[opensourcedex]

curbox-android is a free, open source system cleanup & optimization project written in Kotlin and released under GPL-3.0. It has 1,339 GitHub stars, 156 forks and 31 open issues, and was last pushed 3 days ago. On this registry it ranks #12 of 12 tracked projects in System Cleanup & Optimization, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is curbox-android?

Curbox is a free, open-source Android app and website blocker, written in Kotlin and licensed under GPL-3.0, built for people who want to cut screen time and short-form scrolling without handing their usage data to a closed-source vendor.

What it is

Curbox, formerly known as Digipauwse, is an open-source utility for Android that provides a suite of tools designed to break the cycle of screen addiction through granular control and deep insights. The entire codebase is public, which the project presents as a transparency guarantee: anyone can verify how the app works and confirm that there are no hidden trackers or malicious behaviors. The main repository holds the Android app, a companion web extension lives in a separate repository, and an iOS version is listed as coming soon. The project's home is at curbox.app, and the platform topics place it in digital wellbeing, productivity tooling, and screen time management, with explicit coverage of Reels blocking, Shorts blocking, and website blocking.

The concrete problem it solves is the loss of time and attention to mindless scrolling, and specifically the triggers that produce it rather than merely the total app minutes. Curbox targets those triggers directly: short-form content inside Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, the infinite home feeds that funnel users into that content, and the specific URL paths that make short-form video reachable on mobile web. It replaces closed-source screen time tools, which the README calls out as a category that raises concerns about private usage data being tracked or sold, and it goes beyond the simple app timers such tools typically offer by allowing parts of an application's interface to be blocked while the rest stays usable.

Key capabilities

  • App and website blocking that can block distracting apps and websites completely.
  • Tamper Protection, which makes uninstalling Curbox or changing its configuration difficult by design.
  • A Short-Form Content Blocker that specifically targets Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
  • Granular UI hiding, such as blocking the entire YouTube home feed while still allowing searches, or hiding the Instagram feed while allowing posts and messages from friends.
  • URL path blocking, such as blocking m.youtube.com/shorts/* while allowing m.youtube.com.
  • Usage Analytics with detailed insights into app and website usage, plus Focus Statistics for tracking progress and focus sessions.
  • Mindful usage tools including a Live Scroll Counter showing a real-time count of short-form videos scrolled, attention span tracking during short-form video watching, a Session Timer showing elapsed time since opening a given app, and Focus Mode.

Who uses it and how

  • Android users running Shizuku are a documented audience: the app appears in "Top 20 shizuku apps 2025" and in a roundup titled "The BEST APPS compatible with SHIZUKU," so Shizuku-based setups are a supported deployment context.
  • People who want to keep an app but remove its worst surface use granular UI hiding and URL path blocking to keep search or direct messages while cutting the feed or the shorts path.
  • Privacy-conscious users who reject closed-source screen time tracking use it because the full codebase is public and auditable.
  • The project has been covered by Android and open-source app channels with large audiences, including HowToMen, Sam Beckman, GadgetGeek, and several others, which is how many users discover it.

Getting started

The README does not include inline install commands; it directs users to read the documentation for step-by-step instructions at https://curbox.app/docs. Android is built from this repository, the browser side comes from the separate web extension repository, and iOS is listed as coming soon.

How it compares

No list of paid products that Curbox replaces is provided in the facts, and no comparable blocker is named by name either, so it stands alone in this registry. The only contrast the README draws is categorical: most screen time tools are closed source, while Curbox publishes its entire codebase under GPL-3.0 so that no hidden trackers or malicious behaviors can go unverified.

When to use it — and when not to

Curbox is a client-side Android app rather than a self-hosted service, so there is no database, object storage, or SMTP stack to operate, but it is also Android-only today, with iOS only promised as coming soon. The README defers installation entirely to external documentation and the excerpt is thin on operational detail, and the repository carries 31 open issues, so anyone expecting a fully documented drop-in setup should check the docs first. Tamper Protection is deliberately inconvenient: it makes uninstalling the app and changing its configuration hard, which is the point for a commitment device but a poor fit for anyone who wants to toggle blocking freely or roll it out across a fleet of managed devices.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Curbox

GitHub contributors Discord Server Telegram Group

Curbox (formerly Digipauwse) is a powerful open source utility for Android built to help you reclaim your time and master your digital habits. It provides a suite of tools designed to break the cycle of screen addiction through granular control and deep insights.

curbox-app%2Fcurbox-android | Trendshift curbox-app%2Fcurbox-android | Trendshift

Screenshots

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Why Curbox Stands Out

Most screen time tools are closed source. This raises concerns about your private usage data being tracked or sold. Curbox takes a different path.

  • Open Source Transparency The entire codebase is public. Anyone can verify how the app works. This ensures there are no hidden trackers or malicious behaviors. Open source doesn't mean anyone can see how you use the app.

Platforms:

How to install

Please read the docs for step by step instructions

Get it on F-Droid

Independent Reviews & Endorsements

Please open an issue if your review is not included, Thank you so much!

In-Depth Feature Analysis

Curbox goes beyond simple app timers. It targets the specific triggers that lead to mindless scrolling.

Blocking & Control
  • App & Website Blocking: Block distracting apps and websites completely.
  • Tamper Protection: Make it difficult to uninstall curbox and changing configurations.
  • Short-Form Content Blocker: Specifically target Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
  • Granular UI Hiding: Block specific parts of an app's UI (e.g., block the entire YouTube home feed while allowing searches or hide instagram feed while allowing posts and messages from friends).
  • URL Path Blocking: Block specific sections of a website (e.g., block m.youtube.com/shorts/* but allow m.youtube.com).
Insights & Awareness
  • Usage Analytics: Detailed insights into app and website usage.
  • Focus Statistics: Track your progress and focus sessions.
  • Live Scroll Counter: See a real-time count of how many short-form videos you've scrolled through.
  • Attention span tracking: Know how well your attention span is while watching short form videos
  • Session Timer: A live timer showing how much time has elapsed since you opened a given app.
Mindful Usage Tools
  • Focus Mode: Temporarily pause apps and websites to stay focused on your work.
  • Scheduled DND: Schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically.
  • App-Specific Grayscale: Apply a grayscale filter only to specific apps (e.g., Instagram) while keeping others (e.g., Camera) in color.
  • Scheduled Usage Limits: Set when a group is active and how much total use is available during that time (e.g., allow 1 hour of WhatsApp use between 7 AM and 9 PM).
  • Home Screen Widgets: Quick access to your stats and controls right from your home screen.
Unlock Mechanisms

Define what happens when you try to open an app after its scheduled usage is finished:

  • Strict Blockade: Complete blockade with no access.
  • Timed Unlocks: Predefine a short duration (e.g., 5 mins) for each subsequent unlock.
  • Dynamic Selection: Choose the duration of your temporary unlock on each attempt.
  • QR/Barcode Unlock: Requires scanning a physical QR code or barcode (e.g., from product boxes like books) to unlock. Spread them across your home to force physical movement!
  • Sentence Retyping: Requires physically typing a specific sentence (e.g., "I am giving up on my goals to use this app right now") to unlock.
  • Unlock Limits: Set how many subsequent unlocks you can perform every X hours.
  • NFC
  • Adaptive Math
For Developers
  • Curbox API: Let your apps directly interact with curbox and start focus modes, change settings, get usage stats, etc. Requires user permission

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! If you want to help improve Curbox, please follow these steps:

  1. Fork the repository.
  2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix.
  3. Commit your changes with a clear message.
  4. Push to your branch.
  5. Create a new Pull Request.

Developing for accessibility services and blockers is complex. It requires understanding how different apps structure their views. We appreciate any help in discovering new ways to block distracting content. Please don't open a PR if you "vibe code" and have no idea what you're doing or what the code does. Preferably, just open an issue with the feature request.

Please read the CONTRIBUTING.md file before working on the project or learning how to make quick contributions like adding support for a modded app in the reel counter, adding support for a new browser, etc.

Special Thanks

  • All my beloved donors and sponsors
  • Digipauws: Inspiration for the entire code structure and working mechanism
  • Usage Direct: For help with app usage statistics.
  • ShizuTools: For Shizuku runner implementations.
  • MPAndroidChart: For the beautiful graphs and charts.

License

Curbox is licensed under the GPL 3 or later license. You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software in accordance with the license.

Contact

For questions or feedback, please open an issue on the GitHub repository or reach out:

TAGS (igno

readme truncated — read the full docs on github

Frequently asked questions

Is curbox-android free to use?

curbox-android is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does curbox-android do?

Free Open Source App & Website Blocker

What is curbox-android written in?

curbox-android is primarily written in Kotlin. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/curbox-app/curbox-android, and it has 1,339 GitHub stars.