SelfControl has been the go-to free website blocker for Mac since 2009. Its core promise — block websites for a set time with no way to undo it — was revolutionary. But it's 2026 now, and SelfControl is showing its age. If you've been using it and hitting limitations, you're not alone.
Where SelfControl Falls Short in 2026
No App Blocking
SelfControl only blocks websites. It can't do anything about distracting desktop apps like Discord, Slack, Steam, or Messages. If your distraction problem extends beyond the browser — and for most people it does — SelfControl only covers half the problem.
No Menu Bar Presence
SelfControl requires you to open its full application window to start a session. There's no menu bar icon, no quick-access UI. For a tool you use multiple times a day, this friction adds up. You have to find the app, open it, configure your block, and start it — every time.
Compatibility Concerns
SelfControl modifies system-level network configuration files to enforce its blocks. This approach has grown increasingly fragile as Apple tightens macOS security with each release. Users report blocks that fail silently, blocks that persist past their timer, and installation issues after macOS upgrades. The app is open-source and maintained by volunteers, so fixes can lag behind Apple's release cycle.
No Pomodoro or Session Features
SelfControl has one mode: block for X minutes. There's no Pomodoro integration, no session tracking, no daily stats. It's a single-purpose tool in a world where focus apps have evolved significantly.
Lock In! — A Modern Replacement
Lock In! takes everything people love about SelfControl — the strict, uncancellable blocking — and wraps it in a modern macOS app with features SelfControl never offered.
System Extension, Not Hosts Hacking
Lock In! uses Apple's official Network Extension API to block websites. This is the supported, future-proof way to intercept network traffic on macOS. No fragile file modifications, no breakage after system updates, no leftover entries if something goes wrong.
Website + App Blocking
Block distracting websites across every browser and distracting apps via full-screen interrupt panels. One app covers both vectors. SelfControl can't block apps at all.
Menu Bar First
Lock In! lives in the menu bar. Click, set duration, start. No window to find, no app to switch to. It's designed for the workflow of starting focus sessions multiple times per day.
Strict Mode + Stats
Strict Mode mirrors SelfControl's uncancellable philosophy. Daily stats with a 7-day chart add accountability that SelfControl never provided. Preset blocklists for Social, Entertainment, News, and Shopping mean you're blocking in seconds, not building lists from scratch.
Same philosophy, modern execution. Get Lock In! on the Mac App Store