Comparison

Focus Time Activity Tracker vs Forest

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Focus Time Activity Tracker

This app helps you improve focus and productivity by using timed work sessions and short breaks. It automatically manages timers, counts completed sessions, and allows you to track your time spent on different activities.

Highlights
  • Timed work sessions
  • Automatic break timers
  • Session counting
  • Activity time tracking
  • Background timer operation
Features
Read full description

Want to focus better on what you're doing? Focus Time is a beautifully designed timer for people who want to avoid distractions and get more done. LifeHacker: "Keeps You On-Task and Productive" Want to eliminate the anxiety of time and enhance your focus and concentration? The key is to apply yourself to tasks by working in units of 25 minutes, separated by short breaks of 5 minutes. The steps are: 1. Choose a task to accomplish 2. Start timer 3. Work until timer rings 4. Take a short break 5. Every 4 sessions, take a longer break Focus Time will automatically switch between the work timer and the long/short break timers, as well as counting the number of sessions you've completed. You can select an activity and see a graph of how you're spending your time. Don't worry about taking a call or switching to another app while using Focus Time - the timer will carry on running even in the background.

About

Forest

This app uses a gamified timer to help users stay focused and reduce phone distractions. Users plant virtual trees that grow while they concentrate, but wither if they leave the app. It encourages productivity and offers features like personalized allow lists and real tree planting.

Highlights
  • Gamified focus timer
  • Virtual tree planting
  • Personalized allow lists
  • Unlockable tree species and white noises
  • Real tree planting initiative
  • Detailed time statistics
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

**Stay off your phone and a tree grows. Leave early and it withers. That's Forest, the focus timer used by 60 million people worldwide.** Top productivity app in 136 countries. Recommended by The New York Times and Business Insider. "Forest works well, and if your goal is to be more in the moment, ignore your phone and actually talk to your friends when you are with them, this is the app for you." — The New York Times Together, our community has planted over 2 million real trees on Earth through our partnership with Trees for the Future. --- STAY FOCUSED Forest helps you overcome phone addiction, reduce distractions, and build deep work habits. Whether you are studying for exams, working from home, or simply trying to be more present, Forest gives you a reason to stay on task. - A gamified focus timer that turns screen-free time into a growing virtual forest - Create personalized Allow Lists to block distracting apps during focus sessions (iOS 16 or above) - Track your daily phone usage and screen time GET MOTIVATED - Unlock tree species and soundscapes as you reach focus milestones - Co-plant trees with friends and family during shared focus sessions - Compete with users around the world and share your forest - Unlock achievements and earn extra rewards - Plant real trees on Earth through our partnership with Trees for the Future TIME GUARD: BLOCK DISTRACTIONS ON SCHEDULE Time Guard helps you set phone-free windows throughout your day. Block distracting apps on a schedule, limit when you can access them, and track how much time you spend on your phone. MINDFUL SPACE: RESET YOUR MIND Mindful Space combines calming soundscapes, breathing exercises, and gentle animations to help you decompress between focus sessions. STATISTICS & INSIGHTS - Create custom tags and view detailed statistics of how you spend your focused time - Review your weekly, monthly, and yearly focus history as a visual forest - Revisit your focus journey with Forest Timeline - Sync your focused time with Apple Health It is never too late to build better habits. --- FOREST PLUS Love Forest? Try Forest Plus. - 3x coin rewards and unlock new trees faster - Exclusive Plus-only tree species and early access to seasonal new trees - Turn your focus into a real tree on Earth Start your free trial today, cancel anytime. --- NOTICE Forest is available on iPhone and iPad. Sign in with the same account to sync your data and access Forest Plus across all platforms. The Allow List feature requires iOS/iPadOS 16 or above. Forest is the original app. Similar apps on the App Store are not developed by the Forest team. --- Follow us on Instagram or visit forestapp.cc to learn more. Browser extensions also available. --- Privacy Policy: https://www.forestapp.cc/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://forest-subscription.seekrtech.com/terms/

Screenshots

Focus Time Activity Tracker4 screens
Forest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Forest at Free against Focus Time Activity Tracker's $5.99. Forest also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (49K vs 13). Focus Time Activity Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21) and review sentiment (77% vs 61%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Forest is free to download; Focus Time Activity Tracker costs $5.99 up front. Forest sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Focus Time Activity Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 49K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Focus Time Activity Tracker's written reviews are positive against 61% of Forest's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Focus Time Activity Tracker ships an update every 5 months, Forest every 9 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Focus Time Activity Tracker versus Forest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFocus Time Activity TrackerForest
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (13 ratings)4.8 (49K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews — better60.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1349K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB845 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeer AssemblySEEKRTECH CO., LTD.

Customer experience

Focus Time Activity Tracker

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews378 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral8.5%
Negative14.8%

Forest

All ratings49,476 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews2,169 reviews
Positive60.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative32.4%

User reviews

Focus Time Activity Tracker

From 13 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and useful timer
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 📊 Helpful graphs and statistics
  • 🔄 Automatic break and session tracking
  • 🔧 Customizable settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues between devices
  • 🔇 Alarm/notification problems when app is in background
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🖼️ Outdated or unappealing visual design

Forest

From 49K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💪 Helps with focus and productivity
  • 🌳 Motivating to grow a virtual forest
  • 📊 Useful data and statistics
  • 🌱 Ability to plant real trees
  • 🎨 Cute and visually appealing design

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Restrictive app locking can be frustrating
  • 💰 Expensive to unlock new trees and features
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches reported
  • 🕰️ Lack of pause/resume functionality

Bugs and requests

Focus Time Activity Tracker

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • History/tracking not recording accurately
  • Inability to add previous day's pomodoros
  • App freezing or crashing
  • Inconsistent behavior when locking device

Requested features

5 requests
  • Apple Watch support
  • Ability to label individual pomodoros
  • Export daily/weekly productivity summaries
  • More sound options and customization
  • Landscape mode for iPad

Forest

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashing and freezing issues
  • Syncing and data loss problems
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching apps

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to pause/resume timers
  • More customization options for the forest
  • Integration with other productivity apps
  • Easier way to earn coins for new trees

In-app purchases

None

Focus Time Activity Tracker

No in-app purchases

19 purchases

Forest

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly (Early Bird)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Monthly (Early Bird)$5.991 Month
  • Annual (Early Bird)7 Days trial$32.491 Year
Show 1 more
  • Annual (Early Bird)7 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time15
  • Bottle of Sunshine Elixir$0.99
  • Shovelful of Crystal$0.99
  • Starter Bonus Pack$1.49
Show 12 more
  • Box of Sunshine Elixir$1.99
  • Select Pack$2.99
  • Advanced Package$2.99
  • Small pot of Crystal$4.99
  • Supreme Package$4.99
  • Advanced Bonus Pack$6.99
  • Elite Package$9.99
  • Large bag of Crystal$10.99
  • Select Pack$12.99
  • Supreme Bonus Pack$14.99
  • Deluxe Pack$18.99
  • Cartful of Crystal$21.99

Questions

Is Focus Time Activity Tracker free?
Focus Time Activity Tracker costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Focus Time Activity Tracker or Forest?
Forest is rated higher. Focus Time Activity Tracker averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Forest averages 4.8 from 49K ratings.
Do Focus Time Activity Tracker or Forest have ads?
Neither Focus Time Activity Tracker nor Forest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Focus Time Activity Tracker or Forest?
Focus Time Activity Tracker ships an update every 5 months, and Forest every 9 days. Most recently, Focus Time Activity Tracker was updated on September 25, 2026 and Forest on September 25, 2026.

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