A study-with-me timer with a companion who studies too.
Start the timer and your Salary Cat locks in right beside you. It's the quiet accountability of a study-with-me session — body doubling, ambient sounds, and a small companion that focuses exactly as long as you do.
Free · No sign-up · No study partner needed
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Co-study, even when you're alone
Your companion clocks in
When you start the timer, the Salary Cat starts studying too. When you break, it rests. You're working in good company the whole way through.
Set the room sound
Rain, café, fireplace, ocean — pick an ambient backdrop, or drop in your own lo-fi playlist. The Focus Room scene matches your vibe.
Finish and get paid
Complete the session to earn virtual salary. The cat stamps your paycheck — a small, satisfying payoff for showing up.
Accountability without the awkward video call.
No webcam, no stranger on the other end, no scheduling. Just open the Focus Room, pick a sound, and study alongside your companion. The Salary Cat is always available, always in sync with your session length, and never judges you for taking an extra-long break.
Customizable session lengths, automatic break management, ambient sounds, daily goals, and streaks — all free, all in your browser.
The bigger picture
Your study economy.
Your focus becomes income.
Your income becomes investments.
Your investments become a city.
Your city becomes a reason to come back.
Study with your cat
Earn salary
Invest earnings
Grow your city
Decorate & repeat
Who it's for
Solo learners who focus better with company.
Whether it's ADHD, remote loneliness, or just the anxiety of staring at a blank doc — a quiet companion makes it easier to start.
Questions about studying with a companion
- What is a study-with-me timer?
- It recreates the focus of a 'study with me' video or a co-study session — the sense that someone is working alongside you. In StudySalary, your Salary Cat studies whenever the timer runs, so you're never grinding alone.
- How does body doubling help with focus?
- Body doubling means working in the quiet company of someone else. Research and anecdotal experience — particularly among people with ADHD — suggests this makes it easier to start tasks and harder to drift off. The companion provides that accountability without needing a real study partner online or a scheduled session.
- Is this better than a study-with-me YouTube video?
- Different in useful ways. YouTube study-with-me videos are fixed length, play ads, and can pull you into the algorithm between sessions. StudySalary's companion is always available, matches your session length exactly, runs without ads, and the ambient sounds loop continuously. You also get paid at the end — which no YouTube video does.
- Who is the Salary Cat and what does it do?
- Salary Cat is your study companion in the Focus Room — a cozy pet that types while you study, sips tea on breaks, and celebrates your payday with a stamp animation. It's a small visual cue that someone is in the session with you. Its mood shifts with the timer: focused when you're working, resting on breaks, celebrating when you finish.
- Can I play background sounds while I study?
- Yes. Choose from rain, café, fireplace, ocean, and birds in the Focus Room — or bring your own lo-fi via a Spotify embed. The room window scene shifts to match the sound you pick, so audio and visuals reinforce the same mood.
- Can I set my own session length for study-with-me sessions?
- Yes. Settings lets you set any focus duration, short and long break length, and whether sessions auto-start. Common choices are 25 minutes (Pomodoro), 45 minutes (extended focus), or 90 minutes (deep work / ultradian rhythm). The companion adapts to however long you set.
- Does the companion change during breaks?
- Yes. During breaks the Salary Cat shifts to a resting pose — it's taking a break too. When you come back for the next session, it returns to the focused studying pose. The visual shift is a gentle cue that the break is over and it's time to clock back in.
- Do I need an account or a real study partner?
- Neither. Guest mode is the default and your progress saves to your browser automatically. The companion is always there, so you can start a co-study session any time, alone.
Your Salary Cat is waiting to clock in.
No sign-up. No credit card. Start studying — and earning — in under a minute.
Simulated salary & investments — no real cash value. Market data delayed. Not financial advice.