Unlike most other Internet filtering solutions, Plucky is ‘DIY’ or ‘do it yourself’ software. The term comes from home improvement where owners will choose not to hire professionals and opt instead to do the work themselves.
A quick Google search lists these benefits to DIY:
- Save Money: Avoid paying for professional labor.
- Learn New Skills: Gain competence in various practical areas.
- Personalize: Create unique spaces and items that reflect your style.
- Rewarding: The satisfaction of completing a project yourself.
The same benefits can apply to Plucky as well, but especially in the personalization and reward areas.
Customizability
Plucky is customizable because no two people use their computers in the exact same way. One person may want to avoid gambling, another shopping, another social media and gaming, etc., and even in areas where the category of content to be avoided is the same (such as pornography), there will be some who say “That image isn’t a temptation” and others who disagree.
When you go to a tailor to get fitted for a suit, he takes in your measurements so that the suit will be a precise fit to your body. But the only person who knows how to precisely fit an Internet filter to your mind and soul is yourself.
Dumb filter versus smart filter
Sometimes users lament that Plucky is too hard to use and they wish it acted more like a smart filter. If Plucky was a smart filter, it would make more automatic decisions about filtering and that necessarily means the user would make fewer decisions himself. While that sounds nice to alleviate decision fatigue and possibly get up-and-running faster, it wouldn’t be very helpful or effective in the long run for the reasons detailed in the customizability section.
That being said, we do strive to find a healthy balance and provide users with a thing called imports that can make the setup process a bit smoother and the learning curve a bit gentler.
imports
Imports are like plugins. They are configurations created by Plucky staff and experienced users which can be ‘imported’ to your own configuration and act like you did the work yourself.
When starting with a fresh install of Plucky, users are given a choice of what general level of strictness is better suited to their needs: classic or wimpy.
Neither option should be thought of as a full solution in itself. They are just starter packs that give you a foundation to build your configuration off of with your own customizations to be added later.
In addition, you can also import a variety of other configurations shared by users which often have a specific theme or purpose (block spotify imagery, block social media sites, allow addiction recovery resources, etc.)
Resources
walkthrough guide
A very detailed text & video guide that shows how to basically “unbox” Plucky and set it up. If you have no prior Plucky experience, start here: https://guide.pluckeye.net/beginner
manual
Although many people seem to hate reading these days, the manual has guides (sometimes with pictures and videos!) which not only answer questions most users have, but even includes step-by-step instructions for doing things you might consider important for customizing your configuration.
When in doubt, use the search bar!
the most important manual pages
videos
There’s a few places you can watch video tutorials.
Last updated: 2025-12-16