Comparing BetBlocker?
A free lock,
or someone in your corner.
BetBlocker is free, run by a non-profit, and lets you lock yourself out of gambling sites for a period you choose. It's a good tool, and if cost is what's stopping you, start there. Sworn does something different: it blocks gambling across every app and tells one person you trust if you try.
Free malware and ad/tracker blocking, always. Other categories and partner alerts: 7-day free trial, then $7/month.
The real difference
A timer, or a person.
-
01
BetBlocker times.
You pick a restriction period, from a day to five years, and once it starts it can't be lifted early, not even by asking their support team. Some versions use a VPN to enforce it. It's free, and its site lists no feature for telling anyone else.
-
02
Sworn tells.
Sworn blocks gambling across every app on your phone and computer, with no VPN. If you try to reach a betting site, the person you chose gets a short email saying it happened and what kind of site it was, never the site itself. If the filter is switched off or goes quiet, they're told that too. There's no timer: a determined person can remove Sworn, but not without someone knowing.
They answer different needs. A time lock is strong on the nights you'd undo anything. Accountability is for the long stretch after, when what helps is not carrying it alone.
Side by side
Sworn vs BetBlocker.
| Sworn | BetBlocker | |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | Blocks gambling across every app, and tells one person you trust if you try | Blocks gambling sites for a restriction period you choose |
| Tells someone you trust | Yes, a short email with the category, never the site | Not offered on its site |
| If you want it off early | You can remove it; your partner is told | A restriction can't be lifted before its period ends |
| Time lock | None | 1 day to 5 years |
| Other categories | Pornography, social media, shopping, gaming, VPN/proxy too | Gambling only |
| Uses a VPN? | No | Some versions do |
| Price | $7/mo · $84/yr, after a 7-day free trial | Free, run by a non-profit |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Fire OS |
Comparison compiled October 2026 from BetBlocker’s own site; their features can change. Check their site for the latest. We’re not affiliated with BetBlocker; all names belong to their owners.
Getting started
Set up in about three minutes.
- Install Sworn and switch on Gambling. Malware blocking is on by default; ad/tracker blocking is free too. Gambling and the other categories come with a 7-day free trial, then $7/month.
- Turn on the filter. Sworn walks you through one Settings screen. No VPN, so banking, Maps and everything else keep working.
- Add the person you trust. They confirm by email before they receive anything. After that they only ever see that a blocked attempt happened and the category, never a URL and never your history.
The newer kinds of betting are covered too: see how to block prediction markets and sweepstakes casinos.
Not alone
on the hard night.
Free to start. Three minutes to set up.
On a computer too? Set up the phone first, then add Windows, Mac, Linux or Chromebook to the same account.
Struggling with gambling? In the US, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER. It's free, confidential and open 24/7. Sworn is a filter, and it doesn't replace treatment.