Web Lock vs BlockSite: which one do you need?

These two get compared a lot, because both can stop a website from opening. They were made for opposite problems, though. BlockSite keeps you away from sites that waste your time. Web Lock keeps other people out of sites that are yours. We make Web Lock, so read this knowing that, and we'll say plainly where BlockSite is the better choice.

The short answer

• Choose BlockSite if the goal is focus: fewer hours on social media, a block that follows you to your phone, or a filter for adult content.
• Choose Web Lock if the goal is privacy: your email, chats and photos should ask for a password when someone else uses your computer.
• Use both if you have both problems. They don't do each other's job well.

Side by side

BlockSite's column comes from its Chrome Web Store listing and website as they stood on 8 October 2026 (version 7.1.1). Features move between free and paid plans, so check its site before you count on one.

Where BlockSite is better

• It was designed around habits. A focus timer, a daily usage limit and reports on where your time goes are all aimed at one thing, and Web Lock has no answer to the timer or the reports.
• It reaches your phone. For most people the phone is where the scrolling happens. BlockSite has apps for it. Web Lock stops at the computer's browser.
• It can filter by kind of site. Web Lock only knows the addresses you type in. It has no list of adult sites and can't block by topic.
• It's far more widely used. About a million people have it in Chrome, against about ten thousand for Web Lock, and it comes in 17 languages.

Where Web Lock is better

• The lock screen is the product. A locked site shows a password box and nothing else, and the page behind it isn't loaded. It was built for the moment someone else opens your browser.
• It forgives a forgotten password. A reset code goes to your recovery email, so a lock on your inbox can't shut you out for good.
• It can lock the browser itself when it starts, then give your tabs back.
• Locking and blocking have no limit in the free version. You can list as many sites as you like without paying.
• Your browsing stays with you. The sites you lock and your password are kept in your browser. We ask for a recovery email and not for your browsing. BlockSite's store listing says it handles web history, which its reports need. That's a fair trade for the reports, and worth knowing if privacy is why you're here.

Three people, three answers

• "My brother uses my laptop and I don't want him in my messages." Web Lock. This is a privacy problem, and a focus tool is the wrong shape for it.
• "I lose two hours a day to Reddit and Instagram, mostly on my phone." BlockSite, starting with the phone app.
• "I want YouTube shut during work, and my bank locked from the kids." Either one for YouTube, and Web Lock for the bank. Or Web Lock for both, since it blocks as well.

If you only block a handful of sites

Then you may not need BlockSite's extras, and Web Lock's free blocking will do: how to block distracting websites walks through it. If you later want the timer, the reports or the phone app, that's the point to switch.

Questions people ask

Is BlockSite free?

It has a free version that limits how many sites you can block, and a paid plan that removes the limit and adds features. The limit and the prices have changed over the years, so check BlockSite's own site for today's.

Can I use Web Lock and BlockSite together?

Yes. They're separate extensions with different jobs, and plenty of people want both jobs done. Put each site in only one of them, so you always know which one stopped a page.

Does Web Lock have a phone app like BlockSite?

No. Web Lock is a browser extension for computers. BlockSite has Android and iPhone apps and can carry your block list over to them, which is a real reason to choose it if your phone is the problem.

Which is better for parents?

It depends on the worry. To filter adult content, BlockSite has a filter for it and Web Lock doesn't. To make a child ask before opening YouTube or a game site, Web Lock's password does that. For a young child, the computer's own parental controls beat both.

Can either one be stopped from being uninstalled?

Both say so. BlockSite lists uninstall prevention among its features, and Web Lock Pro has uninstall protection that asks for your password. Neither can hold out against someone with full control of the computer.