What it does
- Add the sites you want to limit, and set a daily limit and blocked hours (for example, weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00) for each one.
- Add the site you're on with the HodoHodo button in the toolbar. The popup shows how many minutes you have left today.
- Shortly before a site is blocked, a "Blocking in … min" bar appears at the bottom of the page, trees and branches grow, and birds gather (see "The notice before blocking" below).
- Need a little longer? Press "Extend 5 min" in the popup. You can do this up to 3 times a day, across all sites.
- When you open a blocked site, birds are waiting for you, with an old proverb or a few words from the bird.
- See how many minutes you spent on each site today, and a 7-day chart, on the settings page.
- Don't want the birds? Turn on Simple mode, and notices appear as text only.
Time is counted while a tab of a site on your list is showing on screen, even if you aren't touching anything. Window size doesn't matter, and neither does another app being in front. In a minimized window or a background tab, it counts only while sound is playing. Opening the same site in two tabs doesn't count double. Time while your screen is locked or your computer is asleep is not counted.
The notice before blocking
From 1 minute before a site is blocked (you can choose 3 or 5 minutes, or Off, in the settings), a text bar at the bottom, trees growing from the bottom of the screen, branches growing from its edges, and gathering birds are shown on top of that site's tabs. The closer it gets, the more trees, branches, and birds appear, until they cover about 30% of the screen. When the time comes, the tab switches to the blocked page.
- HodoHodo does not read the page (its text, what you type, or what you're viewing), and does not change the page's text or colors.
- The bar, trees, branches, and birds are only drawn on top. Clicks on the birds, trees, branches, and ice don't reach the page; clicks anywhere else, including on the bar, still go through to the page underneath.
- It appears only on tabs of sites you added and allowed. Access is asked for one site at a time, when you add that site.
- The bird pictures are bundled with the extension. Nothing is loaded from outside.
Harder to unblock
To loosen the settings of a site that is blocked right now (raise its limit, change its hours, remove it, and so on), you wait 60 seconds first. While you wait, the bird asks, "Are you sure you want to loosen it?" It never scolds you. This is on for everyone from the start, including the free version.
The birds
HodoHodo is named after the walk of the American woodcock, a bird from North America. It walks slowly, rocking its body back and forth. Never in a hurry, just enough. In Japanese, "hodohodo" means "in moderation."
You can choose from these 9 birds on the settings page. Choose several, and they appear together on the blocked page and in the notice before blocking. In the toolbar popup, one of them appears each time you open it.
American Woodcock, Long-tailed Tit (Shima-enaga), Java Sparrow, White Java Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Penguin, Shoebill
Free and paid versions
| Free | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites to block | Up to 5 | Up to 100 |
| Blocked hours | 1 time range per site | Up to 3 time ranges per site |
| Daily limits, the notice before blocking, Extend 5 min, birds on the blocked page, harder to unblock, 7-day chart, Simple mode | Included | Included |
You can try the paid version for 7 days with the "Try for 7 days" button on the settings page. No card is needed, and the extension switches back to the free version automatically after 7 days. The trial can be used once. On the free version, sites beyond the first 5, and time ranges beyond the first one for each site, are kept but no longer block anything.
Pricing
- Yearly: $14.99 per year, tax included. It renews automatically every year, and you pay $14.99 at each renewal until you cancel.
- One-time: $29.99, tax included. You pay once. It does not renew.
You can buy from the buttons on the extension's settings page. Payment processing, billing, and taxes are handled by Dodo Payments, our reseller (merchant of record). After payment, you receive a license key on the purchase page and by email. Paste the key into the settings page and the paid version is active right away.
One key can be activated in up to 10 browsers. You can cancel the yearly plan online at any time from the customer portal linked in your purchase confirmation email. After you cancel, you keep the paid version until the end of the period you have paid for. See the terms of sale for refunds and cancellation.
If you choose another currency on the purchase page, the amount shown there applies.
Records and privacy
Your settings and the record of which sites you used and for how long are stored only in your browser and are never sent off your PC. The site icons on the settings page come from icons your browser already has. The extension contacts Dodo Payments only to activate, check, or remove a paid-version key. See the privacy policy for details.
Please note
- You can always turn off or remove the extension itself. It helps you stick to your limits, but it cannot guarantee that you won't overuse a site.
- It works only in the browser where it is installed. It does not block other browsers or phone apps.
- It is not a tool to get around school or workplace network restrictions. It only blocks the sites you add yourself.
- For desktop Google Chrome (version 111 or later) and Microsoft Edge. The extension's screens are in English and Japanese.