10 Best Alternatives to Self Control for Study App

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Norah Hayes
Updated on July 16, 2020 Preview 5.9K Preview 0
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You should always keep productivity software and time management tools at hands, as there are plenty of online distractions attacking your eyeballs while studying. Sometimes, you could check your emails, take photos, sign in social media accounts, watch YouTube videos, or anything else. With loads of Internet information, you can easily feel overwhelming and abstracted.

Self Control for Study app is among several great tools to help improve productivities and prevent distraction in study. Here we will walk you through the main features of Self Control for Study app and its alternatives.

 

What’s Self Control for Study App?

The Self Control for Study app designs to increase attention in study by allowing you to block certain apps for a specified period of time. Once you set up a scheduled time to execute apps, phone screen will switch to a window that showing studying time, including end time and remaining time. If you just do the experiment, don’t run the schedule without stopping to think about it, since the app won’t let you change settings while the block is active.

Main features of Self Control for Study app:

  • Basic telephone functions are always executable
  • Study time can be modified and deleted
  • Show the timetable from Monday to Sunday
  • Display graphs after setting weekly and daily
  • Block specific apps on Android
  • Advanced setting for notify
  • Can change to airplane mode
  • Enable exceptional state to cancel when connecting to USB
  • Can ban from using home screen during study time

Although Self Control for Study app has brought users great convenience, it definitely not the best or not the unique productivity and time management tool for us. We should take a crack at Self Control for Study app alternatives for the following reasons:

  • Only for android systems
  • Haven’t been updated for a long time
  • UI and functions are outdated
  • Exist some bugs
  • Google play has removed the Self Control for Study app

10 Apps Similar to Self Control for Study

Finding out the perfect productivity tools is wildly rewarding. In our 10 best alternatives to Self Control for Study app list, we discussed the most useful productivity and time management tools for computer and smartphone. Try them out and decide for yourself which Self Control for Study app alternative works best for you.

1. Cisdem Focus (Mac)

Cisdem Focus is the best choice if you are looking for a Self Control for Study alternative for Mac. This app blocks distracting apps and websites during your planned focus time and offers four ways to plan your focus time, creating a distraction-reduced environment when you want to focus on studying.

Cisdem Focus

Features of Cisdem Focus:

  • Let you create focus plans for your tasks
  • Let you add apps and websites to block for your plan
  • Offer 4 start options for your plan: Quick Start, Pomodoro, Block as Scheduled and Launch Limit
  • Blocking starts once your focus plan starts
  • Provide daily, weekly, monthly, etc. stats on time spent on apps and websites
  • Offer a Hardcore mode and a Password mode
  • Easy to use
  • Help you stay focused and productive

Free Download

2. Freedom (Mac, Windows and iOS)

Freedom is a cross-platform app that saves your time and attention from awkward distractions. This Self Control for Study app alternative controls over what apps and domains get blocked and when to unlock them. With the aid of it, you will build a good study habit and more concentrate on a single task. But the price is so expensive, you need pay $6.99 per month, $29 per year or $119 for lifetime license.

Features of Freedom:

  • Block websites and apps
  • Customize block lists
  • Syncs blocks across IOS, Mac, and Windows devices
  • Create recurring blocks
  • Enable/ disable Locked Mode
  • Add whitelisting to access

3. SelfControl (Mac)

SelfControl is a free, simple and open-source productivity tool for Mac. It blocks a specific set of websites when you're supposed to study and lets you create a set of whitelisted sites, rather than disabling the entire Internet. Once clicking the start button, all the websites in blacklist will be unable to reached. Even you uninstall this alternative to Self Control for Study app, the blockade will still be continued until the end of the time, unless you reboot your Mac computer.

Features of SelfControl:

  • Easy-to-understand UI
  • Block websites
  • Offer whitelisted sites
  • Time setting: the minimum is 15 minutes, and the maximum is 24 hours
  • Can import common distracting sites directly
  • Can import news & publications sites

4. Cold Turkey (Mac, Android, best for Windows)

Like other Self Control for Study app alternative, Cold Turkey allows you to temporarily block distractions so that you can study or work well. You can set a weekly schedule to block websites and applications. When activated, you'll be locked out and absolutely unable to access the items. It now offers free version with limited functions (block sites using Timers and enable Statistics) and $19/month for Pro version with full-features.

Features of Cold Turkey Pro:

  • Block apps, website wildcards/ subdirectories and exceptions
  • Set the Timer and manage the Schedule
  • Enable the Statistics to keep track of top 5 apps/ websites used
  • Keep track of active blocks with dashboard
  • Show motivational quote when going to the blocked websites
  • Alternate the blocks between studies and breaks with Sprints

5. Keep Me Out (Android)

Keep Me Out is a free and extremely effective productivity tool. You only need select the time for periodic lock and press lock icon > press OK button, you will be kept out from the Android phone. During protected time, your phone is always black and the only thing you can do is to answer the phone. But sometimes this alternative to Self Control for Study app flashes back, and loads some irrelevant ads.

Features of Keep Me Out:

  • Lock Android phone
  • Enable/ disable emergency calling
  • Enable/ disable keeping locked after device restarted
  • Play ringtone after device unlocked
  • Enable/ disable app to write logs on internal memory
  • Manage time schedule

6. Time Out (Mac)

Time Out is an app to remind you to take breaks, and it can actually help reduce your time online. It has two kinds of breaks: "Normal" breaks are the main setting, usually 10 minutes after 50 minutes of study; "Micro" breaks are brief break between "Normal" breaks. If permission given, Time Out can detect mouse, trackpad and keyboard usage. If you are not using the Mac, it will be regarded as a natural break. Anyway, I think it’s more complicated than other Self Control for Study app alternatives.

Features of Time Out:

  • Start “Normal” and “Micro” breaks
  • Set optional keyboard shortcuts
  • Add apps to skip breaks when they are opening
  • Customize appearance
  • Track breaks taken or app usage

7. FocusMe (Mac, Windows, Android)

FocusMe, as the name suggests, is an excellent anti-distraction app that blocks apps and websites, so that you can stay focused in your study or work. It includes a built-in Pomodoro timer that reminds you to take breaks into intervals automatically. You can set how often do you take a break and how long does each break. Meanwhile, This Self Control for Study app alternative has a default plan with added distracted items, such as social media, news, games, or inbox. But you have to send an e-mail to get free trial download.

Features of FocusMe:

  • Add websites and apps to blacklist or whitelist
  • Enable/ disable break
  • Develop a workday schedule
  • Show webs and apps statistics/ track how you use the device
  • Show block notification
  • Quick focus time prompt

8. Zero Willpower (iOS)

Comes with intuitive interface and steps-by-steps guide, Zero Willpower is easier to use than other Self Control for Study app alternative. You just need open setting> tap Safari> switch Content Blockers> enable Zero Willpower. But it can’t block apps, and only block websites on Safari.

The price of this app is $1.99 on App store.

Features of Zero Willpower:

  • Block Websites on Safari
  • Provide the list of top rated websites by default
  • Offer a timer for up to 24 hours
  • Offer clear operating steps

9. FocusNow (iOS)

Compared to other productivity and time management tools, FocusNow works differently in terms of improving the efficiency of study. You can plant a fruit tree in FocusNow. Tree will grow slowly in the next 25 minutes. If you use your phone to browser social websites or play games, the fruit tree will die. This Self Control for Study app is based on Pomodoro technique, which helps you get rid of smartphone completely.

Features of FocusNow:

  • Based on Pomodoro technique
  • Combine game and time management
  • Motivate users global ranking list

10. Block Site (Chrome Extension)

Block Site is a Google chrome extension that lets you block sites permanently or by schedule. Just add it to chrome> right click the extension icon on the chrome toolbar> choose Options, you will be brought to the setting page. But this Self Control for Study app alternative has obvious defects. Anyone can easily remove the password, and even delete the online extension.

Features of Block Site:

  • Block sites
  • Block URLs that contain specific words
  • Enable/ disable Work Mode
  • If necessary, ask for password to enter blocked sites
  • Enable/ disable “Block Adult Sites” feature
  • Show Motivational pictures on blocked sites

Which Type of Self Control for Study App Alternative You Want the Most?

According to our surveys, you can find iPhone productivity and time management tools make the highest demands, accounting for about 42% of the total. The second one is Android Self Control for Study app alternatives, approximately 32%. The market demands of Windows and Mac almost the same.

Note: All above is only for reference.

In addition, Self Control for Study app alternatives can be divided into other categories: desktop software, mobile software, freeware and online service. Each of them has pros and cons.

 

Desktop Productivity Tools

Advantages:

  1. Powerful functions
  2. Run as fast as possible

Disadvantages:

  1. Require installing

Mobile Productivity Tool

Advantages:

  1. Convenient and easy to use
  2. Fast working speed

Disadvantages:

  1. Take up storage space

 

Free Productivity Tools

Advantages:

  1. No need pay for it

Disadvantages:

  1. Limited Functions
  2. Pop out ads 

Online Productivity Tools

Advantages:

  1. Totally free
  2. No need install

Disadvantages:

  1. Limited Features

 

Pick the types of Self Control for Study App alternative you want the most

Tips: How to Stay Focused While Studying

  1. Keep using productivity and time management tools, like Cisdem Focus, Freedom, etc.
  2. Develop healthy sleep habits
  3. Learn to decompress yourself
  4. Train your brain to focus
  5. Do some relaxed exercise regularly
  6. Stare at a distant object for a few minutes
  7. Make a study plan in advance
  8. Don't waste too much time on difficult subjects
  9. Choose a suitable study environment
  10. Be good at eliminating inner interference

Conclusion

Our list concludes 10 best apps like Self Control for Study. These productivity and time management tools may lead you to become speedier and more efficient. I’ve used all of them, but some ones were even new to me. As a loyal Mac user and parent, Cisdem Focus is exactly the magic program I need. Not only does help me focus on my work, but also prevent my kids from playing games on Mac and let them more concentrate on the study. So is there any Self Control for Study alternative meeting your demands?

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Norah Hayes

Norah Hayes likes to share her tips on how to improve focus and stay motivated at work. She believes it is essential to eliminate all online distractions during work hours.

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