# Arboreal Forest vs Forester

The clearest difference is rating: Forester at 5.0 against Arboreal Forest's 4.2. Forester also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.1 vs 26.0). Arboreal Forest's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Arboreal Forest sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Forester asks for nothing beyond the download.

Forester holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arboreal Forest has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Arboreal Forest ships an update every 6 days, Forester every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Arboreal Forest | Forester |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arboreal-forest/id1462673493/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forester/id1607048411/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 86 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Arboreal AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1372542612) | [Open Forest GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1607048413) |

## What reviewers say

### Arboreal Forest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arboreal-forest/id1462673493)

This app offers rapid and precise forest measurements using your iPhone's AR and LiDAR capabilities. It eliminates the need for traditional tools and paper, providing immediate compiled results for diameter, tree count, volume, height, and species. Designed for fieldwork, it operates offline and syncs data to the cloud.

**Highlights:** Diameter and basal area measurement, Trees per hectare calculation, Stand volume estimation, Tree height and species identification, Offline fieldwork capability, Cloud data synchronization, REST API export

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Measure as much as you want | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Measure as much as you want | $27.99 | per month |


### Forester

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forester/id1607048411)

Collect ground data for forest projects, including photos, geolocation, and tree measurements. This app allows for data collection even in remote, offline areas, supporting registered projects on the Open Forest Protocol.

**Highlights:** Collect ground data, Record photos, Capture geolocation, Measure trees, Offline data collection, Monitor forest projects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Arboreal Forest free?

Arboreal Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Forester free?

Forester is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Arboreal Forest or Forester?

Forester is rated higher. Arboreal Forest averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Forester averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Arboreal Forest or Forester have ads?

Neither Arboreal Forest nor Forester shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Arboreal Forest or Forester?

Arboreal Forest ships an update every 6 days, and Forester every 2 months. Most recently, Arboreal Forest was updated on October 21, 2026 and Forester on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*