Cold Turkey Review: The Strictest Blocker Worth Using
Cold Turkey is the closest thing to an actual commitment device in this category — a block you genuinely cannot lift early. That is the selling point and also the risk.
Best for
Serious procrastination — desk work where you will talk yourself out of anything less absolute.
Skip it if
You need your phone covered. Cold Turkey is macOS and Windows only, and phone distraction is the more common problem.
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows
- Type
- Desktop App
- Pricing
- Free tier, with a one-time purchase for Pro — no subscription
- How hard to escape
- Very hard — built so that restarting, reinstalling or deleting will not lift a block.
What it actually does
Cold Turkey blocks websites and, in the Pro version, applications. What separates it from everything else in the category is what happens when you change your mind halfway through.
Most blockers assume you want a speed bump. Cold Turkey assumes you will try to get around it, and closes those routes deliberately. Its locking features are built so that restarting the machine, reinstalling the application or deleting it does not lift an active block. You set the terms while you have judgement, and then you do not get a vote until the timer expires.
That is a real commitment device, and it is rare.
How hard it is to escape
Very hard, by design and by reputation. This is the strictest tool in the site's catalogue that is still ordinary consumer software.
Treat that as a warning as much as a feature. A block you cannot lift is exactly what you want at 9am on a workday and exactly what you do not want when you have blocked a domain you turn out to need. Start with short sessions until you trust your own blocklist.
What it costs
Blocker Free covers website blocking, exceptions, timed blocks and statistics, and Cold Turkey states that a 7-day trial of the paid features is included in the free version. Pro adds application blocking, scheduling, password protection and the full set of locking features.
Pro is a one-time purchase — "pay once, own forever" — covering all computers you personally own, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a student discount available on request. Cold Turkey does not publish the figure on its public pricing page, so this profile does not quote one; check the purchase flow for the current price. The pricing *model* is the durable part, and it is unusually reader-friendly: no subscription.
Where it falls down
Two real limitations.
**Desktop only.** Cold Turkey is explicit that a key works on macOS and Windows, and that Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS are not supported. For most people the phone is the harder problem, so Cold Turkey is frequently half a solution. Pairing it with a phone-side tool is common and is not a conflict.
**The strictness cuts both ways.** There is no graceful exit. If that sounds appealing rather than alarming, this is your tool; if it sounds alarming, Freedom is firm without being final.
Who it suits
Someone doing focused desk work who has already tried gentler tools and routed around them. In the site's five-app trial, Cold Turkey was the pick for serious procrastination specifically because it removes the negotiation.
Common questions
Is Cold Turkey free?
There is a free tier covering website blocking, exceptions, timed blocks and statistics. Application blocking, scheduling and the full locking features are in Pro, which is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.
Does Cold Turkey work on iPhone or Android?
No. Cold Turkey supports macOS and Windows only and says so explicitly. For phone blocking you need a separate tool.
Can you really not undo a block?
That is the design intent of its locking features — restarting, reinstalling or deleting will not lift an active block. Set short sessions until you trust your blocklist, because there is no graceful exit.
Alternatives worth considering
- FreedomBlock distractions across all devices
- SelfControlBlock sites until the timer runs out
- Cold Turkey WriterTurns your computer into a typewriter
Head to head
Sources
Written from the vendor’s own documentation, not from hands-on testing. Prices and features change; where a figure is quoted it carries the month it was checked.