Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS Emisar.dev

Compare SelfControl VS Emisar.dev and see what are their differences

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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.

Emisar.dev logo Emisar.dev

One governed MCP server connects any AI agent to a finite action catalog, enforced on-host with pack trust, policy gates, human approvals, and a hash-chained audit trail.
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Emisar.dev Approvals
    Approvals //
    2026-07-21
  • Emisar.dev Audit Log
    Audit Log //
    2026-07-21
  • Emisar.dev Policies
    Policies //
    2026-07-21
  • Emisar.dev Runner fleet
    Runner fleet //
    2026-07-21

Emisar is the last MCP server youโ€™ll need to install: a Zero-Trust gateway connecting Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and any AI agent to your infrastructure. One server handles production access, debugging, alerts, and internal operations, with new capabilities added as packs. Agents can inspect real production state, debug what they shipped, and help resolve incidents. Safe reads run automatically; policy allows, blocks, or routes risky actions for approval. No SSH keys, VPNs, remote shells, or standing shell access โ€” and every call is recorded.

Emisar.dev

Website
emisar.dev
$ Details
freemium $20.0 / Monthly (per runner)
Startup details
Country
United States
State
CA
Founder(s)
Andrew Dryga
Employees
1 - 9

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.

Emisar.dev features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

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

Emisar.dev videos

No Emisar.dev videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and Emisar.dev)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
AI Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
Infrastructure Monitoring

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing SelfControl and Emisar.dev.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Emisar.dev's answer:

emisar is for SRE, DevOps, platform engineering, infrastructure, and security teams that want AI agents to inspect and operate production systems. It is especially relevant to teams managing multiple Linux hosts, clusters, databases, cloud services, or regulated environments where unrestricted shell access and incomplete audit records are unacceptable.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Emisar.dev's answer:

The hosted control plane and operator interface use Elixir, Phoenix, LiveView, PostgreSQL, and Tailwind CSS. The host runner and MCP bridge are written in Go. Action packs use YAML and JSON Schema, while production infrastructure is managed with Terraform on Google Cloud. The system communicates through MCP, OAuth 2.1, TLS, and WebSockets.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Emisar.dev's answer:

  • Blitz.gg - game analytics for billions of matches and a pretty large infrastructure.

What's the story behind your product?

Emisar.dev's answer:

Founder Andrii Dryga spent a decade working as a CTO, full-stack engineer, SRE, and DevOps engineer. He experienced the cost of running the wrong command on the wrong cluster, while also seeing AI solve operational problems in seconds. emisar grew from the need to preserve both truths: AI agents are useful, and production access must remain bounded. Its answer is to give agents a reviewed catalog of operations instead of a blank terminal.

What makes your product unique?

Emisar.dev's answer:

emisar lets AI agents work on real infrastructure without giving them a shell. Agents choose from a finite catalog of typed, versioned actions. Policy decides what runs, what requires approval, and what is denied, while an outbound-only runner verifies the action again on the host. New capabilities arrive as packs behind the same MCP integration, and every request is recorded in both a searchable audit trail and a tamper-evident host journal. [

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Emisar.dev's answer:

Choose emisar when you want an agent to keep investigating and handling routine operations without handing it SSH credentials or supervising every call. Compared with raw shell access, copy-paste workflows, or one-off MCP servers, emisar provides reviewed action contracts, host-level enforcement, risk-based policy, scoped access, approvals, pack integrity checks, and a durable audit trail. It is built specifically for governed infrastructure access rather than generic automation.

User comments

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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 / 4 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 / 11 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

Emisar.dev mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Emisar.dev yet. Tracking of Emisar.dev recommendations started around Jul 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SelfControl and Emisar.dev, 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!

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

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

Focus App - New Tab page that gives you a moment of calm and inspires you to be more productive.

LeechBlock - LeechBlock is an extension for Firefox and Chrome that allows users to block time-wasting sites.

Forest App - Forest is an app that helps you stay focused on the important things in life.