Refocus: Block Apps & Websites Reviews

by Justwritingacomment

Does as advertised and allows for you to be specific about the apps and websites you block. I like that it doesn’t just shut off the entirety of my browser for example. However, it’s way too easy to bypass the restrictions. Yes, it allows a moment to reflect on whether I want to disable it and for how long, but ultimately, I click two buttons and I can be back to browsing. To me, this is no different than iPhone’s built in screen time lock. I think the ability to add photos, videos that play before being unable to unlock, or a math problem - something that actually causes a hinderance to using the restricted apps would go a long way. It has definitely helped in restricting, and has cut my screen time but I think some of these features would create a bigger impact.

Cheers!

by T.j.271

This is the best solution I’ve found yet for screen time management. I’ve looked through some others, but this one is one of the easiest ones to use. It has plenty of features available for free. Now, there is only one thing that I slightly dislike. I have tried a couple other screen time management apps, and some of them to allow you to lock Refocus with a passcode. Refocus doesn’t have it, and while it is still the best app around for managing screen time, I do wish it had that as a feature you could turn on in settings. Overall, Refocus looks nice, works well, and is the best app (especially with the amount of free features) I tried yet.

by Simcitymaster

Being able to set various times to block certain apps at different days, it meets all the bars it needs to. Sure, when it’s free you can still turn off the blockage yourself as an option, however, it’s knowing and it still has made it way easier to adjust my habits and be more accountable to myself. Doom scrolling social media just needs to stop. I’m tired of being told society is collapsing and everyone hates men. Refocus helped me changed my habits and my mood

by Jennnjennnnnnnnnnnnn

I noticed my anxiety and depression was kicking up a notch and even though my social media feeds are tailored to creators and content that’s not triggering, I just realized I was spending too much time on the screen. Especially with already having a primarily computer based job. Refocus really helps me set goals and limit screen time. I’ve been using it for about two months now and noticed a huge difference. I don’t even get the urge to mindlessly scroll anymore.

by PodcastRunner

I did an end of the year check-in with my husband and we both realized that our social media addictions were affecting our mental and physical health. I didn’t want to fully delete my accounts because I do like to keep up with my friends’ lives but I did want to do something to limit the mindless scrolling. Refocus was easy to use and works perfectly. It has already made such a huge difference in my life and I feel much more optimistic about my ability to control my social media usage. I love that I can still access my accounts if I want to, but Refocus holds me accountable when I say “only 5 minutes”.

by CouldBNE1

As a undiagnosed probable ADD haver, I was distracted throughout the course of the day by the constant notifications and noise, and my ability to just click a little icon and surf. It was getting in the way of my productivity, so I downloaded this app in an effort to not totally remove apps from my phone.

It works like a charm! Easy to use, not to difficult to change (if I want to reward myself with a short break after hours of focus) and the freeware is perfect fir me. I’ve already recommended it to friends and family, and I even told one of my classes about it, when I saw a lot of distracted people during a lecture. Thank you for making such a great product available!

by Ndmel3

For me Refocus blocker hits the right balance of being able to block my most distracting apps while still having the option to remove the block if needed (sometimes I block apps I need access to during the day!). I love the options, the ability to schedule several regular times during the day when it blocks and my biggest praise is for the ability to block distracting websites. Even if I remove the time blocker, I still can’t access those websites without going much deeper into Refocus settings to try and find and remove them, which I never do. This has saved me a ton of time during the day, because I no longer aimlessly browse those sites.

by DrT_ita

I have a problem with doom scrolling and this app gave me my life back. For real. The fact that I allow myself to scroll for one minute and then I am blocked is perfect Even if I can unblock again. I rarely do because when I get blocked I also remember that I don’t want to be scrolling

I am not a fan of subscriptions and I would love to purchase to support Refocus . Maybe add an intermediate level of extra features?

by Harvest071000

I’ve been looking around for the best website/app-blocking app, and I’ve found it. I’ve only used it for about an hour so far, but I am absolutely impressed. Just a few of the features that I am loving so far:
- Highly customizable with the ability to make scheduled blocking periods to fit your own personal schedule
- Can block both apps AND websites. So many of the other apps only can block apps
- Works on Chrome. This is huge for me, as I use Chrome for my main browser. A lot of the other apps only work on Safari
- It just works. A lot of the other apps I’ve tried simply don’t work or have bugs, glitches, etc. that hamper their effectiveness. Refocus is seamless
- You get all of these amazing features for free. Even though the free features are more than enough for me, I think I’m going to subscribe just to support the developers and the company for making such an awesome app

I know this review makes me sound like a shill or something, but I rarely write reviews. It’s just that it’s so hard to find a good app/website blocking app, and Refocus really seems to do it all. 5/5 for me

by Mzdacana

Is it possible to provide ability to search for app to block? Currently, having to figure out which category is tedious. I noticed that if the specific category (for me, Productivity & Finance) has too many apps/websites, it will crash the component. This makes it impossible to block a specific app in that category. Hope this feedback is taken into consideration. Overall, one of better apps for blocking distraction.

by Lilo2121

Love Refocus and how it functions. I wish one of the features that in the plus version I wish the password feature function different than it currently does. Idea of having to recreate a password everytime I want to deep focus was cumbersome I would rather have Refocus send a otp request to a trusted contact or something of the like. If that feature changed I’d be willing to subscribe to Refocus .

by Vienne R

this app is probably my favorite app on my phone, no joke. I needed something beyond the standard time limit on my phone, so it’s scheduling feature blocking apps during certain time durations is amazing, as well as the mindful prompt when you do unblock an app to remind you if it’s really what you want to be doing now. I opted for almost all barriers to unblocking an app (short of choosing Refocus to not allow me to unblock, which I’m very glad that feature is there) and it’s helped me limit my social media distraction so much while I’m trying to do other things, and now when I do go on social media for a short time every day, I actually enjoy it instead of doom scrolling. Highly highly recommend Refocus, just try it for a week and see the changes in how you use your time. Also, I’ve experienced only extremely minor bugs after using Refocus for months, so it seems to be very well managed and thank you to the developers!!

by SophiaH323

Refocus is very efficient when you want to save screen time. When I’m getting ready in the morning, I set the timer to the time I have to leave. Then, when I do have to leave, I instantly put my phone down and I’m on time everyday. I love Refocus, and I would definitely recommend it if you want to start cutting back on screen time.

by KnifeDuck

Perfect, minimalist app that does exactly what I need it to with no frills. I can set schedules and limits, and most importantly, I CAN’T allow myself more time without going through the process of opening Refocus and pausing it - the inbuilt screen time functionality makes it too easy to just click “ignore for today” once you’ve hit a limit. A few snags here and there, but great overall!

by RezaLA47

Absolutely life-changing! Refocus has been a game-changer for my productivity. Being able to block distracting apps during specific times has helped me stay focused and get more done. I love how customizable it is, allowing me to set different schedules for different days and even customize the list of apps to block. Highly recommend for anyone looking to boost their productivity and reduce distractions

by Akowalz

Glad to have finally found a Screen Time app that doesn’t overcomplicate things. I tried a few others but they make you set up schedules and limits and are just overly complicated. This one is dead simple, and by default does not let you bypass the limit without going into Refocus to manually do it. Exactly what I wanted, will consider paying for the full version!

by Og_Squiddi

21 days in. Over 60 hours of my life reclaimed.
When I set up Refocus it told how much time, based on my average screen time, I could expect to waste on my phone over my lifetime. The number blew me away and frankly disgusted me. Obviously I was already looking to cut back, but that gave me the kick in the pants to follow through.
Refocus is straightforward in its design, it is easy to set up custom time blocks and custom settings for what apps and sites are being blocked.
Block them all, you’ll be better off ;)
Any how, 5/5. I would encourage everyone to take back control of their time, and Refocus is an excellent tool to do so.

by Jxelaine

This is a super helpful app, but I have one suggestion that would make my use of it even better. Can there be some way to enable a pop-up with a warning about how much time is left before this app takes over? kind of like how my phone tells me when it’s on 20%. And users could decide how early of a warning they would like. I would love a five minute warning

by LoLo567340125

I use this every day now and it has really helped cut back on my impulsive use of social media apps to “scroll hole” as we call it. I use the free version and it does exactly what I need. I have a block schedule for the weekends and during the week. It cuts down well on the distraction and background notifications that derail me. Thanks for making such a useful product!

by VeeCortes

I have been more productive than ever since staring to use Refocus! I’m even picking on learning guitar since I DO HAVE EXTRA TIME. Before I would sit on my couch to check a notification I got ‘really fast’ but when I looked at the time, an hour had passed by! So now I set my time to 5 minutes whenever I have a spare time, I check my social media for 5 minutes and that’s it, time to this app and go back to doing my errands! If I need extra time to reply messages I just set the timer to a higher time, and that works. I have recommended Refocus to my hubby, my brother, my best friend, and they all love it!

by Divyansh.shri23

Refocus serves its purpose magnificently and can help you focus and saves you from wasting time by a huge margin. Plus you can keep a check on the number of minutes or hour you want to take a break. I will recommend using Refocus for anyone who feels addicted to their phone or who don’t want to stop using apps like social media, games or anything which you like to use everyday but want to keep a check on the time you spent on the non-productive things in your phone.

by Minecraftgirl42601

I am a big nighttime doom scroller. It’s been a bad habit of mine since I got social media. I only have the free version of this app and it has drastically improved my nighttime phone usage. I’ve been using Refocus for nearly a year now and I don’t think I’ll ever uninstall!! It is super easy to use, and if you want to block websites and not your entire internet browser you can put in specific URL’s which can be super helpful. I love that I can block apps/websites for a period of a few days if I need to take a break and “this app” my mind. Honestly Refocus is a solid 10/10 for me and I’ve had absolutely no issues with the free version that I currently use.

by Ccbell2999

Refocus is so helpful in making sure I’m off the apps that distract my days and spending my time more focused on my son! Whether it’s making sure I’m off my phone by bedtime or making sure I don’t spend more than an hour a day on my socials, the this app app has my back! Plus, if you really really need back into an app for any reason, it’s just pretty much one click to turn it off Refocus blocking for your chosen amount of time. I definitely recommend!

by Anonymous User :) BLM

This is seriously the best app ever. I use it to keep my social media time low and I love how the different levels of focus can be utilized. I am seriously shocked that this doesn’t have more users because the interface is very intuitive and it’s wonderful even without a subscription! I like that you can choose specific apps to block or unblock, too. A huge thank you to the developers for this awesome app!!! I’ve been using it for several years now and have never regretted it.

by PlanetMarss1

Finally an app that blocks actual sites and not just the apps themselves as I have tried those and just use socials in safari. I love that you can add time limits, or times of days you can’t access it. I use the free version so you can simply click to unblock (which I do) but I set it to unblock for 5-10mins so I don’t lose track of time scrolling. I was using this only for my exam time but honestly I will continue using this in the future as it’s made me creative on thinking of more useful ways to waste time ;)

by MegW2122

I have been using this app (free version) for almost a year. Honestly, it’s been one of the best apps I’ve downloaded. It easily blocks apps that I don’t want to use between certain times (I turn all my social media apps off after a certain time to limit scrolling). I feel like Refocus has greatly limited my phone use! I also enjoy how It can be as easy as a click of a button to undo It if I really need to get on an app that I blocked.

by Ramurdock

Even after deleting my social media apps I still would still find myself scrolling on the browser versions of my social media platforms. I really wanted to decrease my screen time, and I am so glad I found Refocus. I love that I can block specific websites and still pause the block for a small set amount of time if I want to go on Instagram etc for just a few minutes. Refocus is easy to set up, super functional, and has helped me reduce a lot of my endless scrolling habits.

by Jadengrace

I had tried a few other app blocking apps before, but none of them worked for me. Refocus is great because you can block for multiple different chunks of time, choose the days and times you block, can unblock for a certain amount of time if you need to, and choose which apps specifically you want to block or leave unblocked. Definitely love Refocus and will be using for a long time!!

by Mfelderhof

Refocus is seriously fantastic… has everything you are looking for and even the free version is fantastic without continuously prompting you to buy from them… which is why I actually will! You can choose which apps to block, time frame, or max time allowed. It is easy to use and really increases your productivity.

by Jenfer26

Refocus has saved me from so much screen time! It completely blocks notifications from distracting apps to help keep me focused. It’s very easy to set up different schedules for specific apps and I love the mindful prompt when I try to unlock an app during those scheduled times. It definitely makes me rethink wasting my time scrolling.