Best new focus, writing, automation and forms resources: 14 October

The directory additions from 14 October were among the largest so far, as part of a push to add free alternatives to popular paid tools. This roundup picks four groups from that day: tools for blocking distractions and staying focused, writing and grammar checkers, automation tools that connect your apps, and form and survey builders. Features and pricing change, so check each tool's own page before you commit.

Focus and distraction blocking

LeechBlock NG is a free, open-source browser extension that blocks the websites that eat your time. You can group sites into up to 30 block sets, each with its own rules, such as fixed hours, a few minutes per hour or an immediate lock for a set time. It works in Firefox, Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers. It blocks websites only, not apps, and can be removed like any extension.

SelfControl is a free, open-source Mac app that blocks your own access to distracting websites, mail servers or other internet services for a set time. Once you press Start, the block holds until the timer runs out, even if you restart your computer or delete the app, so set the timer carefully.

Flow Club runs live virtual coworking sessions of 30 minutes to 3 hours for up to 9 people, opening with a check-in and closing with a progress share. You can join with your camera on or off, and there are chat-only sessions too. It is a paid subscription after a free trial, and sessions run at set times.

Writing and grammar

LanguageTool checks grammar, spelling, punctuation and style in more than 30 languages, in browsers, Google Docs, Word, email apps and its own apps for macOS, Windows and iOS. The free plan checks shorter texts and includes a few AI rephrasings a day. Harper takes a different approach: a free, open-source English grammar checker that runs entirely on your own device, with no cloud, telemetry or large language model, available as a Mac app, browser extensions and editor plugins. It is English only and does not rewrite for tone.

Hemingway Editor highlights long sentences, passive voice and other habits that make writing hard to read, so you can simplify it yourself. The free web editor cannot save or export, and AI fixes need the paid Plus plan. ProWritingAid adds style and line-editing reports aimed at fiction and long-form writing, with two free reports a day on up to 500 words.

Wordtune and QuillBot focus on rewording. Wordtune suggests clearer, shorter or more formal versions of a sentence, with 10 free rewrites a day. QuillBot paraphrases up to 125 words at a time on the free plan, checks grammar and summarises long texts, and keeps its plagiarism checker for Premium.

Automation between apps

IFTTT connects apps, web services and smart home devices with simple if-this-then-that Applets. The free plan includes 2 Applets, and it is not built for complex multi-step business workflows. Activepieces is an open-source alternative to Zapier for automated flows and AI agents, with a free cloud plan of 1,000 credits a month and a self-hostable Community Edition under the MIT licence.

Pipedream is aimed at developers, mixing ready-made actions with your own code steps across more than 3,000 connectors; there is a free plan, and paid plans jump to $99 a month billed annually. Node-RED is a free, open-source flow-based tool from the OpenJS Foundation for event-driven automation, from home automation to industrial control, and runs locally, in Docker or on a Raspberry Pi. Huginn is a free, self-hosted system of agents that watch websites, read feeds and trigger actions on your own server. Both Node-RED and Huginn need some technical setup, and Huginn is maintained by volunteers in their spare time.

Forms and surveys

Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are both free with a personal account and cover surveys, quizzes and sign-up forms, sending results to Google Sheets or Excel respectively. Both are simpler in design than dedicated form builders, and some Microsoft Forms extras need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Jotform adds payment forms, e-signature documents and a large template library; its free plan allows 5 active forms and 100 submissions a month, with Jotform branding. Fillout's free plan includes unlimited forms and seats with 1,000 responses a month and connects directly to Airtable, Notion, Google Sheets and other tools. Formbricks is an open-source survey platform for link, website and in-app surveys that you can self-host under AGPLv3, or use on a free cloud plan capped at 250 responses a month.

These are only some of the tools added recently. Browse the full directory to filter by category, type, pricing and goal and find the right fit for your work.