Blocking
A small helper approved through macOS blocks the websites you chose at the system level during your scheduled hours. It works without a browser extension, so the same block applies in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and apps that load those sites.
No. Cactus blocks at the Mac level, so there is nothing to install or keep enabled in each browser.
Adding a domain blocks the domain and its www address. youtube.com also covers m.youtube.com, and x.com also covers twitter.com. Other subdomains and separate domains, such as music.youtube.com, old.reddit.com, or youtu.be, need to be added on their own.
No. Cactus blocks whole websites. Entering a page address blocks the entire site it belongs to.
No. Once a block has started there is no pause, snooze, or off switch in Cactus. Changes you make during a block are saved for the next one. Outside a block you can edit the schedule freely.
No, and no honest local app can promise that. A Mac administrator can still remove Cactus or change system settings. Browsers with their own secure DNS, iCloud Private Relay, proxies, and some VPNs can also affect blocking. Cactus is built to stop the quick, in-the-moment reversal, not a determined administrator.
No. Cactus blocks websites today, including when an app loads a blocked website, but it cannot block the apps themselves.
Schedule
Choose the days of the week, a start and end time in 15-minute steps, and the websites. Cactus starts the block automatically at that time every week. Overnight schedules such as 22:00 to 06:00 work too.
Not yet. Cactus has one recurring schedule: one set of hours, the days you pick, and one list of websites.
Yes. The helper runs separately from the menu bar app, so a scheduled block starts and continues after you quit Cactus, put the Mac to sleep, or restart it.
No. Cactus sends no notifications. While it is open, the menu bar icon and panel show whether blocking is active and when access returns. Turn on Launch at Login to keep it there.
It works alongside any agent, but it does not connect to them. Cactus only needs the websites and hours you choose. It does not read prompts or watch your agent.
Trial and pricing
$19.99 USD once. There is no subscription. Checkout shows the final price and any tax before you pay.
Every feature is free for seven days. The trial starts when you first turn on a schedule, not when you download. No account, email, or card is needed. If a block is running when the trial ends, it finishes normally.
Without a license you cannot change the schedule or start new blocks. Buy once and enter the license key from the Cactus menu to continue.
Recover the key with your purchase email and Stripe receipt number at usecactus.app/license/recover, and download the app again at usecactus.app/download/recover.
Purchases are sold through Link, which handles receipts and refunds under its consumer terms. EU and UK consumers have a 14-day cooling-off period; see the Cancel a purchase page for the steps.
Privacy and compatibility
The app has no account, no analytics, and never reads your browsing history. Your schedule, blocked websites, and blocking state stay on your Mac. Network access is used only for update checks, license activation, feedback you choose to send, and error reports when something fails, which never include your sites or schedule and can be turned off from the Cactus menu.
Macs running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Setup needs administrator approval for the background helper.
No. Cactus is downloaded directly from usecactus.app. The download is signed and notarized by Apple.
No. Cactus is Mac only.
Choose Remove Cactus… from the Cactus menu while no block is active. That removes the helper, the system changes, your schedule, and the app. Dragging the app to the Trash by hand is not a clean removal.
