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Onus vs Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey is a strong, strict blocker that says no. Onus seals the same distractions, but counts your work and pays you back for it: every 25 minutes on your work sites buys 10 minutes of the sites you sealed.
Here is where each one is the better pick, as fairly as we can put it. We make Onus, so check Cold Turkey's own site too.
The short answer
- Pick Cold Turkey if you want the hardest possible block across every browser, apps and the whole computer, on Windows or Mac, with no account.
- Pick Onus if all-or-nothing blocks don't last for you, and you'd rather earn your breaks with real work and see that work counted.
Side by side
| Onus | Cold Turkey Blocker | |
|---|---|---|
| The idea | Work earns play: time on work sites fills a bank that pays for sealed sites. | Blocks on a timer or schedule, with breaks and allowances. |
| Counts your work | Yes, active time on your work sites and apps. | No. Breaks are timed, not tied to work done. |
| Websites | Any site and its subdomains, with path exceptions. YouTube opens plain: no feed, Shorts or suggestions. | Domains, URLs, wildcards, keywords, or the whole internet with exceptions. |
| Browsers | Chrome and Edge. Onus for Windows seals other browsers. | Extensions for the major browsers, and it closes browsers it doesn't cover. |
| Apps | Onus for Windows seals apps like Discord and Steam, and work apps earn minutes. | Pro blocks apps on Windows and Mac, and can lock the whole computer (Frozen Turkey). |
| Strictness | A 10-minute wait to unseal, strictness levels, locks up to 30 days, sealed hours, an exit code. | Many lock types: timer, schedule, random text, delay, restart, password. |
| Someone to answer to | A partner gets an email if you loosen the seal, use the exit code or remove Onus. | A friend can hold the password. |
| Platforms | Chrome and Edge on any computer, including Linux and Chromebooks. Windows 10 and 11 app. No Mac app. | Windows and macOS. |
| Account | Optional. Site lists, bank and browsing stay in your browser. | None needed. |
| Price | Free plan with 2 sealed sites and 1 work site. Full Onus $29.99 a year or $59 once, with a 7-day free trial. | A free version, and a one-time price for Pro. |
Cold Turkey details from getcoldturkey.com, checked 29 October 2026. Cold Turkey is a trademark of its owner, and Onus isn't affiliated with it.
Where Cold Turkey is stronger
Reach and maturity. It covers every major browser, blocks apps and can lock the whole computer, runs on Mac, and has been around for over a decade. If a hard wall is what works for you, it's a very good tool.
Where Onus is different
Onus is built for people who switch blockers off. Instead of a wall, there's a bank: you always know what your next 25 minutes of work will buy, so the seal feels fair and stays on. Today shows the work you did, not only the sites you were kept from.
Want to see the bank? Work out what your day buys.
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