The internet, minus the worst of it.
CleanBrowse lives in your Mac's menu bar and blocks adult content at the DNS level — in every browser, in every app. Free, private, and now speaking your language.
Free forever · macOS 14+
Under the hood
Every DNS query on your Mac, answered the right way.
CleanBrowse sits between your Mac and the internet. Adult domains never resolve, search engines are locked to their safe endpoints, and everything else passes through untouched — with no measurable slowdown.
- Adult content→NXDOMAIN
- Search engines→SafeSearch endpoints
- Everything else→resolves normally
Simulated DNS query log: adult domains resolve to NXDOMAIN, search engines are rewritten to their SafeSearch endpoints, and everything else resolves normally.
New in version 1.0
Out of beta. Lighter, faster, and in six languages.
CleanBrowse has left beta — 1.0 is the first full release. It rebuilds the engine to be faster and lighter, opens the app to five new languages, and puts SafeSearch under your control.
Speaks your language
The full app — settings, alerts, everything — is now available in six languages, right-to-left included.
SafeSearch, your rules
Decide exactly how strict search should be. Toggle SafeSearch enforcement per engine — Google, YouTube, Bing, and DuckDuckGo — from the new settings panel.
Lighter on your Mac
The DNS engine was rebuilt for 1.0 — queries resolve faster, memory use is down, and the app stays invisible in your menu bar until you need it.
- ✓ Faster DNS resolution
- ✓ Lower memory footprint
- ✓ Minimal battery impact
How it works
Three layers. No way around them.
Browser extensions can be uninstalled and settings can be reset. CleanBrowse works below all of that — at the system level — so the protection holds everywhere.
Hosts file blocking
Over 249,000 known adult domains are redirected to localhost through the system hosts file — the first wall, and it covers every application on your Mac.
System-wide DNS proxy
A local DNS proxy inspects every query type — including encrypted DNS — and answers NXDOMAIN for anything on the blocklist. What can't resolve can't load.
Enforced SafeSearch
Google, YouTube, Bing, and DuckDuckGo are pinned to their SafeSearch endpoints at the IP level, across 190+ country domains. Search results stay clean too.
From the maker
“Everyone should have the tools to protect themselves and their loved ones online — without a subscription, and without handing their data to anyone.”
CleanBrowse is built and maintained by one person, and it's completely free. No accounts, no analytics on your browsing, nothing leaves your Mac.
Roadmap
Version 1.0 is just the start.
Custom DNS resolver
Coming soonChoose the upstream DNS you trust — Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google, or any resolver you like.
Protect me from myself
In developmentLock your own settings so protection can't be switched off in a weak moment.
Import any blocklist
PlannedBring your own lists — import any blocklist and CleanBrowse enforces it system-wide.
Blocked-domain explorer
PlannedBrowse everything CleanBrowse blocks, and instantly check whether a domain is on the list.
Ready for a cleaner internet?
Download CleanBrowse 1.0 for free — or leave your email and hear about new features first.
Download for macOS