Bootstrapped Website Blocker Generates $1 Million a Year

About

Freedom is a cross-platform app that helps users block distracting websites and apps so they can focus on deep work.

The Team

Freedom was founded in 2011 by Fred Stutzman. The company is bootstrapped and operates with a small remote team.

• reference: https://saasclub.io/podcast/million-dollar-software-business-fred-stutzman-freedom

Business Model & Revenue

Freedom runs on a freemium subscription model:

• Free Plan: Users can try the basic features like website and app blocking during a limited number of sessions.

• Paid Plans: Premium features like scheduling, locked mode, ambient focus sounds, and cross-device syncing are available via subscription:

  • $8.99/month
  • $3.30/month billed annually
  • $199 one-time "Forever" plan

As of 2021, Freedom generated around $1.2 million in annual revenue.

• reference: ://getlatka.com/companies/freedomto

Distribution

Freedom is available across macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome, with direct downloads from its official website and app stores.

Its main traffic channels are:

• Direct (68,98%) – from returning users and strong brand recognition
• Organic Search (26.93%) – driven by SEO for keywords like “website blocker”
• Referral (3.27%) – from blogs, media mentions, and affiliate links

It ranks highly for several high-traffic keywords:

Tech Stack

• Desktop: Electron, macOS & Windows APIs
• Mobile: Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android)
• Backend: Likely Python or Node.js
• Frontend: JavaScript, HTML/CSS, React