SelfControl
Cold Turkey
Freedom.to
FocusMe
Focus App
LeechBlock
Forest App
Stay Focused
HelloSparky.app
Opal.so
Forest App
Freedom.to
Most screen time apps work the same way: set a limit, then fight you when you try to go over it. Sparky does the opposite. You start with your apps locked, and you earn access back by finishing small real habits: drinking water, taking a walk, reading a chapter, stretching for a minute. Each habit banks Energy, and Energy is what buys you time on your phone.
It's built on Apple's real Screen Time framework (FamilyControls and ManagedSettings), not a workaround, so the app gates and daily limits are enforced at the system level. A few things that set it apart from a plain timer or blocker: a Time Bank that gives back unused minutes if you stop a session early, a streak for ending sessions early rather than just opening the app, Lock Screen and widget controls so you can start or stop a session without opening Sparky at all, and unlockable Earned Scenes as a reward for sticking with it.
Free to use with five core habits. Pro adds more habits and a monthly recap of time you took back.
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.
No HelloSparky.app videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.
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.
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
Happy to see it still exists, and free https://selfcontrolapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
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
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
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
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!
Opal.so - Real Focus in Real-Time. Measure and improve your focus day by day, on iPhone, iPad and macOS.
Freedom.to - Freedom is a productivity hack that lets you block apps, websites or the entire Internet on iPhones, iPads, Windows and Mac computers.
Forest App - Forest is an app that helps you stay focused on the important things in life.
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.