# How to Vibe Code Your Own Freedom (and Stop Paying for It)

> Block Websites, Apps, and the Internet

- Site: https://freedom.to
- Category: Productivity & Digital Wellness
- Platforms: macOS app, Windows app, iOS app, Android app
- Verdict: **Serious undertaking** (32/100 vibecodeable)
- Estimated effort: 3-4 months of full-time native systems development

## Verdict

Build a simplified single-device web extension clone instead, because replicating Freedom's kernel-level desktop process locks and mobile OS integrations requires navigating hostile platform sandboxes.

Freedom's core value isn't a Next.js dashboard—it's the un-bypassable desktop daemon and mobile screen-time hooks. Replicating the web-blocking side via a local DNS sinkhole or browser extension is straightforward, but building a true 'Locked Mode' on macOS/Windows that resists force-quitting and integrating with Apple's Family Controls requires writing deep native helper services in Swift/C++ that AI agents will struggle to provision correctly without heavy developer intervention.

### What you can't replicate

- Apple and Google enterprise app review compliance for deep restriction APIs
- Robust kernel-level bypass prevention across all operating systems
- 15 years of edge-case debugging against OS updates

## What it does

Cross-platform digital distraction-blocking suite that limits access to websites, specific desktop and mobile apps, or the entire internet.

### Core features

- Cross-device session state synchronization
- Custom website and app blocklists
- Advanced and recurring schedule builder
- Locked Mode (unremovable block during active sessions)
- Website exceptions (block-all except allowed list)
- Ambient focus soundscapes and music integration

## The business

### Pricing

- Free Tier: Free — Limited features and restricted session counts.
- Freedom Premium (Annual): $39.99/yr — Full access to multi-device sync, advance scheduling, and locked mode.
- Freedom Forever: $129-150 — One-time purchase lifetime access.

Founded 2011.
Team size: 11-50.

## The hard parts

- Low-level desktop network filtering and process blocking on macOS/Windows
- Enforcing 'Locked Mode' so the blocking agent cannot be force-quit or uninstalled via Task Manager/Activity Monitor
- Integrating with iOS Screen Time / Family Controls and Android Accessibility/VPN APIs without triggering spyware flags
- Maintaining low-latency real-time state synchronization across disparate mobile and desktop OS environments

## How to vibe code Freedom

### Prerequisites

- Mac + Xcode (Free): Required for building native macOS and iOS companion apps using SwiftUI and Family Controls.
- Apple Developer Account ($99/yr): Mandatory for obtaining provisioning profiles and testing Apple Screen Time / Family Controls APIs.
- Node.js (free): Required to run the cross-device sync backend and web dashboard.
- GitHub (free): Code repository and CI/CD pipelines.

### Recommended AI tools

- Claude Code: Best-in-class multi-file agent for scaffolding the backend sync API and SwiftUI client architecture.
- Cursor: Ideal editor for reviewing SwiftUI diffs and debugging native bridge code.

### Stack

- Frontend: SwiftUI (macOS/iOS native client) + Next.js (Web dashboard)
- Backend: Next.js API Routes / Node.js
- Database: Turso (SQLite at the edge for ultra-fast session state sync)
- Auth: better-auth
- Payments: Stripe
- Other: Apple Family Controls Framework, Tailwind CSS

### Hosting

- Cloudflare (Hosting the Next.js web dashboard, REST sync API, and Turso database backend.): $0-5/mo

### Build guide

1. **Project Scaffolding & Database Schema** — Initialize the Turborepo monorepo with a Next.js web dashboard, a Turso SQLite database, and better-auth configuration.

```
Scaffold a monorepo containing a Next.js web frontend and a Turso SQLite database schema using Drizzle ORM. Define tables for users, devices, blocklists (with fields for type: 'app' | 'website' | 'internet'), focus_sessions (with start_time, end_time, is_locked), and website_exceptions. Implement better-auth for secure email/password and session management. Ensure strict typing across all database queries and establish environment variable validation using Zod.
```

2. **Cross-Device Sync API & Real-Time Polling** — Build backend endpoints for managing active focus sessions and synchronizing state across registered client devices.

```
Create robust REST API endpoints in Next.js for starting, stopping, and checking active focus sessions. Implement a device registration endpoint that registers client devices (macOS, iOS, Windows) and links them to the user account. Build a secure polling endpoint (/api/sync/status) that returns the current active restriction state, active blocklists, and locked-mode flags so client apps can enforce local blocking rules. Include proper rate limiting and token validation.
```

3. **macOS Native Helper & System Modification Daemon** — Develop the macOS native status bar application shell that communicates with the backend sync API and modifies local hosts files.

```
Create a macOS native application shell using SwiftUI and Swift. Implement a background service daemon that periodically polls the Next.js sync API for active focus sessions. When a session is active, implement local network blocking by modifying the macOS `/etc/hosts` file to redirect blocked domains (e.g., social media URLs) to 127.0.0.1. Include error handling for file permissions and automatic restoration of the hosts file when sessions end.
```

4. **Locked Mode & Bypass Prevention on macOS** — Implement protective measures to prevent the user from force-quitting the blocking daemon or tampering with system files during a locked session.

```
In the macOS native application, implement 'Locked Mode' enforcement. When a focus session has `is_locked: true`, intercept app termination attempts (NSApplicationDelegate applicationShouldTerminate). Disable menu items for quitting or logging out. Monitor system process tables using Foundation Process API to detect if the helper daemon is killed, and automatically restart it. Ensure UI controls are locked out until the session expiration timestamp is reached.
```

5. **iOS Screen Time / Family Controls Integration** — Scaffold an iOS companion app using Swift and Apple's FamilyControls and ManagedSettings frameworks to block distracting apps on mobile.

```
Create an iOS companion target using SwiftUI. Integrate Apple's FamilyControls framework (`AuthorizationCenter`) to request user consent for screen time management. Implement `ManagedSettingsStore` and `ShieldConfiguration` to enforce application and web domain shields when the backend sync state indicates an active focus session. Build a background task coordinator that syncs session status with the central Next.js API.
```

6. **Scheduling & Website Exceptions Engine** — Build the scheduling engine supporting advance and recurring focus sessions, plus whitelist exceptions ('block all except').

```
Implement a cron-based scheduling engine using Cloudflare Workers Cron Triggers or background job runners that automatically trigger focus sessions according to user-defined schedules stored in Turso. On the macOS client, implement 'Website Exceptions' logic: when an allow-list mode is active, configure local DNS/hosts routing to block all outbound web traffic except explicitly permitted domain entries.
```

7. **Ambient Focus Soundscapes & Polish** — Add integrated audio streaming for ambient focus soundscapes and finalize dashboard UI polish.

```
Build an ambient sound player component in both the web dashboard and macOS native app using AVPlayer. Stream royalty-free focus soundscapes (café, library, rain) via cloud storage assets hosted on Cloudflare R2. Polish the Tailwind CSS web interface with responsive scheduling calendars, blocklist managers, and device overview cards to match professional SaaS standards.
```

### Cost vs paying

**Starting costs (one-time):**

- Apple Developer Account: $99/yr
- Custom Domain: $12/yr
- Total: ~$111 one-time/annual

**Ongoing costs (monthly):**

- Cloudflare & Turso Hosting: $0/mo
- Total: $0/mo

- Paying for the SaaS instead: $3.33/mo ($39.99/yr)
- Build time: 120-160 hours
- AI tool credits: $40
- Break-even: 3 years (factoring Apple developer fee and intense native development time)

## Sources

- [Freedom Official Website & Features](https://freedom.to)