A SelfControl alternative that goes past 24 hours

If what you need from SelfControl is a hard, unbreakable block of under 24 hours and you want it free, the honest answer is to keep using SelfControl. People look for an alternative when they hit one of its four documented walls: no scheduling, no app blocking, a 24-hour maximum timer, and a block that can be circumvented by changing the system clock. FocusDragon covers those cases — recurring schedules, blocks that run to a future date, and elapsed time measured against a clock the system date cannot move.

SelfControl's timer is capped at 24 hours by design, and once a block starts there is no pause and no early exit. That makes it excellent for a single deep-work day and unsuitable for anything longer — a two-week exam run, a month off a particular site, or a permanent block. FocusDragon's Date and Frozen locks run to a calendar date you choose at creation, with no 24-hour ceiling.

Yes — this is a documented caveat in SelfControl's own FAQ. Because the block is timed, changing your Mac's system clock can end it early. It is the one reliable escape hatch in an otherwise very solid design. FocusDragon measures elapsed time against a clock that changing the system date cannot move, so rolling the date forward does nothing.

No. SelfControl blocks by editing macOS firewall rules, which is why it covers every browser on the machine without needing an extension in each one — but it has no app blocking and no scheduling. If the thing pulling your attention is a desktop app rather than a website, SelfControl cannot help with it.

No. SelfControl is free and open source, which means you can read exactly what it does to your machine and build it yourself. FocusDragon is not open source. It is a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple before every release, but that is verification by Apple rather than by you. If auditability is your requirement, SelfControl wins that outright.

Yes, and so does SelfControl's — a running SelfControl block survives a restart and even deleting the app. FocusDragon's blocks survive quitting the app, force-quitting the daemon and dragging the app to the Trash mid-block; a root daemon restores it within seconds. On this specific point the two products are comparably serious, and both are unusual for it.

The core blocker is free forever: unlimited blocks, all 10 lock types, Safari, Chrome/Chromium and Firefox extensions, and system-level enforcement. Pro is a one-time $4.99 as of August 2026 — locked mode, Bulletproof Strictness and full statistics — with a 7-day trial that takes a card up front and charges once on day 7 unless cancelled. Nothing renews, and refunds run 14 days. SelfControl is free with no paid tier at all.

Timer, Schedule, Random Text, Password, Restart, Frozen, Date, Delay, Breakable and Sessions. SelfControl has one mode — start a timer, wait it out — and that single-mindedness is part of why it is so hard to break. FocusDragon's range exists so you can pick friction that matches the temptation rather than applying maximum friction to everything.