We sell a competing product, so read this knowing that. Everything below is priced, quoted, and dated from public pages and app-store listings in July 2026 — check any of it yourself. The point of this page isn't to tell you blockers are bad. It's to show you what a blocker is, what a program is, and why they aren't the same purchase.
Here's the one-line version: a blocker restricts the device; a program works on the habit underneath it. Different tools. You can pick one, or run both — but you should know which job each does before you pay for it.
The short version
If you want friction on your devices this week, install a blocker today — several below have free tiers, and friction genuinely helps early on. If you've already noticed that you uninstall the blocker when the urge is strong enough, that's not a willpower failure — it's the limit of the category. That's the part Rewired works on.
What blocking actually costs per year (as of July 2026)
Blockers look cheap and are, mostly, perpetual subscriptions — the real number is per year, every year. All figures below are arithmetic on the companies' own public prices, nothing more.
- BlockerX — $109.90/year recurring on the web (shown beside a permanent struck-through anchor, "$239.64"); $199.90 lifetime. On iOS the same premium is listed at $49.99/month or $139.99/year. Its money-back guarantee is 3 days, and only on the lifetime plan.
- Canopy — advertised at "$8 per month," billed annually (roughly $100 upfront); the App Store lists $99.99–$119.99/year depending on devices. Its own site states: "Deleting the app will not cancel your subscription." Guarantee: 30 days.
- BlockSite — the hero reads "One payment, no subscriptions" at $39.99 lifetime, while its App Store listing carries 7 subscription SKUs ($3.99–$47.90); a countdown banner renders at "00 Days 00 Hours 00 Min 00 Sec." Trustpilot 1.8/5. Guarantee: 30 days.
- Covenant Eyes — $18/month, $198/year, or $950 lifetime. Guarantee: 30 days.
For comparison on the same public prices: a $109.90/year blocker is $109.90 again next year, and the year after. Rewired is $79, once. That's not a knock on the blocker — it's a reminder that you're comparing a rental to a purchase.
Side-by-side
All competitor data from their public pages and App Store listings, July 2026.
| Rewired | BlockerX | Canopy | BlockSite | Covenant Eyes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | 84-day habit program + 152-page book | Blocker + accountability + community | Real-time AI content filter | General website/app blocker | Accountability service — an ally sees your blurred screen activity |
| Price | $25 book / $79 program, one-time | $109.90/yr (web); iOS $49.99/mo or $139.99/yr; lifetime $199.90 | "$8 per month" billed annually (their site); App Store $99.99–$119.99/yr | $39.99 lifetime (web); iOS subscriptions $3.99–$47.90 | $18/mo · $198/yr · $950 lifetime |
| Billing model | One payment | Recurring (lifetime option); permanent strike-through anchors on web pricing | Recurring only; "Deleting the app will not cancel your subscription" (their site) | "One payment, no subscriptions" (their hero) alongside 7 subscription SKUs on the App Store | Recurring (lifetime option) |
| Money-back guarantee | 7 days, Hotmart | 3 days — lifetime plan only | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Peer-reviewed citations | Every claim cited; 30+ studies | None found ("92% of BlockerX premium subscribers noted a reduction in porn consumption within 3 months" — their landing, internal survey, no methodology) | One sourced chart (Twenge analysis); no efficacy research cited | None (not a recovery product) | None found ("Join over 1.7 Million people we've helped overcome porn" — their landing; cumulative user count) |
| Addresses the habit itself | Yes — that is the whole product | Secondary (articles, courses) | No — filtering only | No | Mini-courses; core product is accountability |
| Requires another person | No | Optional accountability partner | Optional (human partner or private "AI Ally") | No | Yes — a human ally receives your activity |
| What remains if you uninstall / stop paying | What you learned, plus your files | Blocking ends | Filtering ends | Blocking ends | Accountability ends |
| Public review friction | — (launched without customers; our reviews section says so) | Play reviews cite premium upsell pressure | 3.6★ (998 App Store ratings); overblocking complaints | Trustpilot 1.8/5 | Trustpilot 3.7/5 |
One of those rows names our own weakness on purpose: Rewired launched without customers, so there are no reviews to show yet — the reviews section on the landing page says exactly that. It felt more honest to put it in the table than to leave the row out.
The uninstall problem
Every blocker shares one structural limit, and it isn't a flaw in any single app: the person who installs the filter can uninstall it. When the urge is strong enough, the same hands that set up the wall take it down. This isn't a moral failing — it's what the category is, and the public reviews of the major blockers document the pattern directly.
BlockSite's own Play and App Store reviews report that its adult filter skips over a concerning number of sites and is easy to bypass. Canopy's reviews cite overblocking and cancellation friction (3.6★ across 998 App Store ratings). And Covenant Eyes runs on a different model entirely — an ally receives your (blurred) screen activity — which works only if you recruit a human witness; Covenant Eyes' own team has publicly cautioned churches against using it to "spy" on people (as covered by Christian Post). None of that makes these tools worthless. It makes them access-management tools, not habit-change tools.
The habit doesn't live on the device. It lives in a loop — the same loop the 66-day habit-formation research describes, and the one a slip-versus-relapse framing is built to protect. The filter lasts as long as the subscription. What you understand about the habit is yours for good.
What blockers do well
Three of these four offer 30-day refund windows — longer than our 7 days. If a blocker plus a human ally is the structure you want, Covenant Eyes has run that model for 25 years. And in the early weeks, friction on your devices genuinely helps. The book itself suggests adding friction — just not renting it forever as the whole plan.
A few specifics worth crediting plainly: Canopy filters in real time, and claims to catch even chatbot output — in its own words, "the only app that filters explicit content on any website or AI chatbot" (their site; that's their claim, quoted, not ours). BlockSite is cheap and everywhere (12M+ Android installs). And a human-accountability model is a legitimate preference, not a mistake — some men actively want a witness. Our disagreement is with perpetual billing, uncited efficacy stats, and treating a filter as the whole plan, not with the idea of friction or support.
- Adds friction that genuinely helps in the early weeks.
- Three of the four offer 30-day refunds — longer than our 7.
- Canopy filters in real time, on any website.
- BlockSite is cheap and everywhere — 12M+ Android installs.
- Human accountability is a legitimate preference — Covenant Eyes has run it 25 years.
- The person who installs the filter can uninstall it when the urge is strong.
- Public reviews document missed sites and overblocking.
- The habit lives in a loop, not on the device.
- The filter lasts only as long as the subscription.
Using both (the honest combo)
Rewired doesn't bundle a blocker, on purpose — good free options exist, including the controls already on your phone and browser. Install one for the first weeks if it helps. The program is what's still working after you've uninstalled it.
If you're deciding where to start, the honest sequence for most men is: friction on the device now, and the structured work underneath it in parallel. Our writing on how to actually stop walks through where a blocker fits and where it runs out — and where the 84-day program picks up.
Common questions
Do porn blockers work?
As friction, yes — making the path longer genuinely helps, especially in the first weeks. As a complete answer, the category has a structural limit: the person who installed the filter can uninstall it, and public reviews of the major blockers document exactly that pattern, plus missed sites and overblocking. A blocker manages access. It doesn't change the habit.
Does Rewired include a blocker?
No, on purpose. Good blockers exist, including free controls built into your phone and browser, and the program suggests using friction early on. We'd rather recommend a free tool that does that job than bundle a paid one and bill you for it monthly.
Can I use Rewired and a blocker together?
Yes — that's the combination we'd actually suggest for many men: friction on the device for the first weeks, while the 84-day program works on the pattern underneath. When you eventually uninstall the blocker, the program is what's still there.
Why is Rewired one-time when blockers are subscriptions?
Because the products are different shapes. A filter only works while it runs, so it bills monthly. A program you complete — Rewired is 84 days, mapped — has an end, so it's priced once: $79, with a 7-day guarantee. Note the fine print either way: one blocker's guarantee is 3 days and only on its lifetime tier; others give 30 days, which is longer than ours.
Is Covenant Eyes' accountability model bad?
No — it's a legitimate choice some men actively want, and it has run for 25 years. It requires telling another person and letting them see your (blurred) activity. If that exposure is exactly what you don't want, Rewired is built the other way: no ally, no reports, no account required to read the book.