Comparisons
How WhyFirst compares to other website blockers (2026)
WhyFirst is not a hard blocker. Before a site you chose opens, it asks why you are opening it — then you write a reason, use an exception or go back. If you want a wall you cannot argue with, BlockSite, StayFocusd, Freedom and Cold Turkey are built for that. If your focus is primarily on your phone, Opal offers deep app-level blocking. If you want a free or open-source tool, ScreenZen, Unhook and LeechBlock NG are covered below in Other options.
On this page
Pick by what you need
How WhyFirst works differently
- Open the site you marked
WhyFirst's check-in covers the site before its feed reaches you.
- Write one sentence
"find the borrow checker chapter of the Rust book video" — the sentence is the point.
- Continue, spend an exception, or go back
The site opens, and the reason stays with the visit.
Suppose you want to watch a Rust tutorial. You open youtube.com and, before the feed reaches you, WhyFirst's check-in covers it: why are you opening this site right now? You type "find the borrow checker chapter of the Rust book video", press continue, and the site carries on. The pause is a few seconds; the point is the sentence you had to write.
If you only want the tutorial and not the feed, path rules do that — youtube.com/watch* passes through while the home page and /shorts keep the pause. Path rules are part of Pro, while Free covers up to 5 sites with a single domain each.
Two deliberate limits. On the sites you add, WhyFirst draws its check-in over the page in its own layer: the page's text, forms and links are never read, and nothing from that page is uploaded. It also does not pretend to be a lock: you can always take an exception or turn a rule off. The bet is that a question you answer yourself survives longer than a wall you eventually uninstall.
Comparison table (as of Oct 23, 2026)
| As of Oct 23, 2026 | WhyFirst | BlockSite | StayFocusd | Freedom | Cold Turkey | Opal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asks why before opening | Yes. Yes — one question | No (block page) | No (time budget) | No (block screen) | No (block page) | No (block screen) |
| Review your reasons | Yes. Local reason log | No | No | Session history only | Time statistics only | Screen time stats |
| Blocking style | Mindful pause; skip with reason | Password & block page | Nuclear Option | Locked Mode | Locked blocks | Hard Mode |
| Path rules | Pro: youtube.com/watch* | Wildcards & paths (Premium) | Custom URLs & paths | Domain & URL query filters | Wildcards & regex (Pro) | Domain only (no subpages) |
| Browsers | Chrome · Edge · Firefox | Chrome · Firefox · Edge · iOS · Android | Chrome only | Chrome · Firefox · Edge (desktop app needed) | Chrome · Firefox · Edge (desktop app needed) | Mac app (no extension or Firefox) |
| Price | Free · Pro $7.99 once * | Free tier · Premium sub | Free | Free tier · $8.99/mo · $199 lifetime | Free · Pro $45 once | Free tier · $99.99/yr · $399 lifetime |
WhyFirst keeps rules, reasons and statistics in your browser. AI judgment is off by default; turn it on and only the reason you wrote, the domain and that site's purpose go to the AI endpoint you chose (privacy policy). $7.99 is the launch price for the first 100 users, $16 afterwards.
Store figures and prices are what each listing showed on Oct 23, 2026. The long version of every row — how each tool blocks, what the listing discloses, who it is for — is on that tool's page, linked from the column heading.
Also worth knowing:
- Phone apps — BlockSite, Freedom and Opal provide native companion apps for iOS and Android. WhyFirst focuses strictly on desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox).
- Open source — LeechBlock NG is open source (MPL-2.0). All other tools in the main comparison table are proprietary commercial software.
Other options
If your requirement is free, open source, or specific to one website, three other tools have dedicated comparisons:
- ScreenZen — free (donations), phone and desktop apps; Chrome extension hides social feeds, Firefox add-on requires macOS app.
- Unhook — free, hides YouTube page elements rather than blocking the site.
- LeechBlock NG — free and open source (MPL-2.0), hard schedules and Lockdown mode.
What each store listing discloses about data
Every quote below is copied from the vendor's own store listing on Oct 23, 2026, with the page we read it from. We do not paraphrase a disclosure or turn one into a verdict.
ScreenZen's Chrome extension hides social feeds and doesn't pause sites; its Firefox add-on needs the macOS app (as of Oct 25, 2026). Its Chrome listing, as well as LeechBlock NG and Unhook, declare that they do not collect or use your data (see Other options). WhyFirst's own data flow is not a store disclosure either — it is written out in full in the privacy policy.
When another tool is the better choice
BlockSite — if you want a site genuinely blocked on your laptop and your phone, with a password and a schedule. It is a recurring subscription; if you would rather pay once, that is the specific reason WhyFirst exists.
StayFocusd — if you want a number, not a conversation. Daily time budgets per site, a Nuclear Option that cannot be cancelled once started, and a challenge before you change settings. On Chrome that is a well-established combination with 700,000 users.
Freedom — if you want scheduled block sessions across all your computers and phones, and you want Locked Mode to hold you to them. Premium is $8.99/mo, or $199 lifetime (on sale for $99.50 on Oct 23, 2026; pricing). The browser extension cannot run alone on Mac or Windows without the companion desktop app (support). One Chrome reviewer (Aug 30, 2026) called it "very difficult to get it to work across different computers and phones" (Chrome reviews); an App Store reviewer (Sep 8, 2026) wrote that "cancellation is nightmare" (App Store).
Cold Turkey — if you want strict desktop-only blocking on Windows or macOS, with motivational quotes on the block page and locked blocks. It is a one-time purchase (Pro $45, pricing); there is no phone version, and the extension requires the companion desktop app. One Chrome reviewer (Sep 20, 2026) said tabs kept closing until they changed the "allow in incognito" option; another (Sep 19, 2026) said the extension "does not sync with mac application" (Chrome reviews).
Opal — if your primary distraction is on your phone or you want app-level focus sessions with deep Screen Time integration. It is an annual subscription or lifetime purchase ($99.99/yr or $399 lifetime, pricing). On desktop it relies on a Mac app without standalone browser extensions or Firefox support (help), and Windows is not supported. One App Store reviewer (Oct 10, 2026) called a recent update "Super buggy, blocks that I deleted keeping magically reappearing", and another (Oct 7, 2026) wrote that "For the subscription price it's outrageous" (App Store).
Detailed comparisons
- BlockSite alternative — subscription versus one-time purchase, and the honest case for hard blocking.
- StayFocusd alternative for Chrome, Firefox and Edge — time budgets versus intent checks, and what each store listing discloses.
- ScreenZen Chrome Extension? It Hides Feeds — Not a Pause — what ScreenZen's desktop browser extensions do as of October 2026, and what a browser-native pause looks like.
- Unhook not working? Pause YouTube's feed by URL instead — why element-hiding extensions break after a YouTube redesign, and the URL-level alternative.
- LeechBlock alternative: a delay that asks why, not just a countdown — what changes when the 60-second countdown becomes one question, and how to run both.
FAQ
Which website blocker asks why you are opening a site?
WhyFirst does. When a site you added is about to open, it pauses it and asks for a reason; you can write one, spend a daily exception or go back. It works on Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Is WhyFirst a hard blocker?
No. WhyFirst is soft friction: you can always use one of your daily exceptions or turn the rule off. If you need a block you cannot bypass, BlockSite, StayFocusd, Freedom, Cold Turkey or LeechBlock NG are built for that.
Does WhyFirst work on Firefox and Edge?
Yes. WhyFirst has official listings in the Chrome Web Store, the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store and Firefox Add-ons, and the same extension runs on all three.
Is WhyFirst free?
Free is free forever and covers up to 5 site rules, a fixed check-in pause, 3 daily exceptions and 30 AI intent judgments after you verify your account. Pro is a one-time purchase: $7.99 at the launch price for the first 100 users (regular $16), including path rules, unlimited site rules and 10,000 AI judgments while the launch offer lasts.
What data does WhyFirst send?
Nothing while AI judgment is off, which is the default. When you turn it on, the request contains the reason you wrote, the domain, and the purpose you set for that site, sent to the AI endpoint you chose (your own API key or the WhyFirst-hosted endpoint). Browsing history, full URLs and page content are never sent. The privacy policy has the complete list.
Can I use WhyFirst together with LeechBlock or Unhook?
Yes. WhyFirst never modifies the pages you visit, so it does not collide with extensions that hide parts of a page, and a hard blocker can keep its own schedule alongside it. Running both for a week on different sites is a reasonable way to find out which one you actually keep.
Try WhyFirst
Install free for Chrome, Edge or Firefox, then add the three or four sites you open without thinking.
Install WhyFirst free · Read the privacy policy Last updated: Nov 1, 2026. ScreenZen facts re-checked Oct 25, 2026; other figures and prices as of Oct 23, 2026. Spotted an error? Email support@whyfirst.app.