Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS Steampipe

Compare SelfControl VS Steampipe 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.

Steampipe logo Steampipe

Steampipe: select * from cloud; The extensible SQL interface to your favorite cloud APIs select * from AWS, Azure, GCP, Github, Slack etc.
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Steampipe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

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.

Steampipe features and specs

  • Unified Interface
    Steampipe provides a unified SQL-based interface to query data from various cloud services and APIs, simplifying data access.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Steampipe allows for community contributions, transparency, and flexibility in adapting the tool to specific needs.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    Steampipe has a growing ecosystem of plugins that enable easy integration with numerous services, enhancing its versatility.
  • Real-Time Data Access
    It facilitates real-time querying of data from live APIs, which is beneficial for up-to-date insights and monitoring.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Steampipe is designed to work on multiple platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Possible disadvantages of Steampipe

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, requiring a good understanding of SQL and the specific APIs being used.
  • Performance Overhead
    Query performance may be impacted due to the abstraction layer and real-time consolidation of data from multiple sources.
  • Limited Community Support
    As a relatively new tool, Steampipe may have limited community support and fewer resources compared to more established alternatives.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple queries against APIs and cloud services can become resource intensive, potentially increasing costs and load on systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with SQL may face a learning curve in effectively utilizing Steampipe for querying different data sources.

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

Steampipe videos

Superbooth 2023: Erica Synths - Steampipe

More videos:

  • Review - BEST SYNTHS @ SUPERBOOTH23: PWM Mantis, UDO Super Gemini, Erica Synths STEAMPIPEโ€ฆ and more
  • Review - Erica Synths STEAMPIPE The Synth with no oscillators!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and Steampipe)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
Big Data
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Infrastructure
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SelfControl should be more popular than Steampipe. 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

Steampipe mentions (42)

  • Build API integrations with SQL and YAML โ€“ no SaaS lock-in, no drag-and-drop UIs
    The request / data fetching is interesting in how "easy" it is to write. I did basic perusal of the examples, but I'd be interested to see what it looks like with rate-limited endpoints and concurrent requests. Another tangentially related project is https://steampipe.io/ though it is for exposing APIs via Postgres tables and the clients are written using Go code and shared through a marketplace. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Cyphernetes: A Query Language for Kubernetes
    I really really like Steampipe to do this kind of query: https://steampipe.io, which is essentially PostgreSQL (literally) to query many different kind of APIs, which means you have access to all PostgreSQL's SQL language can offer to request data. They have a Kubernetes plugin at https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins/turbot/kubernetes and there are a couple of things I really like: * it's super easy to request... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • DuckDB Doesn't Need Data to Be a Database
    Https://steampipe.io/ showcases some really interesting scenarios for using FDWs in place of regular ETL and API integrations. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Cloud Tools You Probably Haven't Heard Of
    Steampipe is a tool for querying cloud APIs and other data sources using SQL in a zero-ETL manner. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Osquery: An sqlite3 virtual table exposing operating system data to SQL
    Few projects in the same realm that you should also checkout - [1] Steampipe (https://steampipe.io/) [2] InfraSQL (https://iasql.com/). - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SelfControl and Steampipe, 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!

CloudQuery - CloudQuery enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your cloud assets.

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

StackQL.io - Query, provision, secure & operate cloud resources using SQL

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

Turbot - Turbot's guardrails deliver automated operational, cloud security and cloud compliance controls of AWS deployments and other cloud enterprise infrastructure. Learn more.