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Doodle VS SelfControl

Compare Doodle VS SelfControl and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Doodle logo Doodle

Make meetings happen. With Doodle, scheduling becomes quick and easy.

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.
  • Doodle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

Doodle features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Doodle offers an intuitive interface that allows users to easily schedule meetings and events. The process is straightforward and requires minimal technical know-how.
  • Availability Polls
    Users can create polls to find the best time for group meetings, making it simple to coordinate with multiple participants who have conflicting schedules.
  • Integrations
    Doodle integrates with major calendar systems like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal, allowing users to sync their appointments and schedules seamlessly.
  • Free Basic Version
    Doodle offers a free basic version with essential features, making it accessible to users who need basic scheduling without incurring any costs.
  • Reminders and Notifications
    The platform sends automatic reminders and notifications, helping to reduce the chances of participants forgetting their commitments.

Possible disadvantages of Doodle

  • Limited Free Features
    While the basic version is free, some advanced features require a subscription, which might be a drawback for users looking for comprehensive tools without costs.
  • Ads
    The free version is supported by advertisements, which can be distracting and reduce the overall user experience.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Users have to share their availability and email addresses, which raises potential privacy and data security concerns.
  • Mobile App Limitations
    The mobile application may lack some functionalities available on the web version, which could be inconvenient for users who prefer scheduling on-the-go.
  • User Interface Overload
    For some users, the interface can become cluttered, especially when managing multiple polls or events, leading to potential confusion and mismanagement.

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 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.

Doodle videos

+ Add

Doodly Review | Animated Doodle Video Tutorial

More videos:

  • Review - Rock-A-Doodle - AniMatโ€™s Classic Reviews
  • Demo - Doodly Review - The Easiest and Most Realistic Doodle Animation Software - Doodly Demo

SelfControl videos

+ Add

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 Doodle and SelfControl)

Doodle

SelfControl

Appointment Scheduling
100 100%
Appointment Scheduling
0% 0
Time Tracking
0 0%
Time Tracking
100% 100
Appointments and Scheduling
100 100%
Appointments and Scheduling
0% 0
Time Management
0 0%
Time Management
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Doodle and SelfControl. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

Doodle Reviews

The Best 24 Appointment Scheduling Apps and Booking Software
Doodle has some cool features, like letting you create meeting polls to send to clients and prospects, suggesting meeting dates and times, and allowing voting on dates that work โ€” all with Doodleโ€™s free version. In my opinion, the free version of Doodle is a little too simple for teams that donโ€™t have enough participation to nail down a great meeting time by using the poll...
Source: blog.hubspot.com
Seven Best Doodle Alternatives (Free & Paid Options)
Not only is it geared towards organizing schedules, but as a Doodle alternative, it also allows for the creation of scheduling patterns that work best for you. From the get-go, you can lay out your needs and preferences. When do you like to meet, who should attend, and where is a nearby coffee shop that can work for everyone?
Source: www.booklikeaboss.com
The Best Alternatives to Doodle That You Should Check Out
Doodle is only one of several online scheduling software, and many consider it the best. Yet, Doodle is not the right solution for everyone. Analyzing Doodleโ€™s online reviews reveals its weaknesses.
Source: trafft.com
The 14 Best Meeting Scheduling Tools for 2022
Similarly to Doodle, Rally lets you create a poll, where the participants decide on the best time for the meeting. Apart from being completely free to use, Rallyโ€™s added bonus which put it on our list of best meeting scheduling tools for 2022 is the comment box on the poll page. This allows the participants to discuss the meeting details and talk about the agenda beforehand.
Source: www.recruiterslineup.com
The 6 Best Calendly Alternatives in 2022 (Free & Paid Options)
To be honest, what makes Doodle so great is also one of its greatest drawbacks. Itโ€™s so uncomplicated that it lacks a great deal of functionality that more complex programs offer.
Source: www.chilipiper.com

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 Doodle. 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.

Doodle mentions (17)

  • Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 โ€“ Show and tell
    How's this different than the good old Doodle everyone uses in europe at least? https://doodle.com/en/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • So I've had another instance where the extension was just disabled on a site.
    I made this post a few months ago regarding how the extension was just disabled on a site I had accessed. I checked trusted sites, and there was nothing there. Today, I went onto a site called doodle, I'm sure many of you have used it or heard of it, and the same thing happened. Ublockorigin was disabled. Again, this site is not present in my trusted sites. Someone suggested this was due to a firefox feature where... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Who's up for a Shut-Up-And-Write session right now?
    Can we set up a doodle poll so everyone can vote on the time that works for them? https://doodle.com/en/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Calendaring solutions . . .
    Otherwise the other one I've seen for our C suite is https://doodle.com/en/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Discussion Thread
    Iโ€™ve heard good stuff about doodle https://doodle.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 / 5 months ago
  • Kiki โ€“ 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 / 12 months 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 Doodle and SelfControl, you can also consider the following products

Calendly - Say goodbye to phone and email tag for finding the perfect meeting time with Calendly. It's 100% free, super easy to use and you'll love our customer service.

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!

SimplyBook.me - Online scheduling software that offers you a beautiful customisable booking website (or widget to your own website) to accept bookings and payments with the possibility of selling products as well.

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

Acuity Scheduling - Automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & payments using the worlds friendliest online scheduling software.

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

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