Best Website Blockers in 2026: Compared by Platform

If you need a blocker that still works when you’d rather be scrolling, choose one where the block doesn’t live in a browser extension. On a Mac, SelfControl is free. Cold Turkey Pro works on Windows and Mac once you lock a block. Browwwser is an option if you’re on a Mac and will use it as your only browser. Extension blockers like LeechBlock NG, BlockSite and StayFocusd are free or cheap and fine as a nudge, but you can turn them off from the extensions page.

This page compares eight blockers on four things: where the block runs, what it takes to undo it, which platforms it covers and what it costs. Prices were checked on 15 October 2026 on each vendor’s own site. Browwwser is our product. It’s in the list with its limits stated.

Where the block lives decides how easy it is to undo

Every blocker works at one of three levels. The level matters more than any feature list, because it decides what you have to do to get around the block.

A browser extension only works inside the browser it’s installed in. You can disable it from the extensions page, open a different browser, or use a private window: in Chrome, “Allow in incognito” is a setting you have to switch on for each extension. Chrome finished its move to Manifest V3 in 2025. The extensions on this page survived the switch, so they still work.

An app that runs outside the browser sits on the operating system and blocks sites in every browser. SelfControl, Cold Turkey, Freedom and Focus work this way. They are much harder to undo while a block is locked. When nothing is locked, most of them are easy to switch off.

Blocking built into the browser is how Browwwser works. There’s no extension to remove, because the blocking is part of the browser. The catch is the reverse of an extension’s: Safari or Chrome don’t block your sites, so it only works if Browwwser is the browser you use. Its Other Browsers preset can close them while blocking is on. We compare the browser-level blocking options on Mac separately.

The eight blockers side by side

Tool	Platforms	Where the block runs	Lock that can’t be undone	Price (checked 15 Oct 2026)
SelfControl	macOS	System-wide	Yes, until the timer ends	Free
Cold Turkey	Windows, macOS	App plus browser extensions	Yes (Pro)	Free; Pro is a one-time purchase
Freedom	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook	App on each device	Yes (Premium)	Free tier; $8.99/month, $3.33/mo billed yearly, or $99.50 one-time (promo)
Focus	macOS	Mac app	Yes (Locked Mode)	$49 one-time; $129 lifetime
LeechBlock NG	Firefox, Chrome, Edge, other Chromium browsers	Extension	Lockdown, password	Free
BlockSite	Browser extensions, iOS, Android, desktop	Extension or app	See vendor	Free tier; paid plans vary
StayFocusd	Chrome	Extension	Nuclear Option	Free to install
Browwwser	macOS 12 or later	Inside the browser	Yes: recovery password, no timer	$99/year or $199 lifetime

Blockers that work outside the browser

SelfControl: free and hard to undo on a Mac

SelfControl is free and open source. The current version is 4.0.2, and it runs on Mac OS X 10.10 or later. You add sites, set a timer and start. The block stays on until the timer ends, even if you restart your Mac or delete the app.

It blocks at the system level, so the block applies in every browser. Early coverage noted that it also cuts other apps off from blocked domains. It won’t close an app like Discord, but the app can’t reach a blocked server. It has no schedules or presets, so you type in every domain and start each block yourself.

If you want something free on a Mac, start here. There’s a longer comparison on our SelfControl alternative page.

Cold Turkey: strong once locked, on Windows and Mac

Cold Turkey Blocker has a free version with website blocking, exceptions, timed blocks and statistics. Pro adds app blocking, scheduled blocks, an app password, every lock type, and breaks and allowances. Pro is a one-time purchase with lifetime updates. One licence covers Windows and macOS on all the computers you personally use. The pricing page shows the current price.

Other terms on the pricing page:

• The free version comes with a 7-day Pro trial.
• Students can ask for 20% off.
• You get a full refund within 30 days.

Cold Turkey blocks websites through an extension in each browser, and you have to allow that extension in incognito. That sounds weak, but the user guide explains what happens during a locked block:

• The extension has to stay on. If you turn it off, the browser itself is blocked after a 60-second grace period, and Cold Turkey checks every 10 seconds.
• The uninstaller is stopped.
• Guest windows and Brave’s Tor windows are blocked.

There are six lock types:

• Timer
• Random Text: you type 1 to 999 random characters to unlock.
• Restart: the block ends when you restart.
• Password (Pro)
• Time Range
• Schedule

Frozen Turkey is a separate mode that locks your computer, logs you off or shuts it down for a set time.

The gaps: the free version can’t lock anything, so it’s easy to switch off. Browsers Cold Turkey doesn’t support are handled by a detect-and-block setting rather than an extension, and the guide asks users to report any browser that gets through. There’s more detail on our Cold Turkey alternative page.

Freedom: the same blocklist on every device

Freedom runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook. The free tier now includes desktop app blocking, sync, unlimited devices and custom blocklists. Scheduling and Locked Mode, which stops you quitting a session, need Premium.

Premium costs:

• $8.99 a month
• $3.33 a month billed yearly (about $40 a year)
• $99.50 one-time for the “Forever” plan. On 15 October 2026 this was shown as 50% off a $199 list price, so the offer may not last.

Premium comes with a 7-day trial. Freedom’s support pages list two platform gaps: website exceptions only work on Mac and Windows, and Chromebook has no app blocking.

Freedom’s main strength is that one session covers your laptop and your phone. On any single computer, it’s no stronger than the other desktop tools. See the Freedom alternative page for a Mac comparison.

Focus: a paid Mac app with Locked Mode

Focus blocks websites and Mac apps. It has:

• schedules
• a built-in Pomodoro timer
• a mode that blocks the whole internet except the sites you allow
• Locked Mode, which can’t be stopped once started, with an optional password

Prices:

• Focus 2: $49 one-time, with one year of updates
• Lifetime licence: $129
• Focus 1: still sold for $29

There’s a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Extension blockers: free, flexible, easy to switch off

All three of these live in the browser, so they share the same weakness: you can switch off the extension or open another browser. Their strength is fine-grained rules that the system-level tools don’t have.

LeechBlock NG

LeechBlock NG is free. It runs in Firefox, Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers such as Brave, Opera and Vivaldi. You get up to 30 block sets, each with its own sites, times and limits. The lockdown feature blocks sites for a set period. You can also protect the options page with a password or a random access code, which makes changing your mind slower.

BlockSite

BlockSite comes as extensions for Chrome, Edge and Safari, apps for iOS and Android, and a desktop app. It has a free tier and paid plans. Prices differ between BlockSite’s own pages. On 15 October 2026 the homepage offered lifetime access for $39.99 with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check the price at checkout before you buy.

StayFocusd

StayFocusd gives you a daily time allowance on sites you choose, then blocks them for the rest of the day. It’s free to install and is published by Sensor Tower. Version 4.6.17 was updated on 14 October 2026, and the listing shows about 700,000 users.

Its other features:

• Nuclear Option: cannot be cancelled once it starts.
• Require Challenge: you have to complete a challenge before changing settings.
• Page-level blocking: it can block parts of a page, such as YouTube Shorts or comments.
• Sync: limits now sync with Android and other browsers.

The listing says the extension handles your web history, user activity and website content, as an extension like this has to.

Blocking built into the browser: Browwwser

Browwwser is a Chromium-based browser for macOS 12 or later with website and app blocking built in. A blocked site does not load: Browwwser shows a plain “site is blocked” page with a count of how many times it was blocked, and no countdown or “continue anyway” button. While blocking is active, Browwwser also closes the Mac apps you add to the list, such as Discord or Steam.

Its features:

• Lock mode: freezes your blocklist behind a recovery password you choose. There’s no unlock button and no timer.
• Scheduled blocking: recurring windows, such as work hours or evenings.
• Presets: one-click lists for social media, news, video and shopping, plus app presets for messaging, gaming, streaming and other browsers.
• Chrome import: brings over bookmarks, passwords, history and extensions in one click, and Chrome extensions keep working.

The limits are real:

• It’s macOS only. There’s a waitlist for Windows, and there are no mobile versions.
• It costs $99 a year or $199 for lifetime access after a 7-day trial, with a 14-day money-back guarantee (pricing).
• It only blocks sites inside Browwwser, so you have to use it as your browser. The Other Browsers preset can close Safari, Chrome and others while blocking is on.

If you’re worried about switching back to Safari, add SelfControl. SelfControl blocks system-wide, so it covers the other browsers, and Browwwser handles your schedules and the app blocking.

Which blocker should you pick?

• Windows: Cold Turkey Pro if you want to pay once and lock blocks. Freedom if you also want your phone covered.
• Mac, free: SelfControl. Use LeechBlock NG on top if you want daily schedules.
• Mac, paid, one browser: Browwwser, for blocking inside the browser plus app closing and locks.
• Mac, paid, several browsers: Cold Turkey Pro, Focus or Freedom, because they block outside the browser. How to block websites on Mac also covers the built-in options, including Screen Time.
• Only want a nudge: LeechBlock NG or StayFocusd. They’re free and quick to set up, and they’re fine as long as you don’t keep switching them off.

If you’ve disabled a blocker before, that tells you what you need: a lock that can’t be undone, not a nicer interface.

Blocking on a student budget

Students can get a solid setup without paying anything:

• Free tools: SelfControl on a Mac blocks every browser until the timer ends. LeechBlock NG can follow your class timetable with separate block sets for lectures and evening study.
• One-time purchase: Cold Turkey gives students 20% off Pro on request.
• Free trials: Freedom Premium and Browwwser each have a 7-day trial, long enough to cover one exam week before you decide.

For revision periods, the lock you choose matters most:

• SelfControl: set the timer before you open your notes.
• Cold Turkey Pro: use a Restart or Random Text lock.
• Browwwser: lock mode, with the recovery password kept by someone else.

With ADHD, scheduled blocks help because they start without you having to remember.

Phones and kids need different tools

Most of the tools above are built for computers. On iPhone, Freedom’s iOS support page explains how it works:

• Apps: blocked through Apple’s Screen Time, on iOS 16 or later, up to 50 apps or categories per session.
• Safari: covered by a content blocker.
• Other browsers: a local VPN profile blocks websites in every browser.

iOS only allows one VPN at a time. Freedom also says that iOS 27’s Connectivity Assist setting can make VPN-based blocking unreliable, and that turning it off in the Wi-Fi settings fixes it.

If you’re blocking sites for children rather than yourself, these self-control tools are the wrong kind of tool. Parental control software such as Qustodio or Bark, or a filtering DNS service on your router, is designed for that job.

Frequently asked questions

Which website blocker is hardest to get around?

On a Mac, SelfControl keeps blocking until its timer ends, even if you restart or delete the app, and it works in every browser. Cold Turkey Pro gets much harder to undo once a block is locked. Browwwser has no extension to disable, but it only blocks sites inside Browwwser.

Are free website blockers any good?

Yes, especially SelfControl on a Mac. It's free and open source, and its block can't be stopped early. Free extensions like LeechBlock NG and StayFocusd work well for nudges, but you can turn them off from the browser's extensions page.

Do website blockers help you focus?

There is little research on website blockers themselves. The closest evidence is a 2023 PNAS study of the one sec app. It found that adding a short pause before opening an app reduced attempts to open it, which suggests that friction works.

What is the best website blocker for students on a budget?

SelfControl (Mac) and LeechBlock NG (most browsers) are free. Cold Turkey gives students 20% off its one-time Pro licence on request. Freedom and Browwwser both have 7-day free trials, which you can line up with an exam week.

Do website blockers work on iPhone?

Some do. On iOS, Freedom uses Screen Time to block apps, and a local VPN profile blocks websites in every browser. iOS only allows one VPN at a time, and Freedom says the iOS 27 Connectivity Assist setting can make VPN-based blocking unreliable.

Can I use these to block websites for my kids?

Most of these tools are built to restrict yourself, not to supervise someone else. For children, parental control software such as Qustodio or Bark, or a filtering DNS service, is a better fit.