Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS Apptimize

Compare SelfControl VS Apptimize 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.

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.

Apptimize logo Apptimize

Mobile A/B Testing for iOS and Android. Improve Your Native App Codelessly in Real-time.
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Apptimize Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

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.

Apptimize features and specs

  • Comprehensive A/B Testing
    Apptimize offers robust A/B testing features that enable businesses to test various app features, layouts, and configurations to optimize user experience and engagement.
  • Real-Time Updates
    The platform allows for real-time updates without releasing a new version of the app, which enables faster iteration and experimentation.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Apptimize supports multiple platforms including iOS, Android, and web, making it versatile for businesses with a cross-platform presence.
  • User Segmentation
    The tool offers advanced user segmentation features, allowing experiments to be targeted at specific user groups for more relevant and accurate results.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Apptimize integrates well with various analytics and marketing platforms, enhancing its utility within a broader digital marketing ecosystem.

Possible disadvantages of Apptimize

  • Cost
    The platform can be expensive for smaller businesses, making it a less viable option compared to some competitors.
  • Learning Curve
    While powerful, the tool comes with a steep learning curve which may require significant time and resources to master.
  • Performance Overhead
    The additional code and functionality may introduce a performance overhead on mobile applications, affecting their responsiveness.
  • Limited Free Tier
    The free tier offers limited features, making it difficult to fully evaluate the platform's capabilities without committing to a paid plan.
  • Dependency
    Relying heavily on a third-party tool for crucial app functionality can introduce risks, such as potential service disruptions or changes in pricing and features.

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.

SelfControl videos

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

More videos:

  • Review - SelfControl Review - Block distracting websites

Apptimize videos

Apptimize Customer Story - HotelTonight

More videos:

  • Review - Apptimize Webinar: Easy Optimizations Every App Should Make
  • Review - Apptimize Webinar: The One Thing 80% Percent of Travel Apps Get Wrong

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and Apptimize)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
A/B Testing
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
Analytics
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

SelfControl Reviews

We have no reviews of SelfControl yet.
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Apptimize Reviews

Top Mobile Feature Flag Tools
Apptimize started as a mobile-oriented feature management and A/B testing platform and now serve companies like Glassdoor, Viber, and Grubhub. They have recently expanded to offer cross-platform experiments and tracking to give you a better understanding of your users while homogenizing the user experience across channels. The usual feature flagging, A/B/n testing, and...
Source: instabug.com
18 Top A/B Testing Tools Reviewed by CRO Experts
We sourced reviews for Apptimize from G2. Hereโ€™s an anonymous review talking about some things they liked about Apptimize:

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SelfControl seems to be more popular. 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.

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 / 6 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

Apptimize mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Apptimize yet. Tracking of Apptimize recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

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

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!

Optimizely - A/B testing you'll actually use.

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

Mixpanel - Mixpanel is the most advanced analytics platform in the world for mobile & web.

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

Taplytics - Mobile A/B testing for everyone. With the world's most fully featured mobile A/B testing platform.