What's the best Chrome extension to block news websites?

For most people, Focuh is the cleanest choice. It's a free Chrome extension with no account, no telemetry, and no cap on how many news domains you can add, so you can block CNN, BBC, Fox, Reuters, and your local paper in one list. LeechBlock NG is the most configurable free option if you want per-day schedules, and BlockSite is well known but caps the free tier at three sites. If you just want to stop opening news tabs without signing up for anything, Focuh fits.

How do I block news sites in Chrome for free?

Install a free blocker like Focuh or LeechBlock NG, add the news domains you keep opening (cnn.com, bbc.com, news.google.com, and so on), and start a block. The extension checks each new tab's hostname against your list and redirects it if it matches. You don't need a paid plan to block news in Chrome — the free tools cover unlimited domains. The only thing to remember is that a Chrome extension blocks Chrome tabs, not Safari or your phone.

Can I block Google News and news feeds, not just news sites?

Yes. Add news.google.com to your block list to stop Google News, and add the homepages of any aggregators you use. Blocking the feed is often more effective than blocking individual outlets, because the feed is what pulls you in. For news widgets baked into other pages, a Chrome extension can't always strip them out, but blocking the destination domain stops the click-through that actually costs you time.

Does a Chrome extension block news on every browser?

No. A Chrome extension only blocks tabs inside Chrome. If you switch to Safari, Firefox, or Arc, or open a news app on your phone, the block doesn't follow you. For most people news-doomscrolling happens in one browser, so an extension is enough. If you bounce between browsers or want the block to cover your whole Mac, use a system-level tool like the Focuh Mac app, which blocks news sites across every browser at once.

Is blocking news websites different from blocking social media?

The mechanics are the same — you block domains — but the trigger is different. Social media pulls you in with infinite feeds; news pulls you in with urgency and refresh-for-updates anxiety. Many people need to block both. You can keep one list for news outlets and another for social platforms, or combine them. If social is also a problem, see our guide on the best Chrome extension to block social media for a setup that handles both.

Can news blockers be bypassed?

Yes. Any Chrome extension can be turned off from chrome://extensions, so a determined user can always get around it. That's fine for breaking a reflex — the friction of disabling the block is usually enough to stop an idle tab-open. If you need blocking that's genuinely hard to undo mid-session, a desktop app like Focuh for Mac uses macOS Accessibility APIs and is far harder to disable than any browser extension.

Will a news blocker slow down Chrome?

A well-built one won't. Focuh and LeechBlock NG only check the top-level hostname of a tab when it navigates, which is negligible work. Heavier extensions that scan full page content or sync to a server can add overhead, but the lightweight free blockers don't. If you notice Chrome feels slower after installing a blocker, it's usually a sign the extension is doing more than just matching domains.

Is Focuh's news blocker really free?

Yes. The Focuh Chrome extension is free with no account, no telemetry, no ads, and no limit on how many news sites you can block. Your block list and session data stay in local Chrome storage and never leave your device. The same team makes a free Focuh Mac app for system-wide blocking, so you can run both without paying if you need to block news beyond Chrome.

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Best Chrome Extension to Block News Websites (2026)

June 26, 20269 min readFocuh

If you keep "just checking the headlines" and resurfacing forty minutes later, the fastest fix is a Chrome extension that blocks news websites before you can open them. The best one for most people is Focuh — it's free, needs no account, and lets you block unlimited news domains in one list. This guide compares the strongest free options for 2026 and shows where a browser extension is enough and where you'll want system-level blocking instead.

News is a particular kind of distraction. It isn't only that the articles are long; it's the refresh reflex — the sense that something might have changed in the last ten minutes and you should know about it. A blocker doesn't argue with that feeling. It just makes the tab not open.

How do you block news websites in Chrome?

The method is the same across every extension here:

Install a free blocker from the Chrome Web Store.
Add the domains you keep opening — cnn.com, bbc.com, foxnews.com, reuters.com, news.google.com, and your local paper.
Start a block (or set a schedule).

When a tab tries to load one of those hostnames, the extension redirects it to a block page. Add news.google.com and any aggregator homepages too — the feed is usually what hooks you, more than any single outlet.

Best Chrome extensions to block news websites, compared

Extension	Free?	Site limit	Account	Best for
Focuh	Yes	Unlimited	None	Blocking a long list of outlets, no signup
LeechBlock NG	Yes	Unlimited (30 sets)	None	Per-day schedules and time limits
BlockSite	Trial	3 sites	Required	Blocking one or two outlets
StayFocusd	Yes	Unlimited	None	Daily time budgets for news

The column that matters most for news is the site limit. Most people don't read one news site — they read five, plus an aggregator. A blocker capped at three domains means you'll block CNN and the BBC, then hit the wall before you've added Reuters or your local paper.

What is Focuh?

Focuh is a free Chrome extension that blocks distracting websites — including any number of news outlets — for a focus challenge you set. There's no account, no telemetry, no ads, and no cap on how many domains you add. Your block list and the daily attempt counter live in local Chrome storage and never leave the device.

Build one list with every outlet you reach for, add news.google.com, and start a challenge. Because there's no site limit, you can be thorough instead of picking your three "worst" sites and leaving the rest open as escape hatches.

Strengths

Unlimited news domains on the free (and only) tier
No account or signup
No telemetry — confirmed in the privacy policy
Built for long blocks, not just 25-minute timers
Free Focuh Mac app for system-wide blocking

Limitations

Like any extension, it can be disabled from chrome://extensions
Blocks Chrome only — switch to Safari and the block doesn't follow
Desktop OS-level blocking is macOS-only for now

Try Focuh

When does LeechBlock NG make sense for news?

LeechBlock NG is the choice if your news habit is time-of-day specific. It offers 30 independent blocksets, each with its own list, schedule, and time limit — so you can allow news from 7 to 8 a.m., then block it for the rest of the workday. You can match by domain, URL pattern, or keyword with regular expressions, which is handy for blocking /news/ sections of otherwise-allowed sites.

The trade-off is setup. LeechBlock's options page is dense, and getting a schedule right takes a few minutes of fiddling. If you want fine control over when news is allowed, it's the best free tool. If you just want news gone while you work, a simpler blocker gets you there faster. For a fuller breakdown, see our best free website blocker for Chrome guide.

Why BlockSite's free tier falls short for news

BlockSite is one of the most-installed blockers in the Chrome Web Store, but its free tier caps you at three blocked sites and requires an account. For news that's a poor fit — three domains barely covers a casual reader. Scheduling, password protection, and additional sites sit behind a paid plan. If you only ever open one outlet, BlockSite's free tier works. For anyone who reads across several, you'll hit the cap fast or end up paying.

Can a Chrome extension block all your news, or do you need more?

Here's the honest limit. A Chrome extension blocks Chrome tabs. It cannot:

Block news in Safari, Firefox, or Arc
Block a news app on your phone
Block native desktop apps like Apple News
Survive someone disabling it from chrome://extensions

For most people, news-reading lives in one browser, so a Chrome extension solves the actual problem. But if you find yourself opening Safari specifically to dodge the block, an extension alone won't hold. That's the signal to move to system-level blocking.

The Focuh Mac app blocks news sites across every browser on your machine at once, using macOS Accessibility APIs that are much harder to switch off mid-session than an extension. Our system-level vs browser blocking explainer covers exactly when the upgrade is worth it. If you also want to block news outside Chrome, the how to block news websites on Mac walkthrough has the steps.

Should you block news all day or on a schedule?

For most people, a schedule beats an all-day block. Cutting yourself off from news entirely tends to backfire — you feel out of the loop and disable the block out of spite. A better pattern is one window: read the news once in the morning, then block it for the rest of the workday. LeechBlock NG does this natively with per-day schedules; with Focuh you start a focus challenge during your work hours and let news sites stay open outside it.

The goal isn't to never read the news. It's to read it on purpose, once, instead of refreshing CNN between every task.

Which news blocker should you choose?

"I want to block a long list of outlets, free, no account" — Choose Focuh. Unlimited domains and nothing to sign up for.

"I want news allowed in a morning window, then blocked" — Choose LeechBlock NG for its per-day schedules.

"I only ever open one news site" — BlockSite's free tier covers it, account required.

"I keep switching to Safari to read the news anyway" — Move to the Focuh Mac app for blocking across every browser.

No extension will cure the urge to check the headlines. But the right one makes opening the tab take more effort than the urge is worth — and in 2026, the cleanest free way to do that in Chrome is a blocker with no cap and no signup.

Install Focuh — free, no account. Or get the free Focuh Mac app if you need to block news beyond Chrome.