should you use Cold Turkey Blocker or dimmer?

Cold Turkey Blocker and dimmer both try to keep distracting sites from eating your day, but they start from opposite ends. Cold Turkey takes the sites away; dimmer leaves them there and makes them less worth visiting.

what Cold Turkey Blocker is

according to its own site, Cold Turkey Blocker is an app for Windows and macOS that blocks websites and applications, from a few specific sites up to the entire internet with a few exceptions. you can set time limits and scheduled breaks, and you can lock a block in place so it can’t be undone before it ends. it also tracks your usage.

it works with browser extensions in supported browsers, and there is a free version. the paid version is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, with updates included. its makers say your settings and statistics are stored on your device and that they can’t access them.

how dimmer is different

dimmer is a Chrome extension, and it never blocks anything. on the sites you choose it:

• puts a short pause in front of the site, which grows each time you continue the same day;
• turns the site gray from the first frame and hides its recommendation feeds;
• with pro, slows its videos, makes scrolling take more effort and asks a short question every few minutes;
• lets you write a promise and add a friend who gets an email if you break it or remove dimmer.

turning dimmer up is instant; turning it down waits 24 hours. that delay is its version of a lock: firm, but never in the way of a message you actually need to read.

	Cold Turkey Blocker	dimmer
approach	blocks sites and apps	pauses and dulls sites, never blocks
where it runs	Windows and macOS apps, with browser extensions	Chrome on a computer
apps outside the browser	yes	no
locking	blocks can be locked until they end	turning down waits 24 hours
accountability partner	not mentioned on its site	yes
pricing	free version, paid one-time purchase	free plan, optional pro subscription

when Cold Turkey Blocker is the better choice

• you need to block desktop apps, games or the whole internet, not just sites in one browser.
• you use several browsers and want one block that covers all of them.
• you know you’ll push through any pause, and you need a block you genuinely can’t undo.
• you prefer paying once over a subscription.

when dimmer is the better choice

• you need the sites sometimes, for messages, work or a video someone sent, and a block keeps getting lifted.
• your problem is the pull of the feed more than the opening of the site.
• you want someone else in the loop, without them seeing which pages you visit.
• you live in Chrome and want something that changes how sites feel rather than whether they load.

they also work together. a scheduled Cold Turkey block for deep-work hours and dimmer for the rest of the day cover different problems. our page on when blocking is the right call goes deeper into that choice.

what we say about Cold Turkey Blocker comes from its own site, checked in october 2026.Cold Turkey Blocker is a trademark of its owner; dimmer isn’t affiliated with it. if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.