# Forest vs Smile Todo

The clearest difference is ads: Smile Todo at none against Forest's shown. Smile Todo also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Forest's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Forest sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Smile Todo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Forest against 4.9 for Smile Todo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smile Todo has 19K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 88% of Smile Todo's.

Forest ships an update monthly, Smile Todo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Forest | Smile Todo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forest-focus-timer/id1500856145/reviews)** | [4.9 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smile-todo-time-management/id1551532207/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **19K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 16 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [青青 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1500856144) | [EMMO Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1507868195) |

## What reviewers say

### Forest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forest-focus-timer/id1500856145)

Develop good habits by growing virtual trees. Successfully completing focus sessions cultivates a thriving digital forest, while missed sessions result in dead trees. This app encourages self-discipline through a gamified approach to habit formation.

**Highlights:** Grow virtual trees for completed habits, Develop good habits, Gamified self-discipline, Track habit completion, Build a digital forest

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 打卡森林月度会员 | $2.99 | per month |
| 打卡森林季度会员 | $5.99 | per 3 months |
| 打卡森林年度会员 | $19.49 | per year |


### Smile Todo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smile-todo-time-management/id1551532207)

This app helps you build self-discipline and concentration through a minimalist daily task list. Track your habits, earn smiley faces for completing goals, and review your progress with a cute tracker.

**Highlights:** Minimalist daily task list, Habit tracking with swipe gestures, Smiley face reward system, Cute tracker for saving/sharing progress, Clock log for schedule review, Subscription for premium features

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 微笑Todo Pro（一年） | $3.99 | per year |
| SmileTodo Pro (forever) | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helps with organization and productivity
- 💗 Cute and aesthetically pleasing design
- 🎨 Customizable colors and themes
- ⭐️ Motivating and rewarding to complete tasks
- 🔔 Helpful reminders and notifications

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for full access
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🌐 Some translations/instructions not in English
- 📁 Inability to reorder or edit tasks once created
- 📊 Lack of syncing between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not functioning properly
- Tasks added show up on previous days
- Habit tracking not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add ability to reorder tasks
- Improve syncing between devices
- Provide more language options
- Allow tasks to carry over to next day if not completed
- Add option to group tasks into categories


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Forest free?

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

### Is Smile Todo free?

Smile Todo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Forest or Smile Todo?

Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Smile Todo averages 4.9 from 19K ratings.

### Do Forest or Smile Todo have ads?

Forest shows ads; Smile Todo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Forest or Smile Todo?

Forest ships an update monthly, and Smile Todo every 2 weeks. Most recently, Forest was updated on November 3, 2026 and Smile Todo on November 13, 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.*