Distraction Blocking

App / website blockers, screen-time enforcement, and "you-can't-talk-yourself-out-of-it" lockouts. For pomodoro timers and break reminders see prod-focus-pomodoro. For task / daily-planning workflows that pair with blocking see prod-task-gtd-apps.

Mac

• ★ Cold Turkey Blocker — paid one-time + free tier (Win/Mac); the most ruthless blocker — frozen blocks you literally can't bypass without restarting. The default for serious deep-work.
• ★ SelfControl — free OSS, Mac only; classic — set a timer, walk away, no force-quit can save you. Hostfile-based.
• 1Focus — paid Mac; menu-bar website + app blocking; recurring schedules.
• Focus (heyfocus.com) — paid; pomodoro + blocking together; see prod-focus-pomodoro.
• macOS Screen Time — free, built-in; per-app and per-website limits; syncs across Apple devices.

Windows

• ★ Cold Turkey Blocker — same product as Mac; the strongest Windows option.
• FocusMe — paid; cross-platform; deep schedule + lockdown features.
• AppBlock (Win/Android) — paid + free; strict mode is hard to bypass.
• Microsoft Family Safety — free; mostly aimed at parents but works on yourself.

iOS

• ★ Opal — paid + free tier; the leader on iOS for intentional screen-time blocking; "session" mindset rather than parental-control mindset. Big in 2024–26 among knowledge workers.
• Apple Screen Time — free, built-in; combine with Shortcuts automations to lock specific apps after N minutes.
• One Sec — paid + free tier; adds a breathing pause before opening Instagram / TikTok / Twitter — surprisingly effective.
• Jomo, Brick, Roots, AppBlock — newer minimalist iOS blockers; Brick uses an NFC tag you tap to unlock.

Android

• ★ Digital Wellbeing — free, built-in on most Android phones; per-app timers, focus mode, bedtime mode.
• AppBlock — paid + free; the most popular third-party blocker; strict mode + scheduling.
• StayFree, ActionDash — usage-stats apps; surface "you spent 4h on YouTube" before you can block.
• Cold Turkey Blocker (Mobile) — companion to desktop.

Browser-side

• ★ LeechBlock NG — free OSS browser extension (Firefox/Chrome); the most-loved DIY blocker; rule-based, schedules, "delay before opening" mode.
• StayFocusd (Chrome) — free; daily time-budget per site.
• BlockSite — paid + free; cross-browser; sync.
• uBlock Origin custom rules — not its main job but you can hide entire feeds (YouTube homepage, Twitter timeline) — see browser-extensions.
• News Feed Eradicator, Unhook (YouTube), Minimal Twitter — surgical "kill the feed but keep the site" extensions.

Network-level (the nuclear option)

• Pi-hole / AdGuard Home — DNS sinkhole; block social-media domains for the whole house. See smarthome-hubs ecosystem and ops dns-infrastructure.
• NextDNS — hosted DNS with category blocking; toggle "Social Media" with a switch.
• Tailscale + custom DNS — only block on the work profile, not the home one.
• Cloudflare Gateway / Zero Trust — has a free tier; category-based blocking.

Pricing reality check

• Cold Turkey is one-time ~$39 for the Pro version with strict locks — easily worth it once you're an adult paying yourself a salary.
• SelfControl is free, Mac-only, and limited to website blocking via hostfile — but for many people that's all they need.
• Opal runs ~$60/yr — the price keeps people from just deleting it.
• Apple / Google built-ins are genuinely good now; most people don't need a third-party blocker for casual use.

Patterns that actually work

• ★ Block by category, not by app. "Social media" > "Instagram." Otherwise you'll just install another app.
• Pre-commit blocks — schedule the block before you have a reason to override it. Future-you is the enemy.
• Hardware solutions still win. A locked drawer, a Brick NFC tag, or a separate browser profile beat any in-app willpower fight.
• Combine with prod-focus-pomodoro — block + timer is more effective than either alone.

Pick this if…

• Most ruthless cross-platform blocker: Cold Turkey Blocker.
• Free Mac classic: SelfControl.
• iOS in 2026: Opal (or Apple Screen Time + Shortcuts if you're a tinkerer).
• Android: AppBlock (or stick with Digital Wellbeing).
• Browser-only and free: LeechBlock NG.
• Whole-network blocks for the whole household: Pi-hole / NextDNS.