Is Focuh or Screen Time better for blocking websites on a Mac?

It depends on which browsers you use. Screen Time's website limits are enforced reliably in Safari but not consistently in Chrome, Firefox, or Arc, so switching browsers is an easy bypass. Focuh blocks at the macOS system level using Accessibility APIs, so a blocked site stays blocked across every browser and even native apps. If you live in Safari, Screen Time is fine; if you bounce between browsers, Focuh holds better.

Yes. Screen Time is built into macOS, iOS, and iPadOS at no cost, and it syncs limits across your Apple devices through iCloud. Focuh is also free, with no subscription or premium tier, but it only runs on macOS. So both are free — the real trade-off is Screen Time's cross-Apple-device reach versus Focuh's cross-browser, cross-app blocking on a single Mac.

Can Screen Time block apps as well as websites?

Yes. Screen Time's App Limits can cap or block native apps and app categories, and Downtime can restrict almost everything on a schedule. Focuh also blocks native apps, not just websites, during a focus session. The difference is enforcement: Screen Time relies on a passcode you set, which you can enter to grant 'one more minute,' while Focuh ties blocking to a running focus session.

Does Focuh sync across my iPhone and iPad like Screen Time?

No. Screen Time's biggest advantage is that it spans macOS, iOS, and iPadOS and syncs through iCloud, so a limit you set covers your phone and tablet too. Focuh is macOS-only and does not block on iPhone or iPad. If your main problem is reaching for your phone when your Mac is focused, Screen Time covers that gap and Focuh does not.

Which is harder to bypass, Focuh or Screen Time?

Neither is unbreakable. Screen Time can be bypassed with the 'Ignore Limit' option if you know the passcode, and website limits simply don't apply in non-Safari browsers. Focuh can be disabled by revoking its Accessibility permission in System Settings. In practice, Focuh's cross-browser enforcement makes the easy bypass — switching browsers — much harder, while Screen Time's passcode prompt is a softer barrier.

Does Focuh have a focus timer and task management?

Yes. Focuh combines website and app blocking with a built-in focus timer, a kanban task board, and Google Calendar sync, so blocking is part of an actual work session. Screen Time has none of these — it's a usage-limiting and parental-controls system, not a productivity workflow. If you want blocking tied to what you're working on, Focuh does that; Screen Time only enforces time limits.

Should I use Focuh and Screen Time together?

That's a sensible setup. Use Screen Time on your iPhone and iPad to limit apps there, since Focuh can't reach mobile, and use Focuh on your Mac for cross-browser blocking tied to focus sessions. They don't conflict. Screen Time covers your Apple devices broadly; Focuh covers your Mac deeply during the hours you actually need to concentrate.

Focuh vs Screen Time: 2026 Comparison

Focuh vs Screen Time for blocking sites and focusing on a Mac. Both free — Screen Time syncs across Apple devices, Focuh blocks across every browser.

June 5, 2026

What is Apple Screen Time?

Screen Time is Apple's built-in usage-management system, available on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. It tracks how long you spend in apps and on websites, then lets you set App Limits, schedule Downtime, and apply Content & Privacy Restrictions. Because it syncs through iCloud, a limit you set can apply across all your Apple devices, and with Family Sharing it doubles as a parental-controls tool.

It's free, it's already on your Mac, and for many people it's the first thing they try when they want to cut down on distractions.

What is Focuh?

Focuh is a free macOS app that combines website and app blocking with a focus timer, a kanban-style task board, and Google Calendar sync. Built with Tauri, it uses macOS Accessibility APIs to block sites and apps at the system level during a focus session — so the block holds regardless of which browser you open.

Where Screen Time is a general usage-limiting system, Focuh is built around the act of focused work: you plan tasks, start a session, and your distractions disappear for its duration.

Focuh vs Screen Time: the short version

The honest split is about reach versus depth. Screen Time reaches across all your Apple devices but enforces website limits mainly in Safari. Focuh only covers one Mac, but it blocks everywhere on that Mac — every browser and native apps — and wraps blocking in a focus workflow.

Feature	Focuh	Screen Time
Price	Free	Free (built in)
Platform	macOS only	macOS, iOS, iPadOS
Cross-Apple-device sync	No	Yes (iCloud)
Website blocking in Safari	Yes	Yes
Website blocking in Chrome / Firefox / Arc	Yes (system-level)	Inconsistent
Native app blocking	Yes	Yes (App Limits)
Focus timer	Yes, built-in	No
Task management	Yes, kanban board	No
Google Calendar sync	Yes	No
Scheduled blocks	Session-based	Yes (Downtime)
Parental controls	No	Yes (Family Sharing)
Common bypass	Revoke Accessibility permission	"Ignore Limit" / switch browser

How does website blocking compare?

This is the decision that matters most, and it comes down to browsers. Screen Time's website limits are enforced well in Safari, the browser Apple controls. In third-party browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave — those limits aren't applied consistently. So if you set a limit on a site and then open it in Chrome, it often loads anyway. For a Safari-only user that's a non-issue. For everyone else, it's the easiest bypass there is.

Focuh blocks at the system level through Accessibility APIs, so a site on your blocklist stays blocked no matter which browser you open. That cross-browser consistency is the main reason to pick Focuh over Screen Time for blocking specifically. If you want the full picture on why browser-level and OS-level blocking behave so differently, our system-level vs browser blocking explainer walks through it.

What about scheduling and automation?

Screen Time wins on scheduling. Downtime lets you set recurring windows — say, no social apps from 9am to noon on weekdays — that activate automatically without you lifting a finger. App Limits reset daily. If you want blocking that runs on a fixed calendar and you never want to think about it, Screen Time's automation is genuinely good.

Focuh takes the opposite approach: blocking is tied to a focus session you start. You decide to work, set a duration, and distractions vanish for that block. There's no recurring schedule — it's deliberate rather than automatic. That suits people who want blocking attached to actual work sessions rather than running on a clock all day.

Which is harder to get around?

Neither is a vault, and it's worth being clear about that. Screen Time has two soft spots: the "Ignore Limit" button (anyone with the passcode can wave a limit away), and the fact that website limits don't reliably apply outside Safari, so switching browsers sidesteps them entirely. Focuh's weak point is that you can revoke its Accessibility permission in System Settings to stop blocking.

In day-to-day use, the browser gap is the one that bites. The most common bypass for any blocker is simply opening the site somewhere it isn't blocked, and that's exactly the move Focuh closes and Screen Time leaves open. For a deeper look at why OS-level enforcement matters, see our roundup of the best website blockers for Mac.

Does Focuh do things Screen Time doesn't?

Yes — Screen Time isn't a productivity app, and Focuh is. Focuh includes a focus timer with a live countdown in the menu bar, a kanban board for planning what you'll work on, and Google Calendar sync so your schedule sits next to your tasks. Blocking is one piece of a session, not a standalone limit.

Screen Time has none of that. It's a usage-tracking and limit-setting system with strong parental controls, which is its own kind of useful — but if you want blocking that's part of how you actually structure focused work, that's not what Screen Time was built for.

When should you choose Screen Time over Focuh?

Choose Screen Time if:

You mostly use Safari, where its website limits work reliably
You need limits that span your iPhone, iPad, and Mac together
You want recurring, automatic schedules via Downtime
You're setting up parental controls through Family Sharing
You'd rather not install anything

Choose Focuh if:

You use Chrome, Firefox, or Arc and need blocking that survives a browser switch
You want blocking tied to focus sessions and a task workflow, not just clock-based limits
You want a focus timer, kanban board, and calendar sync alongside blocking
You want cross-browser, cross-app enforcement on your Mac — for free

The bottom line

Screen Time and Focuh solve overlapping problems from different directions, and both are free. Screen Time is the better fit if you live in Safari, want your limits to follow you across Apple devices, or need parental controls and automatic schedules. Its weakness is real, though: outside Safari, website limits are easy to slip past.

Focuh is the better fit if you work across multiple browsers on a Mac and want blocking that actually holds, plus a focus timer and task board to make the blocked time productive. The two aren't mutually exclusive — many people run Screen Time on their phone and Focuh on their Mac. If you want to see how Focuh stacks up against dedicated blockers too, compare Focuh vs Freedom and Focuh vs Cold Turkey.