Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SelfControl VS Target

Compare SelfControl VS Target 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.

Target logo Target

Shopping, gifts, style & more.
  • SelfControl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Target Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-19

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.

Target features and specs

  • Wide Product Range
    Target offers a diverse selection of products across multiple categories, including groceries, electronics, clothing, household items, and more, making it a convenient one-stop-shop.
  • Affordability
    Target is known for offering quality merchandise at competitive prices. They often have sales, promotions, and Target Circle offers which provide additional savings.
  • Convenient Shopping Options
    Customers can shop both in-store and online, with options for delivery, in-store pickup, and drive-up services, which adds convenience and flexibility to their shopping experience.
  • Exclusive Brands
    Target carries several exclusive brands and designer collaborations, offering unique products that canโ€™t be found elsewhere.
  • Good Customer Service
    Target is generally known for its friendly and helpful customer service, both in-store and online, which enhances the overall shopping experience.
  • Target App
    The Target app offers features like personalized recommendations, easy reordering, mobile coupons, and a registry for events, making shopping even more convenient.

Possible disadvantages of Target

  • Availability Issues
    Some items may often be out of stock, especially during peak shopping seasons or sales events, which can be frustrating for customers.
  • Price Variation
    Prices at Target may vary depending on location and some items might be cheaper elsewhere, requiring customers to comparison shop to ensure they get the best deal.
  • Shipping Costs
    While Target offers free shipping for certain purchases, not all items qualify, and shipping costs can add up quickly if minimum thresholds are not met.
  • Website Navigation
    Some users find Target's website to be less intuitive compared to competitors, making it challenging to find specific products or navigate through various categories.
  • Limited Specialty Items
    Target's focus on broad categories means they may not carry as extensive a selection of niche or specialty items compared to stores dedicated to specific product categories.
  • Inconsistent Quality
    While many products are high quality, some budget items may not be as durable or long-lasting, leading to a mixed experience depending on the product.

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.

Analysis of Target

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Target is regarded as a dependable and customer-friendly retailer, providing a seamless shopping experience both online and in physical stores.

Why this product is good

  • Target is generally considered a good retailer due to its wide range of products, competitive prices, and convenient store locations. Customers also appreciate its collaboration with popular brands and designers, offering exclusive collections. Additionally, Target's commitment to improving its in-store and online shopping experience has contributed to its positive reputation.

Recommended for

  • Shoppers looking for affordable and stylish home goods
  • Individuals seeking products from exclusive designer collaborations
  • Families looking for budget-friendly grocery and everyday essentials
  • Customers who enjoy shopping both online and in-person for added convenience

SelfControl videos

How to block websites that distract you ? Selfcontrol [Mac App review and tutorial]

More videos:

  • Review - SelfControl Review - Block distracting websites

Target videos

PANALO - EZ MIL | LIVE ON WISH BUS USA (REVIEW & REACTION) BY TARGET

More videos:

  • Review - TAMANG TAMA - ANDREW E. (DETAILED REVIEW) BY TARGET
  • Review - Shehyee - 2020 Freestyle (DETAILED REVIEW) BY TARGET

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SelfControl and Target)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
eCommerce Platform
0 0%
100% 100
Time Management
100 100%
0% 0
Online Marketplace
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 Target

SelfControl Reviews

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Target Reviews

16 Best Coupon Apps of 2022
If you shop at Target, this thing will quickly become your best buddy. Be sure to check the Target Circle offers in the Target app before you head into the store. Youโ€™ll find coupons and major savings on groceries as well as clothing and home goods throughout the store.
From delivery to your doorstep: food made easier in Ames
With Target Run-and-Done, customers have up to seven days between placing their order and picking it up. With the drive-up option, an employee will bring it out to your car, or you can go inside to the customer service desk and retrieve your order there.ร‚

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Target should be more popular than SelfControl. It has been mentiond 261 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 / 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 / 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
View more

Target mentions (261)

  • The Anti-Bot Detection Checklist I Use Before Every Scraping Project
    // Quick check - fetch raw HTML vs rendered content // If they differ significantly, you need JS rendering Const https = require('https'); Const html = await fetch('https://target.com').then(r => r.text()); Const hasAngularVueReact = /ng-app|vue|react|__NEXT_DATA__/i.test(html); Console.log('Needs JS rendering:', hasAngularVueReact);. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • I Tested Every Web Scraping Tool Against Lazada โ€” Here's What Actually Works (May 2026)
    From camoufox import Camoufox From scrapling import Selector # Camoufox: stealth browsing with Firefox fingerprint (81MB) With Camoufox(headless=True) as browser: page = browser.new_page() page.goto('https://target.com') html = page.content() # Scrapling: adaptive parsing with CSS/XPath Sel = Selector(html) Data = sel.css('.product::text').getall(). - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Day 20: Web Application Penetration Testing Methodology 2026 โ€” Zero to Pro Hacker Workflow (Complete Guide)
    Target โ†’ Site Map โ†’ review discovered URLs # Active endpoint discovery โ€” find what browsing didnโ€™t reveal Ffuf -u https://target.com/FUZZ \ -w /usr/share/seclists/Discovery/Web-Content/common.txt \ -fc 404 -mc 200,301,302,403 # JavaScript analysis โ€” find hidden API endpoints Curl -s https://target.com | grep -oE โ€˜src=โ€[^โ€]+.jsโ€โ€˜ # Review each .js file for API paths, credentials, business logic # What to document... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Proxy API Integration: Connecting Proxies to Your Automation Pipeline
    Import requests # Single gateway endpoint handles everything Proxy = { "http": "http://user:pass@gateway.provider.com:8080", "https": "http://user:pass@gateway.provider.com:8080" } Response = requests.get("https://target.com", proxies=proxy). - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • TLS Fingerprinting: The Bot Detection Method You Cannot Ignore
    From playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright # Playwright uses a real Chromium engine # TLS fingerprint matches Chrome With sync_playwright() as p: browser = p.chromium.launch() page = browser.new_page() page.goto("https://target.com") # Real Chrome TLS fingerprint. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing SelfControl and Target, 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!

Amazon - Online shopping from the earth's biggest selection of books, magazines, music, DVDs, videos, electronics, computers, software, apparel & accessories, shoes, jewelry, tools & hardware, housewares, furniture, sporting goods, beauty & much more

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

Walmart - Find quality products at unbeatable prices at home, in our stores or on the go.

FocusMe - The website blocker you can't cheat

eBay - Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace