SqwarkSelf, compared.
Eight focus apps that run on a Mac, side by side with SqwarkSelf. Each page says what the other app does better, and when to choose it instead.
SqwarkSelf is a nudge, not a lock, and it only runs on a Mac. That makes it the wrong tool for plenty of people. These pages are meant to help you find out quickly whether you’re one of them.
How these pages are written
- Every fact about another app comes from its own site, help pages or App Store listing, read on the day the page gives. Nothing from reviews or forums.
- Prices only where we could read them on their own page that day, and dated.
- Every page says what the other app does better, and when to choose it.
- Our column is the same on every page, and so is the list of what SqwarkSelf doesn’t do.
- No logos, no screenshots of theirs, and no “best”.
At a glance
| App | Runs on | Can lock you in | Account | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SqwarkSelfFocus guard | Mac | No | None | One-time, after a 14-day trial (not on sale yet) |
| RizeTime tracker | Mac, Windows | No | Required | Subscription, no free tier |
| FreedomBlocker | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, more | Yes: Locked Mode, on Premium | Required | Free plan; subscription or lifetime |
| Cold TurkeyBlocker | Mac, Windows | Yes: several kinds, on Pro | None | Free version; one-time Pro |
| OpalScreen time | iPhone, Android, Mac | Yes: the hardest mode, on Pro | Required | Free plan; subscription or lifetime |
| Focus (heyfocus)Blocker | Mac | Yes: Locked Mode, with unlock tokens | None described | One-time |
| SelfControlBlocker, free | Mac | Yes, always | None | Free, open source |
| RescueTimeTime tracker | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, web | Yes: a strict setting, on paid plans | Required | Free Lite plan; subscription |
| one secFriction | iPhone, Android, Mac, browsers | Strict blocks on iPhone | Optional | Free version; subscription or lifetime |
What SqwarkSelf doesn’t do
- Mac only: no iPhone, no Android, no Windows.
- No hard lock. On a watch you can always say “this is work”; a house rule can always be paused.
- No schedules, and no reports beyond today.
- No team features.
- It’s new: a first version, from a very small company.
One page each.
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Time tracker
SqwarkSelf vs Rize
An automatic time tracker with AI, reports and team dashboards. Its blocker is a pop-up or notification you can dismiss.
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Blocker
SqwarkSelf vs Freedom
Blocks apps, sites or the whole internet on all your devices at once, with schedules and a Locked Mode.
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Blocker
SqwarkSelf vs Cold Turkey
A Mac and Windows blocker with many kinds of lock, schedules, breaks and statistics kept on your computer.
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Screen time
SqwarkSelf vs Opal
A phone-first screen-time app with a Mac app: sessions, schedules, limits, and a hard mode you can’t end early.
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Blocker
SqwarkSelf vs Focus (heyfocus)
A Mac menu-bar blocker for sites and apps, with schedules, Pomodoro, a Locked Mode and statistics.
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Blocker, free
SqwarkSelf vs SelfControl
A free, open-source Mac app that blocks sites for a set time. Once a block starts, it can’t be stopped.
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Time tracker
SqwarkSelf vs RescueTime
Automatic time tracking and reports on every device, with Focus Sessions that block what’s rated distracting.
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Friction
SqwarkSelf vs one sec
A short pause, like a deep breath, before the apps and sites you choose. Phone, Mac and browser.
Not sure you need any of them? The guides start with why blockers tend to fail after a week.
Say what you're doing. Press Go.
SqwarkSelf is one bird in your Mac's menu bar. Drift into something you ruled out and only that window goes dark, for ten seconds.
