Comparison

Forest vs Focus timer

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

Head to head
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/

About

Focus timer

Enhance concentration with a Pomodoro-style timer. Choose from various ambient sounds to create a focused work or study environment. Customize focus and break durations, and receive end-of-timer reminders with a selection of sounds.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro timer with customizable intervals
  • Ambient soundscapes for focus
  • Customizable focus and break times
  • End-of-timer reminders with sound options
  • Minimalist interface with flip animation
  • Background running support
Features
Read full description

Focus timer is a tomato timer based app that helps you concentrate on your work and study. When you want to start concentrating on, you can choose an environment, accompanied by beaches, trains, rainy days, bonfire, country cricket sounds, and you will be comfortable concentrating on. Features: - Tomato timer, break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. - Support custom time, easy to set the focus time, rest time. - Set the reminder after the end of the timer, a variety of sounds to choose from. - Minimal interface design, timer display clear with flip animation - Supports background running

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Focus timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Forest at none against Focus timer's shown. Forest also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (50K vs 1.8K). Focus timer's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 58%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Forest sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Focus timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 77% of Focus timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest ships an update every 9 days, Focus timer every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Forest versus Focus timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestFocus timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better4.6 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews77.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50K — better1.8K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#203 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size826 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.书敏 贾

Customer experience

Forest

All ratings49,540 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews2,278 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral6.9%
Negative34.6%

Focus timer

All ratings1,829 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews570 reviews
Positive77.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative16.1%

User reviews

Forest

From 50K 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

Focus timer

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and functional
  • 👍 Minimalistic and aesthetic design
  • 🚀 Helps with focus and concentration
  • 👍 Useful for studying and work
  • 👍 Customizable timer settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Timer inaccuracies
  • 🔊 Loud alarm/notification sound
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Limited features in free version
  • 🔇 No option to disable background sounds

Bugs and requests

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

Focus timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Timer stops when device is locked or app is minimized
  • Inconsistent timer behavior when switching between apps

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set custom alarm/notification sounds
  • Option to disable background sounds
  • Automatic start/stop of focus and break timers
  • Customizable timer duration
  • Dark mode or theme options

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
1 purchases

Focus timer

One-time1
  • Professional Version$2.99

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus timer free?
Focus timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Focus timer?
Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Focus timer averages 4.6 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Forest or Focus timer have ads?
Focus timer shows ads; Forest does not.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Focus timer?
Forest ships an update every 9 days, and Focus timer every 5 weeks. Most recently, Forest was updated on October 18, 2026 and Focus timer on October 16, 2026.

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