Website Blockers

Freedom is a popular website and app blocker designed to help users eliminate distractions across all their devices. It allows you to block websites and apps on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Freedom offers a user-friendly interface and robust scheduling features, enabling you to create recurring blocklists for specific times of the day or week. Its locked mode prevents you from ending a session prematurely, ensuring you stay focused. Although it's a paid service, the enhanced productivity it provides can be well worth the investment.

Cold Turkey Blocker is a powerful and highly customizable website blocker for Windows and Mac. It offers a wide range of blocking options, including website whitelisting, exception lists, and the ability to block specific pages or subdomains. Its "Frozen Turkey" mode is particularly effective, preventing any changes to the blocklist for a set period. While its interface may not be as polished as some competitors, its robust features and extensive customization options make it a favorite among power users. It also offers a free version with basic functionality.

StayFocusd is a popular Chrome extension designed to help users manage their time and reduce distractions while browsing the web. It allows you to set time limits for specific websites or categories of websites. Once the time limit is reached, the website becomes inaccessible for the rest of the day. StayFocusd offers a range of customization options, including the ability to block entire sites, specific pages, or even in-page content. Its simple and effective approach makes it a great choice for those seeking a straightforward website blocking solution.

BlockSite is a versatile website and app blocker available as a browser extension and mobile app. It allows you to block distracting websites, adult content, and other unwanted content. BlockSite offers features like scheduling, password protection, and redirection to more productive websites. Its focus mode helps you stay concentrated on your tasks by blocking distractions when you need to focus. While it offers a comprehensive set of features, some users may find the interface slightly cluttered.

Focus To-Do combines a Pomodoro timer with a task management system and website blocking capabilities. It allows you to break down your work into focused intervals, interspersed with short breaks. During the focus intervals, Focus To-Do can block distracting websites to help you stay on track. Its integrated task management features enable you to organize your tasks and track your progress. While it's primarily a task management app, its website blocking functionality makes it a valuable tool for boosting productivity.

SelfControl is a free and open-source website blocker for macOS. It allows you to block access to websites, mail servers, and anything else on the internet. You set a block period, add websites to your blacklist, and then activate SelfControl. Once activated, you cannot undo the block, even if you restart your computer or delete the application. This makes it a highly effective tool for preventing procrastination. Its simplicity and unyielding nature are both its greatest strengths and potential drawbacks.