10 Best Website Blocker Apps for Studying and Increased Focus


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The Internet has become a significant part of our lives. It has become our number one source of information. It helps us to be more efficient at work. And of course, it makes study time far more effective.

However, with the vast amount of information available to us at the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger, it has become much easier to get distracted by time-sink apps and “fun” websites. And the biggest time-sink of all is social media.

Research shows that, globally, people spend an average of 2.5 hours per day exclusively on social media. People use social media in almost every setting, often to negative effects. It causes people to become less productive at work and to lose focus when studying.

Fortunately, this is
completely preventable.

Website blockers can
help you focus on the task at hand. They prevent you from
being tempted to access time-sink sites so you can get things done. Meanwhile,
if you are looking for other techniques to increase your ability to
concentrate, you might want to check out this
post on how to develop extreme focus
.

Today we have featured 10 of the best website blocker apps currently available so you can decrease distractions and increase your productivity.

This list does not mean you need ALL these apps to free up your time. Simply find the one YOU think is best and see how it works for you. All of these website blocker apps are effective and all will help to decrease the time sink nature of using online tools at work and study.

1. Freedom

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Freedom block websites and apps across different devices. In fact, you can even sync your blocks on your Android phone and your Mac computer. This effectively stops you from using your phone because you’ve blocked Facebook on your laptop.

To stay focused when you
are working or studying, there are three blocking options you need to be aware
of:

  • Block all – Allows you to block the whole Internet.
  • Block all except… – This is the app’s whitelisting feature that blocks access to all websites except for the ones you’d like to access (hopefully something related to whatever you’re working on).
  • Locked mode – This feature encourages you to fully commit to a blocking period when you activate it.

This is a paid app, with
options for a monthly or yearly subscription.

Apple Store | Google Play

2. Famisafe

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If you’re a parent, it can be a real challenge to make sure that your kids are safe all the time. Fortunately, Famisafe can help when it comes to the Internet.

Not only does it let you
know your kids’ whereabouts through its location service, the app also allows
you to filter and block dangerous sites and control screen time to help kids
regain their focus on school work and other activities.

The app’s monitoring feature ensures that your kids do not become victims of cyberbullying or become exposed to the negative effects of pornography, gambling, or excessive gaming.

Once the app is
downloaded on you and your kid’s phones, you can personalize and set everything
up through your phone. This is a paid app, and offers a three-day free trial.

Apple Store | Google Play

3. FocusMe

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FocusMe can help you stay off your phone when you need to zero in on important tasks. The following features earned this app a spot on our list today:

  • Blocks websites
  • App blocking
  • Prevents opening of email while still allowing you to send them
  • Tracks the actual time you spend on specific websites and gives a detailed report so you can decide if it’s time to cut back on your visits to these time-sink sites
  • Task scheduler and tracker
  • Customizable time supports the Pomodoro technique of time management

The basic version of
this app is free for Android users. Furthermore, its premium version is one of
the most affordable website blockers on the market.

Google Play

4. Forest

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If you want to incorporate an element of social responsibility into your browsing, the Forest app can help with that.

Technically, Forest is
not a website blocking app. Instead, its standout feature is that it encourages
users to plant virtual trees instead of visiting time-sink websites. You’d be
surprised how a website that encourages you to plant virtual trees can actually
help you become more focused and more productive.

It also has a sharing
option so you and your friends can “plant” trees together, encouraging you to
have face-to-face interactions.

The price for this app
varies for different operating systems.

For those looking to have social impact, this app partners with Trees for the Future to plant actual trees in several countries in Africa.

Apple Store | Google Play

5. BlockerX

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Watching porn is considered by many to be a bad habit (#141 on our Bad Habits List), largely due to its host of negative effects. If you need a web blocker to prevent yourself or your child from accessing adult websites, then BlockerX app does the job.

This app blocks all
access to porn sites. However, since a lot of adult content is still accessible
through apps, social media, and other seemingly innocuous websites, this porn
blocker also has a built-in website and app blocker.

Furthermore, it allows
for parental control, preventing your child from being exposed to adult or
inappropriate websites. It also has a “prevent uninstall” feature so that your
child cannot disable the blocker.

This app works best with
the following browsers:

Lastly, you might want to check out this post for a highly effective, nine-habit strategy to help you stop watching porn for good.

Google Play

6. Cold Turkey

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If you’re looking for a hardcore blocker app that truly prevents you from accessing any flagged apps or websites, you might want to get Cold Turkey.

It allows you to block domains, specific URLs, keywords (including in Google search), and even the entire Internet.

Cold Turkey also allows you to block apps, folders, and files.

Its “Frozen Turkey” mode is a feature that locks your computer from any access during a specified timeframe. This is very helpful for when you need to focus on offline tasks or when you badly need a detox from technology.

To help you make better time management decisions, this app provides statistics on where you spend time when you’re using your computer.

The Basic version is available for free, with an option to upgrade to the Blocker Pro version, which costs $39.00 for lifetime access.

7. Serene

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Serene app helps you stay in deep focus, manage your time effectively, and regain your productivity.

There are three main features that help you do so:

  • Distraction blocking
  • Planning tools
  • Focus tools

Clicking a single button starts your focus session, which lasts from 20 to 60 minutes. When the time is up, you’ll be prompted to take a break.

If you happen to visit a blocked website during a focus session, the app replaces the site with a reminder screen featuring the task you’re currently working on and a countdown timer of your focus session.

Phone alerts often distract us from the task at hand. This app has a phone silencer feature that is activated during focus sessions, ensuring a period of silence while you’re in deep focus.

This is a perfect app for helping you stay productive while working remotely.

Serene has a free trial that gives you access to all of the features for 10 hours. Subscriptions for unlimited usage and all features are available and start at $4/month.

8. Ochi

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With Ochi, you can quickly block any time-sink app or website at the press of a button, across all of your iOS, iPad, and macOS devices.

The app allows you to filter websites by category and simultaneously create both timed and untimed filters with different sets of rules.

Ochi has dashboard stats that allow you to know your daily streak and how many time-sink apps and websites you’ve avoided visiting for the day.

Another great time-saving feature of this app is the Shortcut automation, which allows you to create shortcuts that use different types of filters.

This app is free, with in-app purchases available starting at $3.99.

Apple Store

9. FocalFilter

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FocalFilter is a freeware that lets you block websites you consider to have a negative impact on your focus and productivity.

With this app, you can temporarily block any website from 5 minutes up to 12 hours. Since it is browser-independent, the websites you’ve flagged as blocked cannot be accessed from any browser.

There is no limit to the number of sites you want to block. However, take note that those blocked sites become available again once 12 hours have elapsed.

10. AntiSocial

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Initially designed as an app that lets parents supervise their children’s gadget use, AntiSocial has become an indispensable tool for helping children learn about proper time management and self-control.

This app is set up on both the parent’s and child’s phone. Once paired, the parent can track the following on their child’s phone:

  • Time spent in every app
  • Number of apps open at a given time
  • Location

They can also block any app remotely and set an off time for the child’s phone.

Downloading the app is free, with in-app purchases available starting at $3.49.

Apple Store | Google Play

Final Thoughts on the Best Website Blocker Apps

We live in an age when
technology brings social media and information right into the palms of our
hands. Unfortunately, this ease of access leads us to spend many wasted hours
on social media, entertainment platforms, gaming apps, and other time sinks each
day.

This has a number of
negative effects on us. We are more distracted. We are less productive. We lose
interest in our studies.

One way to remedy this
situation is to use website blockers that help us make use of our time more
effectively.

There are many web-blocking
apps out there, but today we’ve presented the seven best website blockers for
your perusal. We hope that the information we shared here can help you make an informed
decision as to which app is the right one for your needs.

If you’re interested to
learn more about how to improve your focus, you might want to visit this post
about 10 mindful habits to help you achieve the power of focus
.

In addition, if you need some tips on how to study better, this post will show you how to build better study habits.

Finally, if you want to level up your productivity and time management skills, then watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at work.

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10 Best Website Blocker Apps for Studying and Increased Focus



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