Yes, you can block websites for free on iPhone and Mac. Screen Time on iPhone costs nothing. Your router may have a block list. Several apps have free versions too: SelfControl and Cold Turkey on Mac, and Blockd's free plan on both. Each free option leaves something out, and often it's the same thing: nobody else finds out when the block comes off. Here's what each one does and when paying makes sense.
In short
Screen Time is free and built into iPhone. It works best when someone else holds the Screen Time passcode.
A router block covers your home Wi-Fi. It stops working for your phone once you switch to cellular data.
Free app versions cover the basics. SelfControl and Cold Turkey Blocker Free run on computers, and Blockd's free plan includes 3 active blocks on iPhone and Mac.
Paying makes sense when you need more blocks, schedules, or daily limits.
What free website blocker options do you have?
There are three kinds of free blocker for Apple devices:
- Built-in tools. Screen Time on iPhone can keep a list of sites you never allow.
- Your router. Many home routers can block sites for every device on your Wi-Fi.
- Free app versions. Some blocker apps give you a free plan with fewer features than the paid one.
They differ in two ways that matter. The first is where the block applies: one network, one device, or every app on that device. The second is what happens when you want the block gone. Some come off with a tap. Some hold until a timer runs out. Some come off but tell someone.
How do you block a website for free with Screen Time?
Screen Time is the obvious place to start. It's already on your phone and it costs nothing. In iOS 26, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content.
- Select Limit Adult Websites.
- Tap Add Website below Never Allow, and enter the website's URL.
The weak spot is the passcode. To lock your settings, go to Settings > Screen Time, scroll down, tap Lock Screen Time Settings, then enter a four-digit passcode twice. Apple says this passcode is not the same as the one that unlocks your phone. Once it's set, you have to enter it before you can change any Screen Time settings. If you set it yourself, you already know it, so many people ask a friend to set it for them.
Time limits are softer. Apple says that by default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once you reach them. If you set a passcode, you can turn on Block at Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > Downtime) so restricted apps can't be opened during downtime. With it off, you see a reminder and can keep going.
One more thing to check: Apple's iOS 26 page on blocking websites doesn't say which browsers or apps the web limits cover. Test your block in every browser you use. How to block websites on iPhone walks through that, and blocking websites without Screen Time covers the other options.
Can your router block websites for free?
Often, yes. Many home routers have a setting that blocks sites by address for every device on your Wi-Fi. It's sometimes listed under parental controls or access controls. Every brand lays it out differently, so check your router's manual or your internet provider's app.
A router block has real strengths. It's free, it covers every device at home, and it doesn't care which browser you open.
The gap is that it stays home. Once your phone moves to cellular data or joins a coffee shop's Wi-Fi, your router no longer handles its traffic. And anyone with the router's admin password can undo the block. It's a good first layer for a household. It doesn't follow your phone out the door.
What do free blocker apps leave out?
SelfControl is free and open source, and it runs on macOS only. You set a period of time and a blocklist. Until the timer expires, you can't reach those sites, even if you restart the computer or delete the app. For a hard stop during a work session on a Mac, that's a lot for free. It has no iPhone version. SelfControl for iPhone covers what to use on your phone.
Cold Turkey Blocker runs on Windows and macOS only. Blocker Free blocks websites for a set time. Blocker Pro is a one-time $45 purchase that adds app blocking, scheduled blocks, and locking features, and it covers every computer you personally use. Like SelfControl, it doesn't run on iPhone.
Blockd is free to download, and the free plan includes 3 active blocks. It filters at the DNS level (the step where a device looks up a website's address), so a block applies in every app and browser, not only Safari. Switching browsers doesn't get around it. The free plan gives you a small blocklist with no schedules or daily limits.
| Free option | Runs on | What you get free | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Time | iPhone | A Never Allow list with a passcode lock | Limits can be ignored by default, and anyone who knows the passcode can undo it |
| Your router | Devices on your home Wi-Fi | One block list for the whole house | Nothing applies on cellular data or other networks |
| SelfControl | Mac | A timed block you can't end early | Nothing on your iPhone |
| Cold Turkey Blocker Free | Windows and Mac | Website blocks for a set time | App blocking, schedules, and locking are in Pro, and there's no iPhone version |
| Blockd free plan | iPhone, iPad, and Mac | 3 active blocks in every app and browser | Schedules, daily limits, and unlimited blocks need Pro |
What each free website blocker gives you, and what it leaves out.
When is paying for a website blocker worth it?
For a lot of people, free is enough. If you want one or two sites out of your day, Screen Time or a free plan may cover it. If you work on a Mac and want a timer you can't break, SelfControl costs nothing.
Paying starts to make sense in a few cases:
- You need more blocks. Blockd Pro adds unlimited active blocks.
- You want the block to fit your week. Pro adds schedules, which block by day and time, and daily limits, which allow a site for a set number of minutes each day.
- You want app blocking or locking on a computer. That's what Cold Turkey's paid Blocker Pro adds.
Blockd Pro costs $7.99 per month or $39.99 per year in the United States. For other apps, check their current pricing before you decide.
The other question has less to do with features. Think about the last time a free block got in your way. If you turned it off within a minute, more blocks probably won't change much. Having someone else know about it often does. With Blockd, your partner sees your protection status, your blocklist, and every change to it. They don't see your full browsing history, and Blockd doesn't read messages or track location.
What can no blocker do, free or paid?
Any blocker can be turned off by the person who installed it. Blockd doesn't try to make that impossible. It lets your partner see when you turn it off, and that's what holds you back. If the app is deleted, your partner is alerted within minutes when the device goes quiet. Is there a website blocker that cannot be deleted goes into more detail.
DNS blocking has its own limits. It decides by website address, so it can't see what's on a page, and it doesn't take screenshots. iPhone runs one VPN (virtual private network, an app that routes your traffic through another server) at a time, so connecting another VPN app can replace Blockd's connection on iPhone. Apps that use their own hard-coded DNS can get around DNS filtering.
Blockd runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, and on Mac. There's no Android or Windows version. If you use either one, a different tool will fit better.
If the habit you're blocking feels out of your control, or it's hurting your sleep, work, or relationships, think about seeing a licensed therapist. They can help in ways a blocker can't.