Roundup

The best website blockers, honestly compared.

A website blocker has one job: keep you off the sites that pull you away from work. But they go about it in very different ways, from gentle timer-based blocks to locked schedules you cannot escape. Here is an honest look at five of the best.

Pricing changes often. Check each app's site for the current price.

What makes a good website blocker?

The basics are easy: name the sites, block them. The real differences are in how blocking turns on, how hard it is to bypass, and how far it reaches. Some blockers run on a clock, some on a locked schedule, and some only while you choose to focus. Some cover just one browser, others span every device you own. Picking well means matching the tool to how you actually slip.

The shortlist

GoFlow Focus Guard

A free browser extension that blocks your chosen sites the moment a GoFlow focus round starts, then opens them on your break. It pairs with the free GoFlow timer and tracks your work across days. Best for: people who want blocking that switches on with their focus, for free. Limits: it runs on one desktop browser, not across devices, and blocks websites rather than phone apps. Works on desktop Chrome, Edge, and Brave.

Freedom

A paid blocker that can lock distracting sites and apps across your phone and computer at the same time, on a schedule. Best for: heavy, cross-device blocking. Limits: it is subscription-based and is purely a blocker, with no focus timer or work tracking. See our free Freedom alternative.

Cold Turkey

A powerful desktop blocker for Windows and Mac with scheduled, hard-to-bypass locks. Best for: serious, locked blocking on one computer. Limits: the strongest features need the paid Pro version, and it has no Pomodoro timer or task tracking. See our free Cold Turkey alternative.

LeechBlock

A free browser extension built around detailed scheduling, with time windows, daily limits, and per-set rules. Best for: people who want fine-grained free control. Limits: it is a blocker only, with no timer or tracking, and the rules take setup. See our LeechBlock alternative.

BlockSite

A widely used browser extension that blocks sites with a simple list and a basic schedule, plus a focus mode. Best for: a quick, easy blocklist. Limits: stronger features and sync sit behind a paid plan, and it usually wants an account.

Quick comparison

This is a snapshot, not gospel. Features and prices move, so confirm details on each app's own site.

How do you choose between strict and gentle blocking?

The biggest split among these tools is how hard they are to bypass, and the right answer is personal. A strict, locked blocker like Cold Turkey is a wall: once it is on, you stay out, even if you change your mind mid-session. That is exactly what some people need, because their honest read on themselves is that any escape hatch will get used. The downside is that walls are blunt. A locked block at the wrong time can fence you out of real work, and there is no quick override.

A gentler, timer-based blocker like GoFlow Focus Guard is more of a closed door than a wall. It blocks your chosen sites during a round, but it is tied to a session you chose to start and lifts on your break. That fits people whose problem is drift rather than compulsion. The trade-off is trust: it works because you keep starting rounds and do not fight the block, not because it is impossible to get past. If you have repeatedly beaten softer tools, lean strict. If you have not, the gentler loop is usually enough and far less likely to backfire.

Which should you pick?

If you slip across many devices, Freedom is the broadest reach, though you pay for it. If you want locked, scheduled blocks you cannot talk your way past, Cold Turkey is the strictest. If you like setting precise free rules, LeechBlock is the most configurable. If you want the simplest list, BlockSite is quick. And if you want blocking that turns on the moment you start focusing, tied to a timer that tracks your work, GoFlow Focus Guard is built for exactly that, and it is free.

Frequently asked questions

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