Rowan

Tracking since Apr 28, 2026.

Changelog

• May 5, 2026
  description

  Rowan is a browser blocker for people with health anxiety. It interrupts reassurance-seeking across search engines, YouTube, browser AI tools, and the health sites you choose to block.
  
  For many people with health anxiety, symptom searching becomes a reassurance loop. One search turns into another. One AI prompt becomes five reworded versions of the same question. Rowan is designed to add friction at that point.
  
  When Rowan detects reassurance-seeking or symptom research, it blocks the search before results load, the prompt before it sends, or the chosen site before it opens. You can close the tab, delay the search with a timer, or open help options.
  
  WHAT IT COVERS
  
  • Search: Google, Bing, Brave, DuckDuckGo, and YouTube search
  • Browser-based AI tools where Rowan can detect prompts before they send
  • Image prompts inside supported browser AI tools
  • Sites you choose to block, including health sites, forums, pages, and subreddits
  
  WHAT IT DOES NOT COVER
  
  • Clear emergency-action searches, such as CPR, EpiPen, overdose, or choking instructions
  • Mental health crisis support, such as crisis lines, suicide hotlines, and self-harm help
  • Standalone desktop apps
  • Mobile browsers
  • Individual YouTube videos opened directly, unless you block YouTube yourself
  
  HOW IT WORKS
  
  Rowan uses a local rules engine, not AI. Detection runs locally in your browser, with no account, no server, no analytics, and no third-party tracking.
  
  Because Rowan is built for people with health anxiety who are actively trying to stop using the internet for reassurance, it leans heavily towards blocking anything that appears to be symptom searching or reassurance seeking. This means false positives can happen.
  
  Rowan keeps a small local event log so you can see your own patterns on the Data page. It stores broad themes, not the full search or prompt text. You can clear this activity any time.
  
  The block screen gives you three choices: close the tab, start a delay timer, or open help options. The timer is 5 minutes by default and can be changed in settings.
  
  WHY THERE IS A TIMER
  
  Rowan is built on principles from CBT for health anxiety. Reducing reassurance-seeking is one of the core mechanisms. The timer puts a delay between wanting to search and acting on it, long enough that the need to check may pass.
  
  Rowan is a blocker, not therapy. It does not replace seeing a doctor or mental health professional.
  
  PRICING
  
  Rowan is £9.99 one-time. There is no subscription and no recurring charge. One licence includes 2 activations, one per browser install.
  
  PRIVACY
  
  Nothing leaves your device during detection. Rowan has no account system, no analytics, no server, and no third-party trackers. The only permissions requested are the ones needed to run the blocker, save your settings locally, close a tab when you ask it to, and validate your licence key.
  
  English only for now. The detection engine works on English text regardless of location.
  
  Links:
  • Help & FAQs: https://getrowan.app/help
  • Privacy policy: https://getrowan.app/privacy
  • Terms: https://getrowan.app/terms
  • Support: [email protected]

  Rowan is a browser blocker for people with health anxiety. It interrupts reassurance-seeking across search engines, YouTube, browser AI tools, and the health sites you choose to block.
  
  For many people with health anxiety, symptom searching becomes a reassurance loop. One search turns into another. One AI prompt becomes five reworded versions of the same question. Rowan is designed to add friction at that point.
  
  When Rowan detects reassurance-seeking or symptom research, it blocks the search before results load, the prompt before it sends, or the chosen site before it opens. You can close the tab, delay the search with a timer, or open help options.
  
  HOW IT WORKS
  
  Rowan runs a small detection model entirely on your device. Your queries never leave your browser.
  
  The block screen gives you three options: close the tab, start a delay timer, or open help options. The timer is 5 minutes by default and can be changed in settings.
  
  You set the timer, the blocked sites, and an optional personal note that appears on the block screen. You can turn Rowan off any time from the popup or settings.
  
  WHAT IT COVERS
  
  • Search: Google, Bing, Brave, DuckDuckGo, and YouTube search
  • Browser-based AI tools where Rowan can detect prompts before they send
  • Sites you choose to block, including health sites, forums, pages, and subreddits
  
  WHAT IT DOES NOT COVER
  
  • Clear emergency-action searches, such as CPR, EpiPen, overdose, or choking instructions
  • Mental health crisis support, such as crisis lines, suicide hotlines, and self-harm help
  
  Because Rowan is built for people with health anxiety who are actively trying to stop using the internet for reassurance, it leans heavily towards blocking anything that appears to be symptom searching or reassurance seeking. This means false positives can happen.
  
  WHY THERE IS A TIMER
  
  Rowan is built on principles from CBT for health anxiety. Reducing reassurance-seeking is one of the core mechanisms. The timer puts a delay between wanting to search and acting on it, long enough that the need to check may pass.
  
  Rowan is a blocker, not therapy. It does not replace seeing a doctor or mental health professional.
  
  PRICING
  
  Rowan is £9.99 one-time. There is no subscription and no recurring charge. One licence includes 2 activations, one per browser install.
  
  PRIVACY
  
  Nothing leaves your device during detection. Rowan has no account system, no analytics, no server, and no third-party trackers. The only permissions requested are the ones needed to run the blocker, save your settings locally, close a tab when you ask it to, and validate your licence key.
  
  Rowan keeps a small local event log so you can see your own patterns on the Data page. It stores broad themes, not the full search or prompt text. You can clear this activity any time.
  
  English only for now.
  
  Links
  
  Help & FAQs: https://getrowan.app/help
  Privacy policy: https://getrowan.app/privacy
  Terms: https://getrowan.app/terms
  Support: [email protected]

• May 5, 2026
  short_description

  Browser blocker for people with health anxiety. Interrupts reassurance-seeking on search, AI, and flagged sites.

  Browser blocker for health anxiety. Interrupts reassurance-seeking on search, AI chatbots, flagged sites, and triggering pages.

Permissions & access

Permissions

storagescriptingtabs

Host access

https://www.google.com/*, https://www.bing.com/*, https://search.brave.com/*, https://duckduckgo.com/*, https://www.youtube.com/*, https://chatgpt.com/*, https://claude.ai/*, https://gemini.google.com/*, https://www.perplexity.ai/*, https://grok.com/*, https://copilot.microsoft.com/*, https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/*

Screenshots