 31%

For people who take their best hours seriously.

14-day free trial, cancel any time.

Download Free
  • Unlimited sessions, no daily caps
  • Sessions as long as your work demands
  • Pomodoro and Research modes
  • Hugo AI reads every new tab and decides silently
  • Full history, focus insights, and project memory

FAQ

Everything you're worried about, answered honestly.

Hugo only hides and minimises apps during a session. It doesn't delete anything, modify any files, or change your system settings. Everything restores the moment your session ends. It's the same as minimising things yourself, just automatic.

It happens occasionally. When it does, you get a one-tap undo to allow the tab for the rest of your session. You're always in control — no decision Hugo makes is permanent, and you can override it instantly.

Everything comes back. Your apps reappear, your browser tabs are ungrouped and restored exactly as they were. Hugo doesn't close anything. It just gets out of the way when you're done.

When Hugo AI evaluates a tab, it sends only the page title, URL, and a short content snippet to make its decision. Nothing is stored after the decision is made, nothing is used for training, and your session history never leaves your Mac.

You can end or pause a session any time. If something urgent comes up, one click and everything is restored immediately. The whole point is to help you focus, not trap you.

Coming soon.

Hugo locked away his clothes. You download an app. Same principle.

Your first session takes two minutes. Set a goal. Start working. See what happens when your Mac is finally on your side.

Download Hugo for Free

Download Hugo for Free

Still not sure Hugo is right for you?

Let ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity do the thinking for you. Click a button and see what your favourite AI says about Hugo.

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AI-Powered Focus

The focus app that thinks for you.

Hugo sits between you and distraction. It hides your apps, locks down your browser, and uses AI to silently decide if what you're opening is actually work - so you never have to burn willpower again.

Download Free

Download Free

Download Free

Download Free

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