Get Stick
Stick sells a physical USB key and companion software that blocks chosen websites and apps on Mac and Windows. Ending a blocking session requires physically unplugging the key from another room, adding real-world distance to overcome digital distractions. The product costs $39.99 as a one-time purchase with no subscription.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Consumer Electronics
- Hardware
- Software Only
- Wellness & Fitness Technology
Funding
Founders
Product
Problem
Digital self-control tools fail because their controls live on the same device they are meant to restrict. Users can override timers, reset passcodes, or delete apps in moments of impulse, making it nearly impossible to maintain focus or enforce healthy boundaries.
Solution
Stick provides a physical USB key that acts as the sole "off switch" for blocking sessions. Users configure sites and apps to block, start a session from the menu bar or on a schedule, and the block persists across restarts until the key is physically plugged back in. The key can be kept in a drawer, another room, or a bag, creating genuine friction between the user and their distractions. Software is installed on both Mac and Windows, with the key working across all machines a user owns.
Target Audience
Primary customers are individuals — students, remote workers, and creators — who struggle with digital distraction and need a physically enforced boundary to maintain focus and productivity on Mac or Windows computers.
Features
- Physical USB-C key (hot pink or gray) that must be physically inserted to end a blocking session
- Web and app blocking enforced at two system levels, plus automatic closure of blocked apps
- Persistent blocking survives restarts, logouts, and process kills via a boot-time background service
- Modes allow up to ten named sets of blocked sites, apps, and categories (e.g., Deep Work, Sleep) with optional schedule-based starts
- Bundled category lists for Explicit content and Gambling, plus individual site and app selection
- Workaround protection shuts down private DNS, proxy, VPN services, and ~17,500 known circumvention sites during sessions
- Five emergency unlocks per machine for lost keys, with manual support unlocks after that
- No account, tracking, or data collection; only two static list downloads from GitHub