Redirect vs LeechBlock NG

Last updated September 2026.

Read this knowing who wrote it: Redirect publishes this comparison on its own website. We have tried to be straight about where LeechBlock NG is the better tool, and there are real cases where it is. The details for both were checked against each product's official site and Chrome Web Store listing on September 26, 2026.

The one-line answer#

LeechBlock NG gives you a big, free toolkit for deciding when sites are blocked. Redirect is built around what happens when you try to get back in.

If you want maximum control at no cost, LeechBlock NG is hard to beat. If your problem is that you keep granting yourself "quick" breaks, Redirect was designed for exactly that.

How they work#

LeechBlock NG lets you create up to 30 block sets, each with its own sites, times and days. A set can block during fixed periods (say 9am to 5pm), after a time limit (10 minutes in every hour), or a combination. On top of that you get a lockdown mode that blocks immediately for a set duration, a password or random access code for the options page, a delaying page with a countdown, a password page before access, wildcards, exceptions and keyword rules. When a site is blocked you see LeechBlock's blocking page, a delay page, or a custom page you choose by URL. There is also an optional temporary override.

Redirect uses rules instead of sets. A rule can be a whole site (youtube.com, which covers m.youtube.com), a path (youtube.com/shorts), or a wildcard pattern, with exceptions such as a single channel you still want. Each rule can have its own schedule by weekday and hours. When you open a blocked site you land on your Focus dashboard, showing up to three goals and your stats, or on a custom URL you picked.

The difference is the pause. In Redirect, temporary access always goes through a task you chose for that rule: type a paragraph exactly with no pasting, write a reason (your earlier reasons are shown back to you), solve mental arithmetic, do a 4-7-8 breathing cycle, wait 60 seconds with the tab in focus, or no task for sites you trust. You pick the pause lengths (1 to 60 minutes) and can set a daily pause limit. When the pause ends, Redirect sends you back right away, even mid scroll.

Pricing#

• LeechBlock NG: free. The source is on GitHub under the MPL-2.0 license.
• Redirect: free for one site, with all features. Pro and Lifetime plans unlock unlimited sites.

On price alone, LeechBlock NG wins outright.

Where LeechBlock NG wins#

• It is free and open source. No limits on sites, and you can read the code.
• More ways to schedule. Time limits like "10 minutes per hour", combined with time periods, across up to 30 sets. Redirect has schedules but not rolling time budgets.
• Lockdown. Start an immediate block for a fixed duration. Redirect does not have a one-tap lockdown.
• Keyword rules. Block or allow pages based on words in them.
• More browsers. It runs on Firefox as well as Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers. Redirect is Chrome and Chromium only.
• Track record. 100,000 Chrome users and a 4.9 rating from 1.6K ratings on the Web Store, with a Featured badge and regular updates (version 1.7.3 shipped August 5, 2026).

Where Redirect wins#

• Breaks cost a real, chosen effort. LeechBlock can delay you or ask for a password. Redirect gives you six intervention types per rule, including writing your reason and seeing your past reasons, which is often what breaks the "just checking" loop. More on why this matters in why website blockers don't work.
• Your goals instead of a wall. You land on a page with your goals and stats, which gives you somewhere to go.
• Pauses end on time, even mid scroll. Redirect checks open tabs when a pause expires, when you switch tabs, and every 30 seconds.
• Catches in-app navigation. Clicking into YouTube Shorts from the home page redirects without a reload, which is handy for blocking YouTube Shorts while keeping the rest.
• Loosening a rule costs something too. Disabling, deleting or loosening an active rule requires that rule's intervention, and turning everything off requires typing a long paragraph.
• Fewer settings to learn. One-click rules for YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, X, TikTok, Facebook, Netflix and Twitch.

Privacy#

Both keep your data local. LeechBlock's FAQ says it does not collect, store or transmit personal information beyond the settings you enter, and its Web Store listing says the developer will not collect or use your data. Redirect stores rules, goals, stats and reasons in your browser with no account and no analytics. LeechBlock also offers experimental sync storage for options; Redirect offers JSON export and import instead.

Use both, or pick one#

You can run both, though two blockers on the same site will fight over who acts first. A cleaner split: LeechBlock NG for rolling time limits or keyword rules, Redirect for the few sites where you keep negotiating with yourself.

If you have to choose:

• Pick LeechBlock NG if you want a free tool, use Firefox, or like tuning many options.
• Pick Redirect if blocking works for you until you give yourself a pause, and you want those pauses to be deliberate.

For a wider view, see our roundup of the best website blockers for Chrome.

LeechBlock not working on Chrome? What to check#

Most "LeechBlock is not blocking" problems come down to a block set that is missing one piece. LeechBlock's own FAQ covers the usual suspects:

• Incognito. Chrome only runs extensions in Incognito windows if you open the extension's Details in chrome://extensions and turn on "Allow in Incognito" (Chrome Web Store Help). LeechBlock's FAQ notes it cannot disable private browsing itself. The same applies to Redirect and every other extension.
• No sites, times or days. The FAQ's answer to why nothing is being blocked lists a missing site list, no time period or time limit, and no days selected. If you choose to block within time periods AND after a time limit, you need to fill in both.
• URL prefixes in the site list. Entries like http:// or file:// in front of a site are a listed cause. Enter the site as example.com.
• Overnight time periods. LeechBlock expects a time period within one calendar day, so 2100-0600 will not work. Its overnight FAQ suggests splitting it as 0000-0600,2100-2400.
• Wildcard syntax. Per the wildcards FAQ, * matches any characters except forward slashes, so *.somesite.com covers the subdomains of somesite.com. Use ** when the match needs to cross slashes.
• Keywords. Adding keywords to the site list without understanding how keyword blocking works is another cause the FAQ lists.

For comparison, Redirect handles overnight schedules in a single rule, and a whole site rule like youtube.com already covers m.youtube.com.

TL;DR comparison#

Close the tab. Open your goals.

Redirect sends distracting sites to the goals you wrote down, and makes every pause a choice.

Add to Chrome, free to start