Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to I built a smart blocker after destroying my dopamine baseline
I'm a solo dev. A few years ago, I got addicted to Reddit. Spent months in that loop. Being a programmer, I thought I'd be clever. Redirected Reddit's domain to nowhere in my DNS file. Worked great until I'd just... open the file and undo it 20 minutes later. So I made it irreversible. Locked the DNS file so it can't be edited unless I boot my Mac in safe mode. And if I do that, there's a script that instantly locks it again. Haven't used Reddit since last year. Problem solved, right? Wrong. I just replaced Reddit with Twitch and YouTube. Started keeping streams running in the background…
A smart blocker tool designed for Mac users struggling with compulsive internet usage, particularly social media and streaming platforms. The tool makes website blocks irreversible without booting into safe mode, then… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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LockIn MCP▲116I was tired of how bad distraction blockers are so I built my own. LockIn lets AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, etc.) block websites by editing the system hosts file directly via MCP tools (via a secure cloudflare bridge). Why? Because chrome extensions don't work. Blocking it natively makes it unbypassable, and having your agent gatekeep your focus is the ultimate cheat code. Since everyone is using AI agents nowadays, but most people start scrolling or Reddit while waiting for Claude Code to finish, giving them control over your focus solves that. The MCP server exposes four tools:…
Jun 2026 · lockinmcp.com · its alternatives →
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Overlead▲146Here's the problem: I launched two products. I wrote blog posts. I posted on X, built in public. I tried running ads. And you know what actually got me customers? Replying to someone on Reddit who asked, "What's the best tool for this?" One reply. Three signups. I felt like an idiot for not doing it sooner. But here's the issue: I don't have time to refresh Reddit all day looking for these posts. I have products to build. Bugs to fix. Emails to answer. Life to live. So I built Overlead to do the searching for me. Overlead scans Reddit, Quora, and Hacker News (and many more to come) for…
Feb 2026 · overlead.co · its alternatives →
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I built this last year but never posted it anywhere, but now with Reddit hiatus it seems like the right time to give it a shot. The main goal of zsync is to foster high quality content and discussion. That's it. If it can't accomplish that, then to me it is a failure. I watched Reddit go from having high quality discussion in 2008-9 to devolving into the PC meme dumpster it is today [1]. HN still has the highest discussion quality of any "forum" I know of, but (1) it can sometimes randomly be very hostile/toxic to new tech, the most glaring example being crypto. (2) HN is basically a…
2023 · zsync.xyz · its alternatives →
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Commentblocks▲101Hey HN, I'm a freelance web developer and got tired of the endless email chains during website QA. Clients would send screenshots with red circles, or worse, Word docs with "the button on the page with the thing." I'd spend more time decoding feedback than actually fixing stuff. So I built Commentblocks. You add a script to your staging site, send clients a link, and they click anywhere on the page to leave a comment. That's it. No signup for them, no explaining how to use it. Each comment captures the exact element, viewport size, browser, and URL. Comments show up in a dashboard or can go…
Feb 2026 · commentblocks.com · its alternatives →
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Scriptmine▲86I built this for myself. I make videos, and my biggest bottleneck is figuring out what to say to my audience without staring at a blank page. So I built Scriptmine: a tool that listens to Reddit conversations in my niche, finds high-signal topics, and turns them into scripts. How it works: - Track subreddits and discussions relevant to a niche - Rank topics by engagement/momentum - Generate a hook/body/CTA draft in a chosen voice/format
Feb 2026 · scriptmine.ai · its alternatives →
- 6
Hey HN, A few months ago I noticed I was spending way too much time on YouTube + Reddit (like 4–5 hours per day). I tried a bunch of blockers, but most of them just hard-block everything… and when I actually need a YT for debugging, I end up disabling the blocker and never turning it back on. So I built ZenBlock to solve my problem: it blocks distracting sites, but when you try to open one, it shows a short breathing exercise, After that you can choose to get temporary access (5–30 min). The goal is to make you aware of distraction. this is more inclined towards Tech-wise: it’s built using…
Feb 2026 · zenblock.app · its alternatives →
- 7BP
Inspired by the nytimes post "Luddites don't want your upvotes", and presumably being a Luddite myself, I have used uBlock to block my Karma score at the top of the page. I found myself (on old account) reflexively checking my Karma score and found myself responding emotionally to it. I do not like this. Positive reinforcement can be a dangerous thing! And negative reinforcement make me feel a bit crap. I'm going to post what I think is the right thing, votes be damned! However I do see the use of downvotes for getting rid of stupid comments and spam as a good thing. I see the use of…
2023 · its alternatives →
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Hey! I always tried to overcome dopamine to improve productivity in my life, but I always failed. That's how I started this page. 1.Block sites that trigger your urges (Pxxx, ex profiles, etc.) 2.A popup interrupts and helps you regain control in seconds! If you're interested, please take a look at!
2025 · crushsuddenurges.vercel.app · its alternatives →
- 9
I built Recode because I realized I was spending 8-10 hours a day on my phone pretty consistently. I tried other screen time apps but I found them too easy to bypass and end my blocks whenever I wanted to use an app. My solution was to build an app blocker app that makes users have to scan a physical QR/barcode to take a break from their app blocks. This helped me be able to get my screen time down to just a few hours everyday since I didn't want to physically get up and go across the house to get my barcode. Anyways, since it worked for me I felt like sharing it. App store link:…
2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 10DN
I've been trying to minimize my compulsive browsing of social media for a while, and tried a bunch of extensions and apps to block websites and such, but always ended up disabling them even if they were supposed to be "hard to disable". The fact is that sometimes you need to visit reddit for some info, but you don't want to get caught in an addictive loop. Disabling entire hostnames or trying to configure intricate block lists is annoying, and the end result is annoying. Parental controls don't work on me, and I resent them. I remembered what Tristan Harris once said on ways to prevent…
2023 · its alternatives →
- 11
I wanted to use YouTube ,reddit etc.while using productivity apps but they block entire domains. So I built something that blocks distracting content based on my goals.Feedback would be really appreciated
2025 · dpwrk.app · its alternatives →
- 12
Find out if the internet would destroy it in 14 seconds.
Jun 2026 · vnta.agency · its alternatives →
- 13
Hey HN, I'm a solo developer from Nigeria. I built Quran Unlock - an app that blocks distracting apps (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) until you complete your daily Quran reading. The idea came from my own struggle with phone addiction. I wanted to read Quran daily but kept getting distracted. So I built this for myself, then shared it. Some stats after 2 months: - 123K+ users - 64.9% returning user rate - 31M events tracked Tech stack: - React Native - Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Analytics, Cloud Messaging) - RevenueCat for subscriptions - iOS Screen Time API + Android UsageStats App Store:…
Jan 2026 · quranunlock.app · its alternatives →
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EvoCat▲17I’ve always struggled with mindless scrolling, even when I had important work to do. Timers and app blockers never stuck — they felt boring and were easy to bypass. I built EvoCat as a small side project to solve my own problem. It’s a simple iOS app that blocks distracting apps and websites, but adds a fun layer of gamification: • You earn XP for staying focused • You evolve a digital cat as your self-control grows • Each evolution makes the blocking stronger (harder to quit sessions) It’s still in early beta, but this approach has helped me stay more mindful with my phone use. Would love…
2025 · evocat.app · its alternatives →
- 15
Hey Hacker News, I'm the maker of Kopage, a free & self-hosted Website Builder. While working on new, cool features (AI, of course), it would be great to hear some HN feedback :) Thanks, Simon
2024 · kopage.com · its alternatives →
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Hey HN! I made a completely open sourced alternative to Weights and Biases with (insert cringe) blazingly fast performance (yes we use rust and clickhouse) Weights and Biases is super unperformant, their logger blocks user code... logging should not be blocking, yet they got away with it. We do the right thing by being non blocking. Would love any thoughts / feedbacks / roasts etc
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 18IB
I built this as a Garage Project over the weekend. https://x402.backpac.xyz/ Still working on refining things, but let me know your thoughts. Cheers.
2025 · its alternatives →
- 19AB
i made an ai blocker blocks ai relate content. if want download it from chrome or safari extension store, consider donate :)
Feb 2026 · kiddokraft.org · its alternatives →
- 201R
I wanted to find a product idea to build. "Build things people want," right? So I thought, why not literally find people saying what they want? I wrote a script to collect thousands of Reddit posts where people are looking for a solution or complaining about a problem. Then I used GPT to filter out the noise and score each one based on how viable the idea seemed. Threw together a simple search interface so anyone can explore them. I was planning to build a more advanced paid version of this, but figured I'd share the raw version first to see if it's actually useful to anyone.
Nov 2025 · search.reddit-business-ideas.workers.dev · its alternatives →
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wsgrok▲7I built it for myself because ngrok didn't let me add one more domain unless I paid $12 more. I probably should've looked for alternatives before building my own, but my grudge got in the way . Once I started, I wanted to make it better than the other options. Silly, I know. No one probably cares. I plan to open source it sometime next year because I’ve got other projects to finish first. It's free until I deplete my cloud credits, then it will switch to a tier-based model with a free option.
Jan 2026 · wsgrok.com · its alternatives →
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Hey all, remember back when the internet was fun? Before the days of information overload and AI slop. Back when sites were recommended by close friends instead of an algorithm. I miss that. And I’m trying to bring some of that magic back. So I've built Stumble Again. It's inspired by the OG StumbleUpon, and it’s a place where you can rediscover the internet with a curated selection of hand-picked websites, apps, and hidden gems from the depths of the internet. Check it out and let me know what you think? P.s. Would love to hear your recs for sites to be added. Drop a comment with your top…
Jun 2026 · stumbleagain.com · its alternatives →
- 23RA
My attempt to create a decentralised reddit using a merkle-dag and webrtc. Advice would be much appreciated. https://memesfortheparanoid.com
2015 · its alternatives →
- 24IB
I was somewhat hesitant about sharing this personal projects, especially since I just saw that cool looking Werk[1] tool posted, but I figured that my ADHD-fueled creation might still have it's own place to be. I just finished rewriting the code for a personal tool I use to automate terminal tasks while minimizing the amount of Python/Bash code I have to write. As with all other tools I create for my own use, the guiding principle is simplicity and approachability, as if the tool creates more issues or friction than it solves, I'll get discouraged from using it again. [1]:…
Jun 2026 · 0xff.nu · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →