Is Focuh or Strict Workflow better for blocking websites in Chrome?

Both block sites in Chrome reliably, so it comes down to model. Strict Workflow blocks only during a 25-minute Pomodoro interval, then unblocks on the break. Focuh blocks continuously for a challenge of 30 to 180 days, breaks included. Pick Strict Workflow if you already work in Pomodoros and want blocking tied to the timer. Pick Focuh if you'd rather a distraction simply be gone for weeks instead of returning every twenty-five minutes.

Are Focuh and Strict Workflow both free?

Yes. Both are free Chrome extensions with no required payment, no account, and no telemetry. Strict Workflow is a clean single-purpose Pomodoro blocker. Focuh is free with no paid tier at all and no cap on how many sites you block. The difference isn't price — it's what you get for free. Focuh adds an attempt counter and a free OS-level Mac app, while Strict Workflow stays focused on the timer-and-blocklist combo and nothing more.

Does Strict Workflow or Focuh have a Pomodoro timer?

Strict Workflow is the Pomodoro timer — the 25/5 cycle is its entire identity, and blocking happens during the work interval. The Focuh Chrome extension has no timer; it's a pure continuous blocker. If you want a Pomodoro timer alongside blocking, the free Focuh Mac app includes a focus timer with a menu-bar countdown. So for an in-browser Pomodoro, Strict Workflow wins; for blocking plus a timer on a Mac, the free Focuh app covers it.

What's the main difference between Focuh and Strict Workflow?

Strict Workflow ties blocking to a timer — sites are blocked only while the 25-minute work interval runs, then unblocked on every break. Focuh decouples them: you start a challenge and your sites stay blocked for its whole length, breaks included. Strict Workflow suits people who think in Pomodoros and want frequent breaks. Focuh suits people who want a habit gone for weeks rather than allowed back every twenty-five minutes.

Can either block apps and other browsers?

No Chrome extension can, and that includes both — an extension only controls Chrome. The difference is that Focuh ships a free macOS app that blocks at the operating-system level, covering Safari, Firefox, Arc, and native apps during a focus session. Strict Workflow has no desktop companion, so the moment you switch browsers or open a native app, its block is gone. For OS-level blocking, Focuh has an answer and Strict Workflow does not.

Does Focuh track how often I get distracted?

Yes, and it's the feature Strict Workflow doesn't have. Every time you try to open a blocked site, Focuh counts the attempt and redirects you to a quiet page. Watching that number fall over a week — say, eighteen reaches on Monday down to four by Friday — is concrete proof the habit is fading. Strict Workflow's interval model just blocks and unblocks on the timer; it never shows you how often the urge actually hit.

Is Strict Workflow still worth using in 2026?

Yes, for the right person. If you want a free, no-account, single-purpose Pomodoro extension that blocks sites during work intervals and nothing else, Strict Workflow does that cleanly and there's nothing wrong with it. Switch to Focuh only if you want long continuous challenges instead of timer cycles, an attempt counter, or a free OS-level Mac app behind the browser block. Match the tool to how you actually work.

Can I use both Focuh and Strict Workflow together?

You can, but two blockers in the same browser mostly duplicate each other and can conflict on redirects. A more useful pairing is the Focuh Chrome extension for in-browser blocking plus the free Focuh Mac app for system-wide blocking, since those cover different layers. Running Strict Workflow and Focuh side by side adds clutter without adding protection — pick the browser model you prefer, then back it with the Mac app if you need OS-level coverage.

Focuh vs Strict Workflow: 2026 Comparison

Focuh vs Strict Workflow compared for 2026: two free Chrome blockers. Pomodoro intervals vs long focus challenges — plus a free OS-level Mac app behind it.

June 18, 2026

What is Strict Workflow?

Strict Workflow is a free Chrome extension that pairs a 25/5 Pomodoro timer with a blocklist. While the work interval runs, your distracting sites are blocked; when the break starts, they open back up. There's no account, no telemetry, and no upsell. It does one thing, and for people who already structure their day in Pomodoros, it does it cleanly.

That single focus is also its ceiling. Blocking is welded to the timer, so your sites unblock on every break — which is exactly when the "quick check" sneaks in. There's no scheduling, no analytics, and no way to block continuously for a long stretch.

What is Focuh?

Focuh is a free Chrome extension built around a different idea: instead of blocking in short cycles, you commit to a challenge. Pick a length — 30, 91, or 180 days, or a custom range — and your blocked sites stay blocked for the whole thing, breaks included. It has no account, no telemetry, no ads, and no cap on how many sites you block.

Focuh also ships a free desktop app for Mac that blocks at the operating-system level, which Strict Workflow has no equivalent of. The two are designed to work together: the extension handles Chrome tabs, the Mac app handles everything else.

Focuh vs Strict Workflow at a glance

Feature	Focuh	Strict Workflow
Free	Yes, no paid tier	Yes
Account required	No	No
Telemetry	None	None
Blocking model	Continuous challenge	Pomodoro intervals
Pomodoro timer	No (Mac app has one)	Yes, 25/5
Site limit	Unlimited	Unlimited
Attempt counter	Yes	No
Scheduling	No	No
OS-level / app blocking	Yes, via free Mac app	No
Other browsers covered	Yes, via free Mac app	No
Platforms	Chrome + macOS app	Chrome only

Which blocking model fits you — intervals or challenges?

This is the real decision, and it's not about which tool is better. It's about how you want blocking to behave.

Strict Workflow blocks in intervals. You start a 25-minute work timer, sites lock, the timer ends, you get a 5-minute break with sites open, repeat. The rhythm is the point. It works well if you genuinely take those breaks and come back, and if your distractions aren't strong enough to derail you the moment the break opens the door.

Focuh blocks continuously. You start a challenge and the sites stay blocked for its length — no recurring window where the habit slips back in. There's no timer telling you when to stop; the block just holds until the challenge ends. This fits people whose problem is the reflex itself, where even a five-minute opening is enough to lose twenty minutes.

If you've ever finished a Pomodoro break and looked up forty minutes later still on Reddit, the interval model is leaking through exactly the gap it builds in. That's the case for continuous blocking.

There's a quieter difference too. A Pomodoro timer assumes you'll keep starting new intervals all day, which takes ongoing willpower — every cycle is a small decision to begin again. A challenge front-loads that decision once: you commit at the start, and the block holds without you tending it. For a long workday, removing those repeated restart decisions is often what makes blocking actually stick.

Does the attempt counter matter?

Strict Workflow blocks and unblocks silently on the timer. It never tells you how often you actually reached for a blocked site.

Focuh counts every attempt. Reach for YouTube during a challenge and you hit a quiet page, and the count ticks up. Over a week, that number becomes feedback: if you reached for X eighteen times on Monday and four times by Friday, the habit is measurably fading. It's a small feature with an outsized effect — it turns blocking from a wall into a progress meter. Strict Workflow has nothing like it.

What about blocking outside Chrome?

Neither extension can block apps or other browsers — no Chrome extension can. The difference is what's behind each one.

Strict Workflow is a browser extension and nothing else. Switch to Safari, open the desktop Slack app, or check a menu-bar client, and its block is gone.

Focuh ships a free Mac app that blocks at the operating-system level using macOS Accessibility APIs. During a focus session it covers Safari, Firefox, Arc, and native apps — the whole machine, not just Chrome. It's also harder to disable mid-session because it doesn't live in chrome://extensions. If your distractions escape the browser, this is the gap that matters, and only one of these tools fills it.

When should you choose Strict Workflow?

Choose Strict Workflow if:

You already work in Pomodoros and want blocking tied to the 25/5 cycle
You want a single-purpose extension with nothing extra to learn
Your distractions live entirely in Chrome and you take real breaks
You don't need an attempt counter or a desktop companion

Choose Focuh if:

You want continuous blocking for days or weeks, not timer cycles
You want an attempt counter to see the habit fade
You want a free OS-level Mac app to cover other browsers and apps
You'd rather a distraction simply be gone than rationed every break

The bottom line

Strict Workflow and Focuh solve the same problem from opposite ends. Strict Workflow is a clean, free Pomodoro blocker for people who want blocking welded to a timer — and if that's you, it's genuinely good and there's no reason to switch just for the sake of it. Focuh is a free continuous-challenge blocker with an attempt counter and a free OS-level Mac app behind it, built for people who want a habit gone rather than scheduled.

If you're leaning toward the challenge model, the free Strict Workflow alternative covers the switch in detail, and the best free website blocker for Chrome compares both against the wider field. For more on choosing between methods, see timeboxing vs Pomodoro vs time blocking.

Install Focuh for Chrome — free, no account. Or get the free Mac app to block beyond the browser.