StayFocusd Alternative for Chrome

MonkeyBlocker can be a good StayFocusd alternative if you want a Chrome-focused blocker with time limits, schedules, impulse pauses, usage stats, Social Cleaner and Settings Lock. It is less suited if you specifically need full cross-device blocking across desktop and mobile, where a dedicated multi-device app fits better.

Why people look for a StayFocusd alternative

StayFocusd is a well-liked classic, and most people who look for an alternative are not unhappy with it — they have simply outgrown a single blocking mechanism. A daily time cap works until the moment you talk yourself past it, and then you want more than one line of defence. That is the gap an alternative can fill: not a better block, but more kinds of friction.

Quick answer: simplicity versus a friction stack

Choose StayFocusd if a simple, free time restriction already fits your workflow; choose MonkeyBlocker if you want several overlapping brakes rather than one. Both are Chrome-focused and both are honest browser extensions, so neither claims to be an unbreakable operating-system lock.

What StayFocusd does well

Stated fairly as of mid-2026: StayFocusd (by Sensor Tower) is free with no premium tier, and it blocks entire sites, subdomains, specific paths and pages, or even in-page content — including hiding YouTube Shorts, comments and recommendations. It adds Active Days and Hours, usage statistics, and a Nuclear Option that, once started, cannot be canceled even if you uninstall the extension or restart. It is a strong, no-cost pick for straightforward time restrictions. Check its Chrome Web Store listing for the current feature set before comparing.

Where MonkeyBlocker differs

Versus StayFocusd, MonkeyBlocker's edge is the breadth of the friction stack rather than a single block. The pain "one-click disable defeats the blocker" maps to Settings Lock, which requires typing a chosen sentence before rules or limits can change — still deactivatable by design, but no longer a reflex. Around it sit an Impulse Check before a site opens, a Scroll Stopper for infinite feeds, a Social Cleaner for Shorts, Reels and recommendations, Auto-Lockout that signs you out of social sites once time expires, and an optional Accountability Partner. Core features are free and need no account.

Example migration setup

There is no settings import between the two, so treat a switch as a fresh two-minute setup: put a daily limit on your two worst sites, wrap them in a weekday schedule, turn on the Social Cleaner for YouTube or social feeds, add an Impulse Check to the sites you open on autopilot, and switch on Settings Lock so a weak moment cannot quietly rewrite the rules.

Add to Chrome — free
No account, no credit card, about a 2-minute setup. Works in Chrome and Chromium browsers like Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi and Arc.

Related reading: the full Chrome website blocker setup, how MonkeyBlocker sets per-site time limits, our side-by-side blocker comparison, and using it as a productivity extension.