The short version
- LeadMeNot: our pick for accountability.
- Apple Screen Time: Free.
- Covenant Eyes: pick it if you want screenshots.
- Ever Accountable: pick it for image detection.
- Freedom: pick it for focus sessions.
Free first. In System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy › App Store, Media, Web, & Games, the Safari row has Limit Adult Websites.1 Set a Screen Time passcode, give it to someone else, and Safari is filtered. It doesn't follow you into Chrome or Firefox, and nobody is told if it's switched off. The computer guide has the steps.
Beyond that, the Mac apps differ on the same three things as everywhere else: what gets blocked, whether anyone is told, and whether you can undo it in a weak moment.
At a glance
A dash means we couldn't verify it from the app's own site or a named review, not that the app lacks it. Scroll sideways to see every app. Checked November 6, 2026.
| Feature | LeadMeNot | Apple Screen Time | Covenant Eyes | Ever Accountable | Freedom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blocks porn | Built-in Adult Websites & Apps list | Limit Adult Websites, plus sites you add2 | Yes, and on iPhone inside apps too3 | Optional, in websites and inside apps; off by default4 | Preset lists, including adult content5 |
| Blocks the apps you choose | iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac | App Limits and Downtime6 | Android only, by locking apps behind a PIN7 | —Not compared | Websites and apps on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android8 |
| Keywords and phrases | Inside apps on Android, Windows and Mac; Safari on iPhone; Chrome on Chromebook | ✕Filters websites, not words2 | ✕Not one of its blocking features3 | —Not compared | —Not compared |
| Just part of a site, like youtube.com/shorts | In browsers and inside apps on Android, Windows and Mac; Safari on iPhone; Chrome on Chromebook | —Not compared | ✕Its custom block list works on whole domains only9 | —Not compared | —Not compared |
| Someone you trust is told | Alerted when a rule is broken, plus evening reflections | Only a child in Family Sharing, who asks a parent for more time6 | Reports and alerts to an ally from its screenshots3 | Real-time warnings, and your partner is told if you don't respond4 | —Not compared |
| Hard to undo in a weak moment | Safe Wall: your partner's OK or a waiting period | One More Minute, Ignore Limit for Today, or the passcode6 | —Not compared | Locked Mode: you can't end a session early8 | |
| Images and video | Text only today; image detection is in development | —Not compared | On-device AI watches what's on screen inside apps4 | —Not compared | |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook | Apple devices only | iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac. Not Chromebook3 | Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Kindle, all on one subscription4 | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chromebook, Linux and Chrome5 |
Blocks porn
Blocks the apps you choose
Keywords and phrases
Just part of a site, like youtube.com/shorts
- LeadMeNotIn browsers and inside apps on Android, Windows and Mac; Safari on iPhone; Chrome on Chromebook
- Apple Screen TimeNot compared
- Covenant Eyes✕Its custom block list works on whole domains only9
- Ever AccountableNot compared
- FreedomNot compared
Someone you trust is told
- LeadMeNotAlerted when a rule is broken, plus evening reflections
- Apple Screen TimeOnly a child in Family Sharing, who asks a parent for more time6
- Covenant EyesReports and alerts to an ally from its screenshots3
- Ever AccountableReal-time warnings, and your partner is told if you don't respond4
- FreedomNot compared
Hard to undo in a weak moment
Images and video
Devices
- LeadMeNotiPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook
- Apple Screen TimeApple devices only
- Covenant EyesiPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac. Not Chromebook3
- Ever AccountableAndroid, iPhone, Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Kindle, all on one subscription4
- FreedomMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chromebook, Linux and Chrome5
The picks, one by one
Our pick for accountability
LeadMeNot
On Mac, LeadMeNot reads text in every browser and inside apps: the Adult Websites & Apps and Gambling lists, keyword rules, part-of-a-site rules, app blocking, daily limits and schedules. Your partner is emailed when a rule is broken, and Safe Wall makes loosening a rule wait for their OK.
Where it falls short: Text only: it doesn't look at images. Full Uninstall Protection needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Free
Apple Screen Time
Built in. Limit Adult Websites filters Safari, with a Customize list, and App Limits and Downtime cover apps.2,6
Pick something else if: Safari only, nobody is told, and the passcode is the only lock. No keywords.
Pick this if you want screenshots
Covenant Eyes
Screen Accountability sends an ally reports from AI-reviewed screenshots, and it blocks explicit websites. Removing it from a Mac needs an Uninstall Code.3,9,10
Pick something else if: No time limits or schedules, whole domains only, no keyword blocking, and the Uninstall Code isn't available after you cancel.
Pick this for image detection
Ever Accountable
On-device AI watches what's on screen inside apps, images included, warns you, and tells your partner if you don't respond. One subscription covers Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, Chromebook and Kindle.4
Pick something else if: Blocking is optional and off by default. We couldn't verify app blocking, keywords or schedules.
Pick this for focus sessions
Freedom
Blocks websites and apps on Mac in sessions, with preset lists including adult content and gambling, Locked Mode so a session can't be ended early, and Linux support too.5,8
Pick something else if: Built around sessions rather than all-day boundaries; we couldn't verify a partner or alert feature.
How we chose
LeadMeNot wrote this guide, so our own app is in it. To keep it fair: every fact about another app links to its source (the app's own site where possible), each one gets a plain line on who should pick it instead, and the table only shows what we could verify. A dash means we couldn't confirm it, not that the app lacks it.
We looked at the three things that decide whether a blocker still works a month later: what you can block (not just a list of adult sites, but the apps, places and words that are the problem for you), whether anyone is told when a line is crossed, and whether a weak moment can undo it. Free built-in tools are listed first wherever they exist, because a lot of people need nothing more.
LeadMeNot
Try it with someone in your corner
LeadMeNot blocks what you choose, tells someone you trust when a rule is broken, and makes a weak moment wait. Free to try on every device you own.
Questions
Does Mac have a built-in porn blocker?
Yes, for Safari: Screen Time › Content & Privacy › App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Limit Adult Websites in the Safari row. Other browsers aren't covered, and the Screen Time passcode is the only lock.
Which Mac blocker works in Chrome and Firefox?
LeadMeNot filters every browser on the Mac and reads text inside apps. Covenant Eyes, Ever Accountable and Freedom also run system-wide on Mac, in the ways their rows describe.
Can my partner tell if I remove a blocker from my Mac?
With LeadMeNot's Monitor on, your partner is told if it's logged out, uninstalled or switched off, and Safe Wall can require their OK first. Covenant Eyes requires an Uninstall Code to remove from a computer.
Sources
Checked November 7, 2026. Statements about other products and system features link to the page they come from.
- Apple Support: Change App Store, Media, Web, & Games settings in Screen Time on Mac (official)
- Tom's Guide: how to block websites on iPhone and iPad (independent)
- Covenant Eyes: The Covenant Eyes app is now Victory (official)
- Ever Accountable: blocking, and how it compares (information as of Feb 2026) (official)
- MakerStack: Freedom review (Jul 20, 2026) (independent)
- AirDroid: Screen Time's Ignore Limit option (updated May 15, 2026) (independent)
- Covenant Eyes help: How does the Victory Shield Android app work? (official)
- Freedom blog: block websites and apps on all your devices (official)
- Covenant Eyes blog: custom block lists (updated Apr 30, 2026) (official)
- Covenant Eyes help: Uninstall Codes (official)