Serene Alternatives

Serene is described as 'There’s no shortage of productivity tools, but most solve a piece of the problem – blocking websites, or playing concentration music – rather than solving the entire problem' and is an app. There are more than 50 alternatives to Serene for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Android, Windows, iPhone and Google Chrome apps. The best Serene alternative is Mindful : Focus & Screen Time, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Serene are DigiPaws, Cold Turkey, ClearSpace and Focus Firewall.

Serene iconSerene
  1
  • FreemiumProprietary
  • ...

There’s no shortage of productivity tools, but most solve a piece of the problem – blocking websites, or playing...

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Serene alternatives page was last updated Jun 10, 2025
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  1. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    People are spending a staggering 8 hours a day glued to their smartphones, mostly lost in endless social media feeds. Our phones have taken over, pulling us deeper into the digital abyss and making our screen time soar.

    68 Mindful : Focus & Screen Time alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Android

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Distraction-free
    4.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Stay Focused
    2.  Anti Procrastination
    3.  Screen time
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  No Tracking
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Pomodoro Timer
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Goal Tracking
    11.  Goal Setting
    12.  Calendar View

    Mindful : Focus & Screen Time VS Serene

     
    • Mindful : Focus & Screen Time is the most popular Android alternative to Serene.

    • Mindful : Focus & Screen Time is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Serene.

    • Mindful : Focus & Screen Time is Free and Open SourceSerene is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mindful : Focus & Screen Time is Privacy focused and LightweightSerene is not according to our users
  2. DigiPaws icon
     7 likes
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    Tired of losing hours to endless scrolling and Screen Time? Meet DigiPaws – the ultimate app to cure screen addiction!

    54 DigiPaws alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid

    DigiPaws VS Serene

     
  3. Cold Turkey icon
     66 likes
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    Boost productivity by blocking websites, games, and applications with Cold Turkey. Once locked, blocks are hard to bypass. Install on Windows, macOS with browser extensions for multiple browsers. One-time purchase includes lifetime updates, ensuring privacy with locally stored data.

    88 Cold Turkey alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    Top Cold Turkey Features

    1.  Block apps
    2.  Website blocking
    3.  Anti Procrastination
    4.  Application Blocker
    5.  Stay Focused
    6.  No Subscription
    7.  Pomodoro Timer
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Block Facebook
    11.  Block youtube
    12.  Block Distraction

    Cold Turkey VS Serene

     
    • Cold Turkey is the most popular Windows & Mac alternative to Serene.

    • Cold Turkey is Freemium and ProprietarySerene is also Freemium and Proprietary
  4. ClearSpace icon
     6 likes
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    Empowers users to control screen time by blocking apps, minimizing impulsive phone use, and aligning digital habits with health and wellbeing objectives. Features include limiting app usage, scheduling focus time, screen time accountability, and improving attention and mental health.

    77 ClearSpace alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Google Chrome

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Block apps
    3.  Block Distraction
    4.  Stay Focused

    ClearSpace VS Serene

     
    • ClearSpace is the most popular iPhone alternative to Serene.

    • ClearSpace is Freemium and ProprietarySerene is also Freemium and Proprietary
  5. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Focus Firewall makes distracting websites and apps seem offline, helping you focus on what you opened your Mac for. You can check social media later.

    46 Focus Firewall alternatives

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Website blocking
    3.  Screen time
    4.  Block apps
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Content blocker
    9.  Web filter
    10.  Stay Focused
    11.  Block Distraction
    12.  Block Facebook

    Focus Firewall VS Serene

     
    • Focus Firewall is the most popular commercial alternative to Serene.

    • Focus Firewall is Paid and ProprietarySerene is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Focus Firewall is Lightweight and Privacy focusedSerene is not according to our users
  6. Atten icon
     2 likes
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    Take back control of your time with the most effective app & website blocker for iPhone and Mac. Join thousands who have blocked distractions, boosted productivity, and created a more focused, balanced life.

    57 Atten alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Lockscreen Widget
    6.  App usage info
    7.  Website blocking
    8.  Scheduling
    9.  Screen time
    10.  iOS widget
    11.  Block Distraction
    12.  Progress tracking

    Atten VS Serene

     
    • Atten is the most popular iPad alternative to Serene.

    • Atten is Freemium and ProprietarySerene is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • Atten is LightweightSerene is not according to our users
  7. Forest icon
     34 likes
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    Forest is an app to help you stay focused on your work. Whenever you want to concentrate, you can plant a seed in Forest. In the next 30 minutes, this small seed will gradually grow into a big tree. However, if you cannot resist the temptation and leave this app to check...

    96 Forest alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Google Chrome
    • Firefox

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Gamification
    2.  Pomodoro Timer
    3.  Stay Focused
    4.  Block apps

    Forest VS Serene

     
  8. SelfControl icon
     47 likes
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    SelfControl is a free and open-source application for Mac OS X that lets you block your own access to distracting websites, your mail servers, or anything else on the Internet. Just set a period of time to block for, add sites to your blacklist, and click "Start.

    78 SelfControl alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Website blocking
    3.  Block apps
    4.  Customize Windows

    SelfControl VS Serene

     
  9. FocusNotch icon
     1 like
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    A simple Mac application to help boost your productivity.

    51 FocusNotch alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Block Distraction
    6.  Timer for tasks
    7.  Timer
    8.  Stay Focused

    FocusNotch VS Serene

     
  10. Freedom icon
     24 likes
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    Be incredibly focused and productive. Join millions of amazing people who use Freedom to manage their screen time and live happier, healthier, and more productive lives.

    97 Freedom alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox

    Freedom Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Website blocking
    3.  Stay Focused

    Freedom VS Serene

     
    • Freedom is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to Serene.

    • Freedom is Paid and ProprietarySerene is Freemium and Proprietary
  11. FocusMe icon
     34 likes
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    Block distractions on Windows, Mac, and Android with FocusMe's Blacklist, Whitelist, Time Tracker, Scheduler, Pomodoro Timer, and security features like Password Protection and Forced Mode to boost productivity by customizing user feedback-based settings.

    82 FocusMe alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Website blocking
    2.  Block Distraction
    3.  Pomodoro Timer
    4.  Stay Focused

    FocusMe VS Serene

     
    • FocusMe is the most popular SaaS alternative to Serene.

    • FocusMe is Paid and ProprietarySerene is Freemium and Proprietary
  12. TimeLimit.io icon
     6 likes
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    Limit the usage of Android phones easily.

    77 TimeLimit.io alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Block Distraction
    3.  Application Blocker

    TimeLimit.io VS Serene

     
12 of 69 Serene alternatives