# Screen Time vs a Website Blocker on Mac: Is It Enough? > Is Screen Time enough to block websites on Mac? Where the free built-in tool works, where it falls short on hours and browsers, and where Cactus fits. Canonical: https://usecactus.app/compare/cactus-vs-screen-time Last updated: 2026-10-17 Screen Time is free and already on your Mac, and for some people it is all they need. Here is where it works, where it stops, and where a scheduled website blocker such as Cactus fits instead. ## Is Screen Time enough to block websites? Screen Time is enough to block websites on a Mac if you mainly use Safari, want a site blocked all the time or limited to a daily allowance, and someone else holds the passcode. It falls short when you want specific sites blocked only during set hours, when you browse in Chrome, Firefox or Brave, or when you set the passcode yourself. That gap is what a scheduled website blocker such as Cactus is for. This page is written by Maxi, who makes Cactus. Screen Time is free and built in, so it gets a fair hearing first. Apple's steps below were checked against its support pages in October 2026. ## What Screen Time can do with websites What you can do depends on your macOS version. macOS 27 changed how Screen Time limits work. ### macOS 14 Sonoma to macOS 26 Tahoe **Block a site all the time (Safari):** 1. Open **System Settings** and choose **Screen Time**. 2. Open **Content & Privacy**, turn it on, then choose **App Store, Media, Web, & Games**. 3. Under Safari, choose **Limit Adult Websites**, then **Customize**. 4. Add the site to the **Restricted** list. Apple's page for these [web content settings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchlbcf0dfe2/26.0/mac/26.0) lists them under Safari. **Give a site a daily allowance:** 1. In **Screen Time**, open **App Limits** and choose **Add Limit**. 2. Expand the **Websites** category and pick the site, or add its URL. 3. Set a time for **Every Day**, or choose **Custom** for different amounts per day. 4. Select **Block at end of limit** if the site should block when the time runs out. See Apple's [App Limits guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchl630bc02f/26.0/mac/26.0). **Downtime** schedules time away from the screen, every day or with custom times per day. During Downtime, "only apps that you choose to allow and phone calls are available" ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchl10157962/26.0/mac/26.0)). "Block at Downtime" needs a Screen Time passcode. ### macOS 27 Apple's macOS 27 guide replaces App Limits with [Schedules and Time Allowances](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-schedules-time-allowances-screen-mchl630bc02f/mac). You build a schedule of named time windows, such as "During Work", on the days you pick, and set Time Allowances by category, such as Entertainment, Games or Social Media. Apple describes these for apps and app categories. It does not document a limit or a time window for a single website. For websites, the macOS 27 guide points to blocking sites in Safari on a child's device under System Settings > Family > Apps & Websites ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/child-safety/jymj24zqwaek)). If you are on macOS 27 and want to block a site for yourself, test what your Mac offers before you rely on it. ## Where Screen Time is enough Screen Time has real advantages. 1. **It is free and already installed.** Nothing to buy, download or approve. 2. **It works best when someone else holds the passcode.** With "Lock Screen Time Settings" on, changing the settings or adding time needs the passcode. If a partner, parent or friend sets it, you cannot quietly undo a limit. 3. **It covers your other Apple devices.** With "Share across devices", Screen Time includes time spent on your iPhone and iPad signed in to the same Apple Account, and Screen Time runs on those devices too. 4. **It limits apps, not just websites.** If the problem is a desktop app or a game, Screen Time handles that. 5. **It suits an always-blocked Safari list.** If a site should simply never load in Safari, the Restricted list does that. If that describes you, you may not need anything else. ## Where Screen Time falls short ### No per-site time windows A common request is "block these sites on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00, and leave them alone in the evening." On macOS 26 and earlier, Screen Time has no setting for that. The Restricted list is on until you change it. App Limits set an amount of time, not hours. Downtime runs on a schedule, but it limits everything except the apps you allow, so you cannot keep working normally while only YouTube and X are blocked. On macOS 27, Apple's schedules are built around app categories, as described above. ### Browser coverage Apple documents its website restrictions as a Safari setting and does not say whether Chrome, Firefox, Arc or Brave follow them. One Reddit user reports that it "doesn't work on Brave Browser" ([r/macapps](https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/174x1ah)). If you use more than one browser, test each one. The [Screen Time not blocking websites guide](https://usecactus.app/guides/screen-time-not-blocking-websites-mac) covers the usual causes. ### Your own passcode If you set the passcode yourself, Screen Time is a reminder, not a block. Without "Block at end of limit", a limit can also be extended when it runs out. ## Where Cactus fits Cactus for Mac does the one thing Screen Time does not document: it blocks a list of websites during the same hours on the days you choose, every week, and leaves your other sites and apps available. For example, you could block `youtube.com`, `x.com` and `reddit.com` every weekday from 09:00 to 17:00. - **Every browser, no extension.** A background helper writes the sites into the hosts file and adds pf firewall rules, so the block applies in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave and Edge. See [how Cactus blocks](https://usecactus.app/how-cactus-blocks). - **No off switch during a block.** Once a block starts, Cactus has no button to end it early. Edits you make during a block apply to the next one. - **Set once.** The block starts by itself at the scheduled time. Overnight ranges work. - **Paid once.** $19.99, with a 7-day free trial that starts when you turn on your first schedule. No account or card. Requires macOS 14 or later. The steps are in [block websites on a schedule on Mac](https://usecactus.app/guides/block-websites-on-a-schedule-mac). ## Cactus's limits Cactus is narrower than Screen Time, and it has gaps of its own. 1. **One schedule.** One time range, the weekdays you choose, and one site list. No different hours per day and no second list. 2. **A Mac admin can remove it.** An admin can get around a block, for example by turning off its background item in System Settings. Screen Time with a passcode someone else holds is harder for you to undo. 3. **No app blocking.** Cactus blocks websites, not apps. 4. **Mac only.** No iPhone, iPad or Windows version. 5. **Whole sites, exact hostnames.** It blocks a domain and its `www.` version, adds `m.youtube.com` for `youtube.com` and `twitter.com` for `x.com`, and needs others such as `youtu.be` or `old.reddit.com` added separately. It cannot block a single page. 6. **Network settings can get in the way.** Secure DNS in Chrome or Firefox, iCloud Private Relay, proxies and some VPNs can affect blocking. 7. **No notifications.** The menu bar shows the current state only while the app is open. ## Screen Time vs Cactus at a glance | | Screen Time | Cactus | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free, built in | $19.99 once, 7-day trial | | Block specific sites during set hours | Not documented per site | Yes, one recurring schedule | | Daily time allowance | App Limits (macOS 26 and earlier); category allowances (macOS 27) | No | | Browsers | Documented for Safari | Every browser, at system level | | Apps | Yes | No | | iPhone and iPad | Yes | No | | Who can turn it off | Whoever knows the passcode | No off switch during a block; a Mac admin can remove it | | Account | None on one Mac; Apple Account to share across devices | None | ## Use both They do not conflict. Screen Time can handle apps, your iPhone, and an always-blocked Safari list, while Cactus blocks a few websites during your working hours in every browser. Many people only need one of them, but the split works if you need both jobs done. ## Which should you use? 1. **Safari only, a site should never load, someone else sets the passcode:** Screen Time. 2. **You want a daily allowance for a site or an app category:** Screen Time. 3. **You need your iPhone covered too:** Screen Time, or a cross-device app. 4. **You want specific sites blocked during recurring hours, in every browser, without handing a passcode to someone else:** Cactus. For other options, including stricter and cross-device blockers, see the [best website blockers for Mac](https://usecactus.app/compare/best-website-blocker-for-mac). ## Questions ### Is Screen Time enough to block websites on a Mac? It is enough if you mainly use Safari, want a site blocked all the time or limited to a daily allowance, and someone else holds the Screen Time passcode. It falls short if you want specific sites blocked only during set hours, or you use other browsers. ### Can Screen Time block a website during certain hours? Not per site in Apple's documentation. The restricted list is on or off, App Limits set an amount of time rather than hours, and Downtime limits everything except the apps you allow. macOS 27 adds schedules, but Apple describes them for app categories, not single websites. ### Does Screen Time block websites in Chrome on Mac? Apple documents its website restrictions as a Safari setting and does not say whether Chrome, Firefox or Brave follow them. Test each browser you use, or use a blocker that works at system level. ### Can I use Screen Time and Cactus together? Yes. One split that works is Screen Time for apps and your iPhone, and Cactus for blocking a list of websites during recurring hours on your Mac. ## Keep reading - [Cold Turkey vs Freedom: which blocker fits you?](https://usecactus.app/compare/cold-turkey-vs-freedom): Cold Turkey vs Freedom on Mac: one-time price vs subscription, browser extensions vs proxy, locks, schedules, app blocking and phones. What Reddit users report. - [The best website blocker for Mac, by what you need](https://usecactus.app/compare/best-website-blocker-for-mac): The best website blocker for Mac depends on the job. 8 picks compared on price, how they block, schedules and strictness, with free and one-time options. - [Cold Turkey alternatives for Mac](https://usecactus.app/compare/cold-turkey-alternative): Cold Turkey alternatives for Mac, free and paid: Cactus, SelfControl, Focus, Freedom, 1Focus and Screen Time, with prices as of October 2026 and how each works.