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SiteKeeper

A Cold Turkey alternative for Chrome, not a fortress

Cold Turkey Blocker is a Windows and macOS desktop app, plus a Chrome extension that works only with that app (about 200,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026), 4.6★ from 2.4K ratings, version 4.9.7, updated August 12, 2026). Their homepage says a locked block is almost impossible to stop once you lock it, and that you cannot just uninstall it. It is not available on Linux, ChromeOS, Android, or iOS. SiteKeeper does not offer that lock. It is a Chrome extension that shows where browsing time went and sets soft daily and weekly caps.

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TL;DR

Choose Cold Turkey if you need a system-wide lock on Windows or Mac: apps, games, schedules, and a block you cannot click off. Choose SiteKeeper if you cannot install that desktop app — a Chromebook, Linux, or a work laptop — or if you want a time log and a nudge instead of a fortress. SiteKeeper will not stop you from adding 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Cold Turkey is the product that will.

Other ways people replace a desktop lock

Best when you cannot install desktop software

SiteKeeper

Chrome extension for active-tab time, daily and weekly caps, and a 0–100 score. Soft block. Runs in Chrome, including Chrome on ChromeOS and Linux.

Best browser lock with a phone app

BlockSite

about 1,000,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026). Password protection, Schedule Mode, uninstall prevention, and sync to Android and iOS.

Best free open-source rules

LeechBlock NG

about 100,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026). Lockdown, passwords, and Firefox plus Chromium. Free under MPL-2.0.

Best free Nuclear lock in Chrome or Edge

StayFocusd

about 700,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026). Nuclear Option cannot be canceled once it starts. The extension is free.

SiteKeeper vs Cold Turkey

  • What you install

    SiteKeeper
    Chrome extension only
    Cold Turkey
    Windows or macOS app, plus an extension that requires that app

  • Linux, ChromeOS, phones

    SiteKeeper
    Chrome on those desktops, including ChromeOS and Linux. No phone app.
    Cold Turkey
    Not supported: Linux, ChromeOS, Android, iOS

  • How hard is the block?

    SiteKeeper
    Soft. Add 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes, or turn the limit off.
    Cold Turkey
    Homepage: very hard to stop once locked, and you cannot just uninstall it

  • Apps, games, the whole computer

    SiteKeeper
    Websites in Chrome only
    Cold Turkey
    Free blocks websites. Pro adds applications and the locking features.

  • Schedules

    SiteKeeper
    Time windows with their own budget (stricter on weekdays). Not a hard scheduled block.
    Cold Turkey
    Free has timed blocks. Pro adds scheduled blocks. Homepage also describes weekly schedules.

  • Time insight

    SiteKeeper
    Active-tab log, charts, 0–100 score, tags, opt-in path analysis. Weekly report can open Sunday. No email.
    Cold Turkey
    Free includes statistics. Homepage says it tracks website and app usage.

  • Where settings live

    SiteKeeper
    Privacy-first; we never sell or share your data. History is not synced across devices.
    Cold Turkey
    Homepage says settings and statistics are stored locally.

  • Price

    SiteKeeper
    Pro $4.99/mo or $24.99/yr. Lifetime $29.99 once.
    Cold Turkey
    One-time Pro license (see getcoldturkey.com for the price)

  • Chrome Web Store extension

    SiteKeeper
    This is the whole product
    Cold Turkey
    about 200,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026); 4.6★ from 2.4K ratings; v4.9.7. Desktop app required.

How SiteKeeper and Cold Turkey actually differ

A fortress versus a soft cap

Cold Turkey’s homepage is blunt: the block is tough to bypass, almost impossible to stop once you lock it, and uninstalling is not the escape hatch. Free covers website blocks, exceptions, timed blocks, and statistics, and includes a 7-day Pro trial. Pro, a one-time license for the computers you personally use, adds application blocks, scheduled blocks, an application password, the locking features, custom user selection, and breaks and allowances. There is a 30-day refund, and students get 20% off. The page does not print a dollar price. Check getcoldturkey.com.

SiteKeeper will not do that job. The block page says “Time's Up!” Adding 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes raises the saved cap. You can turn the limit off in settings. Nothing stops you from disabling the extension. If the whole point of Cold Turkey is that you cannot talk yourself out of it, switching to SiteKeeper will disappoint you on purpose.

Machines where Cold Turkey cannot be installed

Their pricing FAQ says Linux, ChromeOS, Android, and iOS are not supported. The Chrome extension (version 4.9.7, updated August 12, 2026) works only together with the desktop app, so a Chromebook cannot use the extension as a standalone blocker. about 200,000 users on the Chrome Web Store (October 2026) and 4.6★ from 2.4K ratings describe that extension listing, not a mobile app.

SiteKeeper is the extension. Chrome on a Chromebook, Chrome on Linux, and a work laptop that allows Chrome extensions but not a desktop installer can all run it. It still will not block apps, games, or other browsers. It will not follow you onto a phone. Those gaps are why Cold Turkey exists, on the operating systems it supports.

Insight is the other half of the decision

Cold Turkey Free includes statistics, and the homepage says it tracks website and app usage. That is real, and it covers apps SiteKeeper never sees. We are not claiming a chart-by-chart winner. Their homepage also says settings and statistics are stored locally.

SiteKeeper’s browser report is the active tab, a 0–100 productivity score, tags (on-device Chrome model when available, otherwise keywords, plus manual edits), charts, and opt-in path analysis on up to 3 hosts for free. The weekly report can open on Sunday. It is not emailed. CSV export is included. Privacy-first; we never sell or share your data. Tracking works without an account. We do not sync that history across devices.

Schedules are not the same shape

Cold Turkey Free has timed blocks. Pro adds scheduled blocks, and the homepage describes weekly schedules, allowances, and passwords. That is a calendar lock.

SiteKeeper time windows carry their own budget, for example a stricter cap on weekdays, while the daily and weekly caps still apply outside the window. They are not a hard scheduled block, and they do not cover applications. A person who wants “no YouTube and no games from 9 to 5, and I must not be able to undo it” is still a Cold Turkey user.

Pricing: SiteKeeper vs Cold Turkey

  • Free

    SiteKeeper
    Free to start, no account required to track. Daily and weekly limits on up to 6 sites. Path analysis on up to 3 hosts. Productivity score and CSV export included.
    Cold Turkey
    Website blocks, exceptions, timed blocks, statistics; 7-day Pro trial

  • Paid

    SiteKeeper
    Pro $4.99/mo or $24.99/yr. Lifetime $29.99 once.
    Cold Turkey
    One-time Pro license for the computers you personally use. See getcoldturkey.com for the current price. 30-day refund. Students 20% off.

Cold Turkey’s pricing page does not show a dollar figure in the HTML, so this page does not invent one. Checked October 3, 2026. Pro is the tier with app blocking and the locking features. SiteKeeper’s paid plans do not add a hard lock.

Why people look for a Cold Turkey alternative

The desktop app is not allowed

Linux and ChromeOS are outside Cold Turkey’s support list. A locked-down work laptop may allow a Chrome extension and still block a desktop installer. The Cold Turkey extension does not run alone.

You wanted a mirror, and got a lock

Cold Turkey is built so the block survives your later opinion. Some people want the opposite: a clear day, a score, and a cap they can raise when the block is wrong.

Chrome is the actual problem

If distracting apps are not the issue, a system-wide lock is a larger tool than the browser habit. SiteKeeper stays inside Chrome on purpose.

You want a published browser price

SiteKeeper Pro is $4.99/mo or $24.99/yr, and Lifetime is $29.99. Cold Turkey Pro is a one-time license. We are not claiming it costs more or less, because their page does not show the number. Compare it on their site before you decide on price.

Which should you use?

Choose SiteKeeper if

  • You are on a Chromebook, Linux, or a work laptop that cannot take a desktop blocker
  • You want to see active-tab time, a score, and path-level stats
  • A soft cap is what you want — you plan to be able to add time
  • Chrome websites are the habit, not games or the whole computer

Choose Cold Turkey if

  • You need a system-wide lock that is very hard to undo, including against uninstall
  • You need to block applications, not only websites
  • You are on Windows or Mac and can install the desktop app
  • You want timed blocks, Pro schedules, allowances, and an application password

Switching from Cold Turkey

There is no import, and there is no equivalent of a locked Cold Turkey block. Treat this as a different product, not a settings transfer.

What you can take with you

  • The website names you still want to cap, typed in by hand as SiteKeeper limits.
  • A sense of which hours were the problem. Those can become time-window budgets, which you can still override.
  • Nothing from application blocks or the uninstall protection. SiteKeeper does not have them. We also cannot read Cold Turkey’s local statistics.

What you set up again

  • Per-site daily and weekly caps. Expect to be able to extend them. If that ruins the plan, do not switch.
  • Path analysis on the hosts where the homepage and the rabbit hole share a domain.
  • A fresh history. SiteKeeper starts at install and does not pull Cold Turkey’s stats across.

If you are leaving because the computer cannot run Cold Turkey, install SiteKeeper and set a few caps. If you are leaving because the lock felt too strong, decide that with a week of soft limits before you uninstall Cold Turkey. If the lock was the feature, stay.

Keep exploring

Frequently asked questions

If you need a fortress, keep Cold Turkey.

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