Quick Verdict
StayFocusd is a simple, free Chrome extension that sets a daily time limit on distracting websites. Once you exceed the limit, those sites are blocked for the rest of the day. Clify takes a fundamentally different approach: instead of counting down the minutes, it reshapes YouTube itself by removing ads, Shorts, algorithmic recommendations, and other addictive elements so you can use the site productively without losing time in the first place. If you need a hard daily cap on any website, StayFocusd does that. If YouTube is your main problem and you want to use it without the addiction loop, Clify is the better tool.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Clify | StayFocusd |
|---|---|---|
| Daily time limit on websites | — | ✓ |
| Nuclear Option (block all) | — | ✓ |
| Block specific websites | — | ✓ |
| YouTube ad blocking | ✓ | — |
| YouTube Shorts removal | ✓ | — |
| SponsorBlock integration | ✓ | — |
| Channel blocker | ✓ | — |
| Keyword blocker | ✓ | — |
| Active days scheduling | — | ✓ |
| Custom block page | — | Basic |
| Multi-browser support | ✓ | Chrome only |
| Cloud sync | ✓ | — |
| Usage analytics | ✓ | — |
| Password protection | ✓ | — |
| Open source | — | ✓ |
| Free | Freemium | ✓ |
StayFocusd is fully free and open source. Clify follows a freemium model with a generous free tier and premium features for power users.
What Is StayFocusd?
StayFocusd is one of the oldest and most straightforward productivity extensions for Google Chrome. It does one thing: lets you set a daily time limit on websites you find distracting. You add sites like Reddit, Twitter, or YouTube to a block list, decide how many minutes per day you are allowed to spend on each, and once you hit that limit, StayFocusd locks you out for the rest of the day.
The extension also ships with a feature called the "Nuclear Option." When activated, it immediately blocks every site on your list and you cannot undo it until the timer expires. This is designed for moments when you need to be completely focused and know that you will not resist temptation on your own.
StayFocusd supports "Active Days" scheduling so you can, for example, only enforce limits on weekdays and give yourself unlimited access on weekends. The interface is minimal, the extension is lightweight, and it has been around long enough to have a loyal user base. The tradeoff is that it is Chrome-only, has no cloud sync, no analytics dashboard, and no way to customize what happens when a site is blocked beyond showing a simple message.
What Is Clify?
Clify is not a time limiter. It does not count how many minutes you spend on a site and then shut the door. Instead, Clify is a browser extension that changes what YouTube looks and feels like, removing the specific design patterns that make the platform addictive.
Specifically, Clify blocks YouTube ads (including unskippable mid-roll ads), removes the Shorts shelf from your homepage and sidebar, integrates with SponsorBlock to automatically skip sponsored segments within videos, lets you block entire channels from appearing in your recommendations, and lets you filter results by keyword so that topics you do not want to see never reach your feed.
The philosophy behind Clify is that most YouTube time-wasting does not happen because you consciously decided to watch videos for two hours. It happens because the algorithm feeds you one autoplay video after another, Shorts pull you into an infinite vertical scroll loop, and ads break your focus just enough to keep you on the platform longer. By stripping those elements away, Clify lets you use YouTube as a research tool or learning resource without falling into the addiction cycle.
When StayFocusd Is Enough
StayFocusd makes sense when your problem is not specific to YouTube. If you find yourself spending too much time on a mix of sites—social media, news outlets, forums, entertainment—and you just need a hard daily cap, StayFocusd handles that cleanly. You define the limit, the extension enforces it, and you move on with your day.
It is also a good fit if you want a solution that works on any website. Clify is focused specifically on YouTube. StayFocusd does not care what the site is: if it has a URL, you can add it to the list and set a timer. For people whose distractions are spread across many different platforms, this broad applicability is a genuine advantage.
Finally, StayFocusd is ideal if you want something ultra-lightweight and completely free. There are no accounts, no cloud sync, no premium tier. You install it, configure a few rules, and it runs in the background with negligible resource usage. If your needs are simple, a simple tool is the right choice.
When Clify Makes More Sense
Clify makes more sense when YouTube is your primary distraction but you do not want to block it entirely. This is a common scenario: you need YouTube for tutorials, lectures, or professional research, but the platform keeps pulling you into two-hour rabbit holes because of autoplay, Shorts, and algorithmic recommendations.
StayFocusd can block youtube.com after you have spent, say, 30 minutes on it. But that means you lose access to YouTube for the rest of the day even if you need it for a legitimate purpose. Clify takes a different approach: it lets you stay on YouTube as long as you want, but it strips away the addictive elements. No Shorts means no infinite vertical scroll. No algorithmic recommendations means no "up next" rabbit holes. No ads means fewer interruptions that reset your attention and keep you engaged.
Clify also offers features that StayFocusd simply does not have. The channel blocker lets you hide creators whose content always pulls you off track. The keyword blocker lets you filter out entire topics. SponsorBlock integration skips sponsored segments automatically. And with usage analytics, you can actually see which types of content consume the most of your time and adjust your habits accordingly.
For users who primarily struggle with YouTube specifically, Clify offers a more nuanced and ultimately more sustainable solution than a blunt time limit.
Did You Know?
StayFocusd's "Nuclear Option" has a built-in maximum limit of 10 minutes. You cannot set it to block distracting sites for a full eight-hour workday. The idea is to give you a short, intense burst of focus rather than an all-day lockout. For longer focus sessions, you would need to re-activate the Nuclear Option each time it expires.
How Clify Differs
Clify does not limit your time at all. Instead, it changes what you see. By removing ads, Shorts, algorithmic recommendations, and sponsored segments, it makes YouTube a tool rather than a trap. The time you would have spent watching autoplay videos naturally decreases because there is nothing pulling you from one video to the next. This "design-based" approach to focus is fundamentally different from a timer-based one.
Browser Support
StayFocusd only works on Google Chrome. If you use Firefox, Edge, Brave, or any other Chromium-based browser, you are out of luck. Clify works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Android browsers, so you can carry your focus setup across every device and browser you use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does StayFocusd block YouTube ads?
No. StayFocusd has no ad-blocking capability whatsoever. It can block access to a website after you have used it for a set number of minutes, but it does not modify the content of any page. For YouTube ad blocking, you would need a separate extension like Clify or a dedicated ad blocker.
Can I use StayFocusd and Clify together?
Yes, and they actually complement each other well. You could use StayFocusd to set a hard daily time limit on social media and news sites while using Clify specifically to clean up your YouTube experience. StayFocusd handles the broad "I'm spending too much time online" problem; Clify handles the "YouTube keeps me hooked with addictive design patterns" problem.
Which extension uses less memory?
StayFocusd is simpler and lighter. It only needs to track time against a list of URLs, so its memory footprint is minimal. Clify does more—it modifies the YouTube DOM, blocks elements, runs SponsorBlock lookups—so it uses slightly more resources. In practice, both are lightweight enough that neither will noticeably affect browser performance on modern hardware.
Does StayFocusd work on mobile?
No. StayFocusd is a Chrome desktop extension only. It does not work on Android or iOS. Clify, by contrast, supports Android browsers in addition to Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on desktop, giving you broader coverage if mobile focus is a concern.
Which is better for breaking YouTube addiction?
It depends on how you want to approach the problem. StayFocusd gives you a hard time limit: once you have watched 30 minutes of YouTube, the site is locked. This works if your issue is simply spending too much time on the platform. Clify takes a different approach: instead of limiting your time, it removes the features that make YouTube addictive in the first place. If your issue is the algorithm pulling you into endless rabbit holes, Shorts keeping you in an infinite scroll loop, or ads breaking your focus, Clify addresses the root cause rather than treating the symptom. Many users find that the Clify approach leads to more sustainable long-term habits.
Try Clify for a Different Kind of Focus
Instead of fighting the clock, reshape your YouTube experience. Remove ads, Shorts, and algorithmic distractions today.
Get Clify Free →