Covenant Eyes Alternative: Blocking Plus a Guardian Lock, Without Screenshots

Why people go looking for a Covenant Eyes alternative

Covenant Eyes is probably the best-known name in porn accountability, and for good reason: it has been around for a long time, it built the idea of an "ally" into the product, and plenty of people credit it with helping them quit. So when someone searches for an alternative, it's usually not because the concept failed them. It's because one specific part of the model doesn't fit.

The reasons we hear most often:

• Screenshots feel too invasive. Even blurred, some people don't want images of their screen going to another person, or they share a phone or laptop with work material they can't send anywhere.
• They want a hard block, not just a report. Accountability after the fact helps, but in a weak moment some people want the door to be shut, not watched.
• Cost. A premium accountability subscription adds up over a year, especially if you're only protecting your own devices.
• They're technical and would rather filter at the network level than run monitoring software that inspects their screen.

How Covenant Eyes works today

Based on Covenant Eyes' own site in October 2026, the product is built around the Victory app and a monitoring utility called Victory Shield. Shield enables what they call Screen Accountability: it captures screenshots (blurred for privacy) on Windows, Mac and Android, and in Safari on iPhone, and sends them to the allies you invite. Allies install the Victory app for free and get notifications, daily check-ins and a secure chat. Covenant Eyes also reports and blocks explicit domains across apps on iOS, and the Victory app includes learning courses and a community.

Plans cover unlimited devices for up to 10 people in a household. At the time of writing the site lists monthly, yearly and lifetime options with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee; check their site for current pricing, since it changes.

Covenant Eyes lists Chromebooks, Kindle tablets, smart TVs, VR headsets and Linux as unsupported.

How NoorI approaches the same problem

NoorI is a different kind of tool. It doesn't watch your screen at all. It filters at the DNS level: every time a device on your account looks up a domain, the request goes through a private Cloudflare Zero Trust Gateway location that NoorI provisions just for you, and your rules decide whether that lookup is allowed or blocked. Devices enroll with the free, official Cloudflare One app on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. You don't need a Cloudflare account. Our explainer on DNS filtering covers the mechanics.

What makes it relevant for recovery is Guardian mode (Pro and Family plans). You invite someone you trust as your guardian. Once they accept, you can still add blocks whenever you like, but anything that would loosen your protection needs their approval first. That includes editing or deleting a rule, pausing filtering, disconnecting, or removing the guardian. When they approve, nothing opens straight away. A delay you chose during setup (at least four hours) has to pass first, and then you get a 30-minute window to make changes before the lock closes again.

The guardian doesn't get screenshots or a browsing report. Their job is to say yes or no to an unlock, with that delay built in so the decision is never made in the heat of the moment.

Covenant Eyes vs NoorI, side by side

Covenant Eyes

• Core model: accountability. Allies see blurred screenshots and activity reports.
• Blocking: explicit domains are blocked and reported, with blocking in apps on iOS.
• Partner role: allies review reports, send check-ins and chat with you.
• Recovery content: courses, daily check-ins and a community in the Victory app.
• Coverage: unlimited devices for up to 10 users on one plan.
• Free tier: no. There is a free trial and a money-back guarantee.

NoorI

• Core model: prevention. Requests are blocked at the network level before a page loads.
• Blocking: by category, app or exact domain, plus safe search enforcement, schedules and URL-path blocking in browsers with the optional NoorI certificate.
• Partner role: the guardian approves or denies unlocks. A mandatory delay comes before anything opens.
• Recovery content: written guides only. There's no community or course platform.
• Coverage: 1 device on Free, 10 on Pro, 20 on Family (with up to 5 child accounts).
• Free tier: yes, 1 device with the Basic preset and no card needed. Pro is $9.99/month or $95.99/year.

The privacy difference, in plain terms

Because NoorI works at the DNS layer, the only thing it can see is which domains a device contacted and whether each one was allowed or blocked. It never sees page content, search terms, messages or what's on your screen. That information simply isn't part of a DNS lookup. Screen-based accountability is built to see more. That extra visibility is the point of it, and it suits some people, but it's a real difference worth weighing before you choose.

When Covenant Eyes is the better choice

Being straight about it, Covenant Eyes is likely the better fit if:

• Reports are what keep you honest. Some people quit because they know someone will see what happened. NoorI's guardian doesn't see your activity, so if visibility is the motivator, a screenshot-based tool does that job and NoorI doesn't.
• You want structured recovery content such as courses, daily check-ins and a community, all in one app.
• You're part of a church, group or program that already uses Covenant Eyes, so your allies are set up there.
• A large household needs unlimited devices for many people under one plan.

Some people run both: a network-level block so the door is shut, plus accountability software so someone notices if they try to get around it.

When NoorI is the better choice

• You want blocking first. Rules hold across every browser and every app on the device, private windows included, because the check happens before a connection is made.
• You don't want screenshots taken at all, whether that's for personal privacy or because the device holds confidential work.
• You want a lock rather than a report. Guardian mode makes the decision to loosen your filter slow and shared, which takes away the 2 a.m. "just this once."
• You're technical and prefer a network-layer approach built on Cloudflare's Zero Trust Gateway. Bypass handling is covered in our VPN and DNS bypass guide.
• You want to start free on one device and only pay if you need guardian mode or more devices.

Trying it

The 5-minute quick start walks through enrolling your first device. If you're setting this up for your own recovery, turn on guardian mode once your rules feel right, not before. It's much easier to fine-tune what's blocked while you can still edit freely. For how NoorI compares with the other recovery-focused apps, see our BlockerX comparison and Canopy comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Covenant Eyes alternative without screenshots?

Yes. DNS-level blockers like NoorI filter which domains a device can reach and never capture your screen. NoorI only sees the domains contacted and whether each was allowed or blocked. It never sees page content, searches or messages.

Does NoorI send activity reports to an accountability partner?

No. In NoorI, the guardian approves or denies requests to loosen your filter, with a mandatory delay before anything unlocks. They don't receive screenshots or browsing reports. If reports to a partner are what you need, a screen-accountability tool is the better fit.

Can I use Covenant Eyes and NoorI together?

Generally yes, since they work at different layers: NoorI blocks at the DNS level and Covenant Eyes monitors and reports. Test both on your devices, because running two system-level tools on the same phone can occasionally cause conflicts.

Is there a free alternative to Covenant Eyes?

NoorI has a free plan that covers one device with the Basic preset and doesn't need a card. Guardian mode, custom domains and scheduling come with the paid Pro plan, which costs $9.99 a month or $95.99 a year.

Can someone get around a DNS-level porn blocker?

NoorI blocks manual DNS changes on enrolled devices, and it can't be bypassed by private browsing. A separate VPN app or removing the enrollment app can get around any DNS filter, which is why NoorI recommends pairing it with OS-level restrictions on devices you want locked down.