The best Cold Turkey alternatives in 2026

Last updated September 2026.

Our bias, stated plainly: we build Redirect, and it is one of the alternatives below. Cold Turkey and every alternative were checked against their official sites and Chrome Web Store listings on September 26, 2026, and this page only states what those sources confirmed. We also say plainly where Cold Turkey is still the better tool, because for some people it is.

What Cold Turkey Blocker does#

Cold Turkey Blocker is a desktop app for Windows and macOS. You install the app first, then it prompts you to add extensions to your browsers. Its Chrome extension says it is to be used only together with the desktop software, and it has 200,000 users and a 4.6 rating from 2.4K ratings.

What it can do, per its features page:

• Block almost anything: domains, specific URLs, YouTube channels, wildcards, keyword searches, desktop apps, the entire internet with exceptions, and even your whole computer (lock, log off or shut down).
• Lock a block: by timer, time range, typing random or custom text (1 to 5,000 characters), a delay from 1 minute to 40 days, a schedule, a restart, or a password. A locked block prevents you from disabling the extension or uninstalling the app.
• Allow breaks: Pomodoro, allowances, rewards, typing text, a delay, or a number of sessions.
• Keep data local: settings and statistics are stored on your computer.

Free vs Pro. Blocker Free covers blocking websites, website exceptions, timed blocks and statistics, and includes a 7 day trial of Pro. Pro adds app blocking, scheduled blocks, locking, breaks and allowances, and custom user selection. Pro is a one-time purchase that covers all computers you personally use, with a 30 day refund guarantee and a 20% student discount, per its pricing page.

Where Cold Turkey still wins#

Be honest with yourself before switching. If you have uninstalled every other blocker in a weak moment, Cold Turkey is probably still your best option.

• Lock strength. A locked block survives uninstall attempts, and its strictness settings can block task managers and time and date settings. No browser extension, including Redirect, can match that.
• Whole computer coverage. Apps, games, every supported browser, and device blocks.
• Pay once. No subscription, and one purchase covers all your personal computers.
• Local data. No cloud needed.

Why people look for an alternative#

From what Cold Turkey's own pages say, the common friction points are:

• No phone, Linux or ChromeOS. Its system requirements say Android, iOS and ChromeOS are not supported, and there is no Linux version.
• Admin rights required. You cannot install it without them, which rules out many work laptops.
• You want something free. Schedules and locking are Pro features.
• It is stricter than you need. If you can hold a block but keep giving yourself long breaks, a lighter tool may fit better.

Quick comparison#

The alternatives#

1. Freedom

Best for: blocking your phone and computer in one session.

Freedom blocks websites, apps or the entire internet, and syncs one blocking session across your devices. Its pricing page lists Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook, and its downloads page adds Linux through the browser extension (websites only). The free plan includes sync sessions, unlimited devices, custom blocklists and desktop app blocking. Premium adds scheduling, recurring and advance sessions, Locked Mode (which prevents quitting a session early) and sessions longer than two hours.

Trade-offs: scheduling and locking cost money. On Mac and Windows the Chrome extension only works with the desktop app, and the extension is rated 3.3 from 103 ratings.

Price: free plan; Premium at $8.99 a month or $3.33 a month billed yearly; a lifetime "Forever" plan listed at $99.50 today (shown as 50% off $199). There is a 7 day Premium trial. For a closer look, see Freedom vs Cold Turkey.

2. SelfControl (free, Mac)

Best for: a free, genuinely hard block on a Mac.

SelfControl is a free, open source macOS app under the GNU GPL. You set a duration, add sites to a blocklist, and press Start. Until the timer runs out you cannot reach those sites, "even if you restart your computer or delete the application", per its site. It can also block mail servers or anything else on the internet. The current download is version 4.0.2 for Mac OS X 10.10 and later.

Trade-offs: Mac only, websites and servers only (not apps), and no schedules or breaks. Once it starts, you wait.

Price: free.

3. LeechBlock NG (free, any major browser)

Best for: a free Cold Turkey alternative that lives in your browser.

LeechBlock NG gives you up to 30 block sets with their own times and days, time limits like 10 minutes per hour, a lockdown mode, a password or random code for the options page, a delaying countdown, wildcards, exceptions and keyword rules. It has 100,000 Chrome users and a 4.9 rating, and runs on Firefox, Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers. More detail in Redirect vs LeechBlock NG.

Trade-offs: like any extension, it can be removed from the browser, so it is weaker than Cold Turkey's locked blocks. No app blocking.

Price: free, open source (MPL-2.0).

4. Redirect

Best for: people who can hold a block but keep taking "quick" breaks that last an hour.

Redirect is a different kind of tool from Cold Turkey. It does not try to lock your computer. Instead, when you open a site you have a rule for, it sends you to your Focus dashboard (up to three goals and your stats) or a custom URL. To get in anyway, you complete a task you chose for that rule: a typing challenge, a reason prompt that shows your earlier reasons, a math challenge, a breathing pause, a 60 second wait, or no task. Pauses last 1 to 60 minutes, you can set a daily pause limit, and when time is up it sends you back right away, even mid scroll.

It also covers the half-measures Cold Turkey handles with URLs and wildcards: path rules like youtube.com/shorts, homepage-only rules, exceptions and schedules. Turning off all redirects requires typing a long paragraph, and loosening an active rule requires that rule's task. Data is stored locally with no account.

Trade-offs: Chrome and Chromium browsers only. No app blocking, no password lock, no uninstall prevention, no sync and no phone app. If you need a block you truly cannot undo, stay with Cold Turkey. We explain the thinking behind the pause in why website blockers don't work.

Price: free for one site; Pro and Lifetime plans for unlimited sites.

5. StayFocusd

Best for: daily time limits in Chrome with a no-going-back option.

StayFocusd, now published by Sensor Tower, has 700,000 Chrome users and a 4.4 rating. Its listing describes blocking by site, subdomain, path, page or in-page content, the Nuclear Option (blocks for a set number of hours that cannot be canceled), a Require Challenge before changing settings, active days and hours, and hiding YouTube Shorts, comments and recommendations. You can connect Android devices and other browsers to view usage and limits in one place.

Trade-offs: Chrome focused, and removable like any extension.

Price: the listing does not flag in-app purchases.

Cold Turkey alternative for Mac#

On a Mac your realistic choices are Cold Turkey itself (it supports macOS 10.14 through macOS 26), SelfControl if you want a free timer block that survives restarts, and Freedom if you also want your iPhone covered. Browser extensions like LeechBlock NG and Redirect work on Mac too, but only inside the browser.

Free Cold Turkey alternatives#

• SelfControl: free and open source, Mac only.
• LeechBlock NG: free and open source, any major browser.
• Cold Turkey Blocker Free: worth remembering, it blocks websites for a set time at no cost.
• Freedom's free plan: manual sessions across devices, without scheduling or Locked Mode.
• Redirect: free for one site, with every feature.

How to choose#

• You need the strongest possible lock on Windows or Mac: keep Cold Turkey.
• Your phone is the problem: Freedom.
• Mac, free, and you want no way out: SelfControl.
• Free and in the browser: LeechBlock NG.
• Time budgets in Chrome: StayFocusd.
• Breaks that never end: Redirect.

For more options, see the best website blockers for Chrome.

Close the tab. Open your goals.

Redirect sends distracting sites to the goals you wrote down, and makes every pause a choice.

Add to Chrome, free to start