Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS RequestBin

Compare SelfControl VS RequestBin 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.

RequestBin logo RequestBin

RequestBin.com gives you a URL that collects requests you send to it so you can inspect them in a...
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • RequestBin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-23

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.

RequestBin features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    RequestBin provides a simple interface to quickly set up an endpoint to capture HTTP requests, making it easy for developers to debug webhook implementations without complex setup.
  • Real-time Monitoring
    It allows users to view the requests in real-time, enabling immediate analysis of incoming data at the endpoint, which is helpful for debugging and testing.
  • No Setup Required
    Users can create a new RequestBin endpoint instantly without any need for server configuration, simplifying testing processes.
  • Privacy and Security
    Although basic, RequestBin provides mechanisms to ensure some level of security by enabling endpoints to be private, so only those with the link can access the data.
  • Free Tier Availability
    RequestBin offers free-tier access, allowing users to try and use the service without an initial financial commitment, which is useful for small projects or individual developers.

Possible disadvantages of RequestBin

  • Limited Functionality
    RequestBin may lack advanced features necessary for complex testing or detailed analysis, such as request transformation or integration with other tools.
  • Temporary Data Storage
    Data from captured requests is stored temporarily and may be lost after a short period, which can be a limitation for users needing persistent logs.
  • Security Concerns
    Despite privacy settings, data can potentially be exposed if endpoint URLs are shared, leading to security concerns especially for sensitive information.
  • Rate Limits
    RequestBin may impose rate limits on the number of requests processed, which can restrict usage for high-throughput testing scenarios.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Relying on an external service means depending on its uptime and reliability, which could be a risk if the service experiences downtime or other issues.

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

RequestBin videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and RequestBin)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
API Tools
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 RequestBin

SelfControl Reviews

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RequestBin Reviews

Tools for Testing Webhooks
RequestBin is an online webhook request sneaking tool. It has a very simple user interface so that developers can hop into the service straight away. If we want to check webhook request data, follow the steps below:

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SelfControl should be more popular than RequestBin. 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 / 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
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RequestBin mentions (14)

  • Testing Webhooks and Events Using Mock APIs
    Visit Mockbin.io, Beeceptor or RequestBin and click "Create endpoint." These platforms instantly generate a unique URL that captures incoming HTTP requests. Copy the provided URL, something like https://your-webhook-endpoint.com/hook. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Show HN: Rap song generate by Chat GDP based on recent NYTimes Article
    That's a fun example, because ChatGPT doesn't actually have the ability to fetch the contents of a URL. So it produced that summary (and the lyrics) entirely based on guessing the content of that URL! You can prove this to yourself by pasting in a URL to a site you own and watching the web server logs, or by using something like https://requestbin.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • free-for.dev
    RequestBin.com โ€” Create a free endpoint to which you can send HTTP requests. Any HTTP requests sent to that endpoint will be recorded with the associated payload and headers so you can observe requests from webhooks and other services. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • How to listen to webhooks
    But that said, if all your want to do is receive the hook and look at it, you can set it up using https://requestbin.com/ which will allow you to do exactly that. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Revue - Sendy sync: collecting the APIs
    Visit Request bin and create a new bin. Once created, copy the bin URL and paste it into the webhook field. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SelfControl and RequestBin, 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!

Webhook.site - Instantly generate a free, unique URL and email address to test, inspect, and automate (with a visual workflow editor and scripts) incoming HTTP requests and emails.

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

Beeceptor - Unblock yourself from API dependencies, and build & integrate with APIs fast. Beeceptor helps you build a mock Rest API in a few seconds.

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

Request inspector - Debug web hooks, http clients