Best SelfControl alternative for Mac
SelfControl is the better pick if you need unbreakable website blocking you cannot bypass. Focuh is the free Mac and web ADHD todo list if the leak is the day itself: Today next to Google Calendar, loops that wait until you pull them, and Mac blocking that also covers apps.
Free. Early beta. No subscription.
Where SelfControl wins
SelfControl is a free, open source Mac app that does one thing: it blocks websites for a set time and you cannot undo it. It edits the hosts file and adds firewall rules, so the block holds in every browser and in every app that talks to those domains. Restarting the Mac, deleting the app, or making a new user account does not lift it. If you know you will argue your way out of your own block, SelfControl is the strongest free option on Mac. It has been doing this since 2009 and it is very light. Focuh does not block this way. Focuh blocks through the macOS Accessibility permission, which you can revoke in System Settings in the middle of a session. The friction stops most people. It does not stop someone who is determined.
Where Focuh wins
Focuh is an ADHD todo list for Mac and web. Today sits next to Google Calendar. Week is the week. Loops are standing to-dos with no date: you pull a copy onto today and the loop stays. Goals are the one win for the horizon. Blocking is part of the focus session, not a separate app: pick the task, start the timer, and the blocklist holds until you stop. On Mac that blocklist covers apps as well as websites, so Slack, Discord and Messages go quiet too. SelfControl has no todo list, no calendar, and no timer beyond the block countdown, and it cannot block apps. It is also Mac only, so nothing follows you to another machine. Focuh syncs the same list between the Mac app and the web app.
Price: both are free. SelfControl is open source. Focuh is free. Early beta. No subscription. This is one of the few compares where money does not decide it.
Who should pick which
Pick SelfControl if you only need website blocking, you want it impossible to bypass, and you already have a list and a calendar you like. Pick Focuh if the leak is the day itself: you need Today next to GCal, loops that wait until you pull them, and a Mac blocker that also covers apps. Plenty of people run both. SelfControl for the domains that must stay dead on a bad day, Focuh for the everyday session where knowing what to work on matters as much as the block.
Want the full side-by-side, with the feature table and FAQ? Read Focuh vs SelfControl.