🌅
Quiet start
Opens the laptop at 10:00? First reminder at 10:10. We don't ambush you at 10:00:01.
Free Chrome extension · No account needed
Drink water.
Or else.
HydrateOrElse reminds you politely. Then firmly. Then with a camera. You choose how pushy it gets. Your friends can watch.
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- 🔒 Camera never leaves your computer
- 🎯 Starts quiet after you open your laptop
- 📞 Waits while you're in a meeting
Level 1: a polite nudge
Pick your pain level
Three levels of "please drink water"
Start gentle. Get strict when you need to. Switch any time in two clicks.
Soft
How it works
Three steps. Zero excuses.
- 1
Tell it your hours
Set your work hours and how often. Every hour? Every 30 minutes? Every 1 minute if you enjoy chaos (it's there for testing, we won't judge).
- 2
Get nudged
A toast, a 5-second pause, or a full lock. It shows up on every tab, so "I didn't see it" is no longer an option.
- 3
Sip to unlock
Take a real sip in front of the camera. It checks on your computer only, nothing is recorded, and your tabs come back. Streak +1.
Made to stay installed
Strict, but not a monster
A nagging tool people actually keep installed has to be smart about when to nag.
📞
Meeting-aware
Spots live video calls and fullscreen presentations and stays quiet until you're done. Or tap "I'm in a meeting" for a 30 or 60 minute pause.
🧊
Rough-day mode
Headache, long day, or just not today? Pause reminders until tomorrow in one tap. Calm mode freezes animations and softens colours, for anyone sensitive to screens. No flashing, ever.
🛟
2 emergency skips
We're strict, not cruel. Two skips a day for when life happens. After that, it's you and the water.
🎭
15 tiny animations
Cactus begging for water. A duck that will not leave. A tiny human chugging a bottle. We drew them all, so you can enjoy being interrupted. A little.
🔥
Goal ring and streaks
Hit your daily goal, keep your streak, rack up points. It's the only streak where the reward is feeling better.
Peer pressure, but make it hydrating
Beat your friends at drinking water
Add friends by username, join a weekly league, and challenge someone to a duel. They see your streak and points. That's it.
Weekly leagueends in 3d 4h
Alex is 15 pts ahead of you. Catch up! 🔥
Winner of the week earns a 👑. Losers earn… hydration.
⚔️ Duel: 3 days2 days left
You 00 Sam
- +5 Soft drink
- +10 Medium drink
- +20 Camera-verified drink
- +25 Daily goal bonus
- ×1.5 On a 14-day streak
Try it. It's therapeutic.
Take a virtual sip
Practice makes hydrated. Tap the button until you hit your goal.
0/ 8 glasses
Your glass is empty. Your kidneys are watching.
Don't worry, this one doesn't lock your screen. The real one can.
Camera, but not creepy
What happens on your computer, stays on your computer
📷
Your cameraonly on while a Hard reminder is open🧠
Tiny on-device AIchecks: is that a sip?🗑️
Gone.nothing saved, nothing uploaded- ✅ Works offline, with no account
- ✅ Sign-in (Google) is only for the friends features
- ✅ Friends see your streak and points. Never video.
- ✅ No ads, no trackers, no selling anything
Questions you were about to ask
FAQ
Is it really free?
Yes. Free to install and free to use. Future extras, if any, would be optional and cheap. We'll tell you first.
Does it record me?
No. In Hard mode the camera view is analysed on your computer, frame by frame, and thrown away. Nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded. The camera is only on while a Hard reminder is waiting for you.
Can I cheat Hard mode?
It checks for the motion of drinking from a cup or bottle, but yes, an empty bottle will fool it. You'd be cheating the only person who gets headaches, though. Also, you get 2 emergency skips a day.
What if I'm in a meeting?
It notices live video calls and fullscreen presentations in your browser and waits. For calls in desktop apps, tap "I'm in a meeting" to pause for 30 or 60 minutes.
Will drinking water fix my headaches?
Not on its own, and we won't pretend otherwise. Staying hydrated just helps you feel and focus better, and for some people, including some with migraines, dehydration is a trigger. HydrateOrElse is a reminder tool, not medical advice.
Which browsers does it work in?
Chrome today (other Chromium browsers may work too). A VS Code version is on the way, and the two will stay in sync.
Do I need an account?
Not for reminders, streaks or any level. Only the friends, league and duel features need a quick Google sign-in.
Meet the maker
Hi, I'm Sanjay Makam.
I built HydrateOrElse because I kept forgetting to drink water at my desk, and a polite reminder was never enough. So I made one that escalates. It's free, and I read every message.
LinkedInGitHub: makamsanjaySay hi: sanjaychariteshmakam@gmail.com
Go on. Take a sip.
Your body will thank you.
Free for Chrome. Takes 10 seconds to set up.
Get extension, freeChrome only for now · VS Code version coming soon