Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AdBlock VS SelfControl

Compare AdBlock VS SelfControl and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

AdBlock logo AdBlock

Ad blocker for Chrome, Safari and Opera on desktop and Safari for iOS devices.

SelfControl logo SelfControl

V2 updates! - Custom time interval for distraction free mode - Ability to turn off ' always on' mode - Improved UI -- Self Control -- A simple app to keep you focused online by blocking sites that you spend way too much time on.
  • AdBlock Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-26
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

AdBlock features and specs

  • Improved Browsing Experience
    AdBlock removes intrusive ads, allowing web pages to load faster and users to enjoy a cleaner browsing experience.
  • Enhanced Privacy
    By blocking ads, AdBlock helps reduce tracking by ad networks, thereby enhancing the user's privacy online.
  • Reduced Data Usage
    Since ads often contain large images, videos, or animations, blocking them can significantly reduce data usage, which is beneficial for users with limited bandwidth.
  • Security
    AdBlock can protect users from malicious ads that might contain malware or phishing links.
  • Customization
    AdBlock offers customization options, allowing users to whitelist specific websites and control what types of ads to block.
  • Engaging Gameplay
    AdBlock: The Game offers fun and interactive gameplay that combines the theme of ad-blocking with entertaining mechanics, keeping players engaged.
  • Educational Experience
    The game provides an educational insight into how ad-blocking works and raises awareness of online advertising strategies, making it informative for players.
  • Free to Play
    Players can enjoy AdBlock: The Game for free, making it accessible to a wide audience without any initial financial commitment.
  • Supports Original AdBlock
    Playing the game supports the original AdBlock service, promoting their mission and possibly funding further developments.

Possible disadvantages of AdBlock

  • Hurts Content Creators
    Many websites rely on ad revenue to fund their content. By blocking ads, users may inadvertently reduce the income generated by these sites.
  • Potential Website Breakage
    Some websites may not function properly or fully when ads are blocked, leading to a degraded user experience.
  • Ethical Considerations
    Blocking ads raises ethical questions regarding fair compensation for free content and services provided by websites.
  • Circumvention by Publishers
    Some websites have started using anti-adblock measures, restricting access to their content if they detect the use of ad blockers, forcing users to disable the extension.
  • Resource Usage
    Running AdBlock as a browser extension can increase the consumption of system resources, potentially slowing down the browser.
  • Limited Audience
    The theme and premise of the game may appeal primarily to users already interested in digital advertising or ad-blocking, making its target audience niche.
  • In-Game Advertisements
    Despite being a game about ad-blocking, it might use in-game ads as part of the gameplay mechanics, which could be ironic or off-putting to some players.
  • Potential Over-Simplification
    The game might oversimplify the complexities of internet advertisements and ad-blocking, potentially leading to a misunderstanding of the topic.
  • Derivative Experience
    Players looking for novel or groundbreaking gameplay might find it derivative if the game relies heavily on traditional ad-blocking themes.

SelfControl features and specs

  • Effective Website Blocking
    SelfControl blocks access to distracting websites based on a customizable blocklist, helping users stay focused.
  • Timer Functionality
    Users can set a timer for how long they want websites to remain blocked, ensuring focused work periods without distraction.
  • Free to Use
    SelfControl is open-source and free to download and use, making it accessible to anyone without financial barriers.
  • Easy to Use
    The interface is straightforward and user-friendly, allowing users to quickly set their preferences and get started.

Possible disadvantages of SelfControl

  • Mac-Only
    SelfControl is only available for macOS, excluding Windows and Linux users from using the application.
  • No Undo Option
    Once the block period is set and started, it cannot be undone even by restarting the computer, which could be an issue if access to blocked sites is needed unexpectedly.
  • Limited Feature Set
    The app primarily focuses on website blocking, lacking additional productivity tools or features like app blocking or usage analytics.
  • No Scheduled Blocking
    SelfControl does not offer the ability to schedule block sessions in advance, meaning users must manually start each session.

Analysis of AdBlock

Overall verdict

  • AdBlock is generally considered a good and reliable choice for users looking to mitigate the annoyance and privacy concerns associated with online advertising. It is easy to install, widely supported across different browsers, and offers customizable options for allowing certain ads or whitelisting specific websites.

Why this product is good

  • AdBlock (getadblock.com) is effective for users who want to block intrusive advertisements, enhance browsing speed, and increase online privacy. It is designed to remove ads from websites, thus improving the overall user experience on the internet. Additionally, blocking ads can lead to faster loading times and reduced data consumption.

Recommended for

    AdBlock is recommended for individuals who frequently browse the internet and wish to have a cleaner, more streamlined viewing experience without ads. It is particularly useful for those concerned about online privacy and data usage, or for anyone who is frustrated with the distraction caused by excessive advertising on websites.

Analysis of SelfControl

Overall verdict

  • Overall, SelfControl is a highly recommended tool for individuals looking to enhance their productivity by minimizing digital distractions. Its open-source nature and no-nonsense approach make it a popular choice among students, freelancers, and professionals alike.

Why this product is good

  • SelfControl is considered a good application because it effectively blocks distracting websites, helping users focus on their tasks without getting sidetracked by online distractions. It's simple to use, efficient, and highly customizable, allowing users to specify which sites to block and for how long, ensuring a tailored productivity experience.

Recommended for

    SelfControl is ideal for students who need to concentrate on studying, remote workers who want to avoid procrastination, freelancers who require discipline in managing their time, and anyone who needs a simple solution to reduce digital distractions during focused work periods.

AdBlock videos

Dear AdBlock, Kiss My A$$!

SelfControl videos

How to block websites that distract you ? Selfcontrol [Mac App review and tutorial]

More videos:

  • Review - SelfControl Review - Block distracting websites

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AdBlock and SelfControl)
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Time Tracking
0 0%
100% 100
Ad Blockers
100 100%
0% 0
Time Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using AdBlock and SelfControl. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AdBlock and SelfControl

AdBlock Reviews

  1. Easy to use and makes browsing cleaner

    I've been using AdBlock for a while now, and I really like it. It blocks annoying pop-ups, video ads, making websites load faster and look cleaner. It’s easy to use and works seamlessly in the background.


List of 10 Best Ad Blockers in 2024
In 2024, one of thе best ad blockеrs that continuеs to dominatе thе markеt is AdBlock. With its robust fеaturеs and usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, AdBlock has proven to be a rеliablе choice for blocking unwantеd advеrtisеmеnts across various platforms. It еfficiеntly еliminatеs intrusivе ads, pop-ups, and еvеn vidеo ads, providing a sеamlеss and unintеrruptеd browsing еxpеriеncе.
Best Ad Blockers in 2023: Adblock Plus vs AdGuard vs uBlock Origin and More
Adblock, Adblock Plus and Adblocker for YouTube aren’t the same ad blocking browser extension. They all do an excellent job, though without uBlock Origin’s configurability.
Best Ad Blockers
AdBlock is an incredibly popular extension. It has widespread use across all browsers and has been around for a long time. The extension features a very simple interface without too many frills, but it gets the job done. Don’t get it confused with AdBlock Plus, Adaware AdBlock, or any other interesting name variations — it should have the red hexagon logo and be called...
22 NextDNS Alternatives
AdBlocker Ultimate entirely removes all the ads that are floating over the web, on YouTube, in blogs, and other online destinations to provide an annoying less web surfing experience. This free and improved ad-blocker is capable of removing annoying ads, blocking malware, eliminating whitelisted advertisers, and blocking tracking. You can instantly download the AdBlocker...
8 BEST Ad Blockers For Chrome In 2020 [Free Pop Up Blockers]
Not only is Adblock Plus free, but it also features acceptable ads. Instead of charging you the user, AdBlock Plus charges large companies who want to be a part of its acceptable ads program, thereby saving you money whilst allowing companies who depend on ad-generated revenue to continue offering you free content for years to come.

SelfControl Reviews

We have no reviews of SelfControl yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SelfControl should be more popular than AdBlock. It has been mentiond 79 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AdBlock mentions (24)

  • Are there any good and free ad blocker??
    Https://getadblock.com/en/ This one works fine with me on Opera GX. You can go to your browser's web store, like the Chrome Web Store and download one. If you switch to a browser like Brave or Opera GX, you can have a built-in one, which is easier. Source: about 3 years ago
  • R.I.P soap2day
    Interesting, I usually don't get pop ups on soap2day or that site(only if I miss click on the play button or something similar sometimes). I use an ad blocker though so maybe thats why. I get WAY more when I use my iphone though. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Help!
    If I were you I would contact official steam support at the Steam Help Page, maybe they'll be able to help you, make sure to use an AD-Block or a VPN to stay safe out here on the internet. Wish you good luck. Source: about 3 years ago
  • 1337x saying I need a VPN?
    This issue just appeared today, I've never seen it before. I'm using NordVPN with kill switch enabled, and I already checked with https://www.iplocation.net/ and http://checkmyip.torrentprivacy.com/ to confirm I'm routing all traffic through the VPN. I tried getting a new IP from Nord, but it still didn't fix it. I'm using this ad block plugin in chrome https://getadblock.com/en/ , so I don't think this is an ad. Source: over 3 years ago
  • With all the talk of blocking the Tbell Pete and, what do you all do for other ads?
    I have an AdBlock extension for my Chrome browser on desktop: https://getadblock.com/en/. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

SelfControl mentions (79)

  • Oregon School Cell Phone Ban: 'Engaged Students, Joyful Teachers'
    A combination of https://selfcontrolapp.com/ and Hammerspoon automation and you can lock yourself out of pretty much everything. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Kiki – The accountability monster for people who are easily distracted
    Happy to see it still exists, and free https://selfcontrolapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • How do you fight YouTube addiction and procrastination? I'm struggling with it
    I have found that a useful method for getting distractions off my work laptop has been https://selfcontrolapp.com/ (if you're on mac). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Using an $8 smart outlet to avoid brainrot
    Pro tip for macos/ios folks: - Macos: Install https://selfcontrolapp.com/, add every website and their alternatives you know, set it to 24 hours. Really hard to bypass this even if you know networking stuff - iOS: Enable downtime 24/7 ask someone else to set the password. I'm down to about 35 minutes a day of mobile usage, and laptop usage is only work related things. You really need two or three days to clear... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • My 30-Year Quitting Addiction
    There is a free and open source app called SelfControl for macOS. It allows one to block access to any site one adds to the list in the app for the amount of time the user chooses. Attempt to use multiple browsers, restarting one's machine, deleting the app, etc. won't get around the block either. It's been super helpful for me, so I thought I'd just throw it out there. https://selfcontrolapp.com. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AdBlock and SelfControl, you can also consider the following products

uBlock Origin - Popular and efficient blocker for Chromium, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Thunderbird.

Cold Turkey - Cold Turkey is a free productivity program that you can use to temporarily block distractions so that you can get your work done!

Adblock Plus - AdBlock Plus is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and several other popular browsers that prevents intrusive ads like pop-ups and malicious code from appearing on websites you visit.

Freedom.to - Freedom is a productivity hack that lets you block apps, websites or the entire Internet on iPhones, iPads, Windows and Mac computers.

AdGuard - Surf the Web Ad-Free and Safely. Shield up!

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat