Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS Interview Cake

Compare SelfControl VS Interview Cake 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.

Interview Cake logo Interview Cake

Free practice programming interview questions. Interview Cake helps you prep for interviews to land offers at companies like Google and Facebook.
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Interview Cake Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-25

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.

Interview Cake features and specs

  • Comprehensive Coverage
    Interview Cake covers a wide range of topics and problems, making it a valuable resource for preparing for coding interviews across various domains.
  • Focus on Understanding
    Emphasizes understanding over memorization by breaking down problems into understandable concepts and providing thorough explanations.
  • Step-by-Step Solutions
    Offers step-by-step guides and solutions to problems, which can help users learn the reasoning behind different approaches.
  • Practice Problems
    Provides numerous practice problems that simulate real interview questions, helping users to test their interview skills.
  • Adaptive Strategy
    Helps users identify weaknesses and provides targeted practice based on their performance, aiding efficient study planning.

Possible disadvantages of Interview Cake

  • Price
    Interview Cake is a paid service, which might be a barrier for individuals on a tight budget seeking affordable or free resources.
  • Limited Interaction
    Lacks interactive coding environments or challenges, which might be less engaging compared to platforms that offer interactive learning.
  • Not a Comprehensive Learning Tool
    While great for interview preparation, it may not cover foundational programming concepts in-depth for complete beginners.
  • Update Frequency
    The content updates might not be as frequent as other platforms, potentially leading to outdated problem-solving techniques or questions.

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

Interview Cake videos

My Definitive Interview Cake Review

More videos:

  • Review - Interview Cake Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and Interview Cake)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
Education & Reference
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
Development
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 Interview Cake

SelfControl Reviews

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Interview Cake Reviews

The Best Code Interview Prep Platforms in 2020
Frequently considered the best source for interview articles, tips, and content, Interview Cake is a crash course in getting a software development job.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SelfControl seems to be a lot more popular than Interview Cake. While we know about 79 links to SelfControl, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Interview Cake. 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

Interview Cake mentions (3)

  • Just started Leetcode and I'm so lost...
    Here's another site that helped me when I was starting out: interviewcake.com (I think I had a free trial or something). Source: over 4 years ago
  • Getting a full time job before graduation
    Interviewcake.com has some great explanations and practice problems for leetcode style problems. I got the year subscription on sale. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • How to remove mental fatigue during interview
    I also used to do the exact same thing during a technical interview. Seems like an obvious answer, but I've always noticed the more prior practice I have, the less nervous I get. I think a good part of the mental fatigue comes from nerves. And those nerves were amplified when I encountered a problem for which I didn't immediately have a general grasp of the solution. But as soon as I got more consistent with my... Source: about 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SelfControl and Interview Cake, 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!

AlgoExpert.io - A better way to prep for tech interviews

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

interviewing.io - Free, anonymous technical interview practice

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

CodingInterview - CodingInterview offers essential information to help you conquer programming interviews.