What is StopThat used for?

StopThat is a Mac menu-bar app that catches doomscrolling on distracting sites and apps, heckles you with a cursor bubble and sends you back to your work app. It is a good fit for breaking out of a social media scroll while working, setting focus sessions on a work Mac and blocking distracting apps without a hard lockout.

How much does StopThat cost?

Paid plans for StopThat start at $29 as a one-time payment, and there is no free plan.

Is StopThat open source?

No. StopThat is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Rectangle, Maccy and MarkerOn.

What are some alternatives to StopThat?

StopThat competes with Freedom and Forest.

StopThat: features, pricing and alternatives

About StopThat

Stop That is a macOS menu-bar app with a deliberately sarcastic approach to focus. You mark the apps and sites that derail you as bad targets, choose a work app to return to and set a grace period. When you linger on a bad target, a bubble attached to your cursor shows escalating comments, and if you ignore them the Teleport to Work feature launches or activates your chosen work app.

Three feedback modes exist: Quiet, a text-only bubble that is the default for new installs; Loud, which plays pre-generated voice clips; and Redirect Only, which skips the commentary. The app also has Focus Sessions, blocklists and allowlists, and a panic hotkey and quit option that are always reachable. It never moves the pointer, disables the keyboard or blocks app switching. Everything runs locally on the Mac with no account or cloud. It costs $29 for a lifetime license on one Mac, with a 14-day money-back guarantee and an iOS app available.

Key features

Cursor-attached bubble that heckles in real time
Teleport to Work redirect to your chosen app
Quiet, Loud and Redirect Only feedback modes
Blocklist and allowlist for apps and sites
Focus Sessions and a panic hotkey
Runs locally with no account or cloud

Good fit for

Breaking out of a social media scroll while working
Setting focus sessions on a work Mac
Blocking distracting apps without a hard lockout

Tags: focus; productivity; macos; distraction-blocker; menu-bar; website-blocker; doomscrolling; desktop-app

StopThat: questions and answers

What is StopThat used for?: StopThat is a Mac menu-bar app that catches doomscrolling on distracting sites and apps, heckles you with a cursor bubble and sends you back to your work app. It is a good fit for breaking out of a social media scroll while working, setting focus sessions on a work Mac and blocking distracting apps without a hard lockout.
How much does StopThat cost?: Paid plans for StopThat start at $29 as a one-time payment, and there is no free plan.
Is StopThat open source?: No. StopThat is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Rectangle, Maccy and MarkerOn.
What are some alternatives to StopThat?: StopThat competes with Freedom and Forest.