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A Cold Turkey alternative for Mac

Cold Turkey Blocker is a strict blocker for Windows and Mac. Once a block is locked, there's no stopping it, and it's well maintained. This page is for Mac users who'd rather not install an extension in each browser, or who want a block they can pause.

Checked September 2026

Focus Firewall window showing the Browsing Report: a focus score of 87, time per site and an hourly timeline Menu bar popover with the firewall running, today's focus time and the blocked categories
Which one fits

Cold Turkey and Focus Firewall

Cold Turkey

For Windows and Mac. A direct download, with a free tier and a one-time Pro purchase of $39 to $45, depending on your country.

Good when you want strict locks and a lot of control. A locked block can't be stopped until its lock opens: a timer, a time range, a restart, or a long random text you have to type. Pro adds schedules, app blocking and a password lock. The free tier includes usage statistics, and one licence covers your Windows PC too.

Falls short when you use several browsers on a Mac. It needs its extension installed in each one, and during a locked block a browser without the extension gets blocked itself after a short grace period. In Safari its block page features don't work. Schedules and app blocking need Pro.

The one we make

Focus Firewall

A system-level blocker for Mac that runs on your work schedule. Free for 7 days.

Good when you want one install that covers every browser with no extensions, and a schedule in every plan. There's one switch and one schedule to set, and a pause that ends by itself.

Falls short when you want a lock you can't undo, or you need Windows. Focus Firewall can always be stopped with Touch ID or your password, and it's Mac only. After the 7-day trial it's a subscription or a one-time purchase.

More blockers, compared: our roundup of focus apps for Mac

Side by side

What each one does

Disclaimer: Focus Firewall is our app. The Cold Turkey column comes from Cold Turkey's user guide, its system requirements and its pricing page, as they stood in September 2026. If something has changed since, tell us and we'll fix it.

Cold Turkey
Focus
Firewall
Blocks in every browser, with no extensions
Extension per browser
Blocks apps as well as websites
In Pro
Turns on and off by schedule
In Pro
Can be paused for a break
Planned breaks, in Pro
Can be stopped early
Not when locked
With Touch ID
Shows your time on distracting sites
Runs on Windows too
On the Mac App Store
Price
Free, or Pro $39–45 once
From $2.99 a month
macOS asking for Touch ID because Focus Firewall is trying to turn off blocking Menu bar popover with the pause menu open: 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes, 1 hour, or until tomorrow
The main difference

Off takes a deliberate step. Pause takes one click

Stopping the block asks for Touch ID or your password. Pausing is easy on purpose: pick one, five, ten, fifteen or thirty minutes, or an hour, and blocking comes back by itself when the time is up. Tomorrow morning it starts again on schedule, whatever happened today.

“Focus Firewall respects my autonomy and treats me like an adult, giving me the tools to manage my time effectively.”
★★★★★Mac App Store review
Setup

Running in under a minute

  1. InstallDownload from the Mac App Store. macOS asks once for the permission that lets Focus Firewall filter traffic.
  2. Pick what distracts youSocial Media, Streaming Video, News and Shopping are ready-made lists. Add any other site or app yourself.
  3. Set your work hoursBlocking turns itself on and off on that schedule from then on.
The Social Media blocklist: LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Bluesky, Reddit, Facebook and more, each with a switch Add website sheet with chess.com typed in; it will block the site and all of its subdomains

Try it beside Cold Turkey for a week

No extensions, no account. Nothing leaves your Mac.

Download on the Mac App Store Free for 7 days. Plans from $2.99 a month or $29.99 once.

Questions about switching from Cold Turkey

No. Focus Firewall filters traffic at the system level, so Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave and every other supported browser are covered at once.

No. Focus Firewall can always be stopped with Touch ID or your password. It's built to add friction, and it turns itself back on the next morning. If you need a lock you can't undo, Cold Turkey does that well.

No, Focus Firewall is for Mac only.

Cold Turkey has a free tier, and its Pro version is a one-time purchase of $39 to $45, depending on your country. Focus Firewall is free for 7 days, then $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $29.99 once for Lifetime. Schedules and app blocking are in every Focus Firewall plan.
Focus Firewall application icon
Minimalist web blocker for Mac

©2024 Focus Firewall • Developed by Terran
App Store, Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.