Comparison

Forest vs Focus Traveller

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 Traveller

This app helps users stay focused during work or study sessions by using a gamified timer. Users can collaborate with friends in real-time, track their progress, and enjoy immersive environments and curated audio to enhance concentration.

Highlights
  • Gamified focus timer
  • Collaborative study groups
  • Progress tracking
  • Customizable audio
  • Home screen widgets
  • Immersive environments
  • Multitask friendly mode
Features
Read full description

Do you struggle to stay concentrated when you’re working alone? Do you find yourself wishing for a study buddy to keep you motivated late at night? Focus Traveller is a productivity timer designed to help you find your flow. The longer you focus, the higher your traveller climb. Together, we get things done. Invite up to 10 friends to form a Focused Travel Group. Support one another, hold each other accountable, and reach new heights together. Key Features: Seamless Transitions: Effortlessly switch between focus sessions and rest periods. Flexible Modes: Choose between a traditional countdown or an open-ended stopwatch. Group Expeditions: Start a journey with friends and stay focused in real-time together. Curated Audio: Connect to Apple Music to play your personal focus tracks. Progress Tracking: Comprehensive daily logs to help you monitor your growth. Quick Access Widgets: Start a session directly from your Home Screen. Immersive Environments: Choose from various seasonal scenes to match your mood. Dark Mode: Increase your immersion and reduce eye strain with a sleek dark interface. Multitask Friendly: Use "General Focus Mode" to stay productive even when switching to other apps. Focus Status: Keep the Focus Traveller screen visible to let classmates or colleagues know you’re focusing Behind the Scenes The stunning animations, illustrations, and character designs are crafted by award-winning artist Kuan Hung Chen. Follow his work on Instagram @jimmykuang and stay updated with us @focustravellerco. Focus Traveller Pro features are available as a monthly subscription or as a one-time purchase. Your iTunes account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the billing period. You can go to your iTunes Account Settings to manage your subscription & turn off auto-renew. To restore all your previous purchases use the "Restore Purchased" button located at the bottom of the subscription button in the Pro popup page or go to the Focus Traveller Settings to tap on "Restore Purchased" Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Focus Traveller4 screens

Verdict

The call

Forest and Focus Traveller both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Focus Traveller's written reviews are positive against 61% of Forest's. Forest's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (49K vs 3.9K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 Traveller sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Forest against 4.9 for Focus Traveller. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 49K ratings behind it against 3.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 86% of Focus Traveller's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest ships an update every 9 days, Focus Traveller every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Forest versus Focus Traveller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestFocus Traveller
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (49K ratings)4.9 (3.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.6% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49K — better3.9K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.2
Further details — not scored
Size845 MB571 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.WEI JEN CHEN

Customer experience

Forest

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

Focus Traveller

All ratings3,933 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews902 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative5.7%

User reviews

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

Focus Traveller

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Calming and relaxing visuals
  • 🚀 Helps with focus and productivity
  • 💡 Unique concept of a hiking journey
  • 👍 Customizable characters
  • 👍 Ability to connect to music apps

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues with data/time tracking
  • 🔋 Drains battery when screen is on
  • 🔒 Lack of cross-device sync
  • 👎 Expensive premium features

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 Traveller

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Random data resets
  • Inconsistent time tracking
  • Landscape mode issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add pomodoro timer functionality
  • Introduce more background options
  • Allow manual time entry/editing
  • Implement Lock Screen widget
  • Add ability to block distracting apps

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
10 purchases

Focus Traveller

Subscriptions3
  • Focus Traveller Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Focus Traveller Pro Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
  • Focus Traveller Pro Yearly3 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time7
  • Seal$0.99
  • Fox$0.99
  • Corgi$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Bear$1.99
  • Tiger$1.99
  • Caty$1.99
  • Life Time Access$14.99

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Traveller free?
Focus Traveller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Focus Traveller?
Focus Traveller is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Focus Traveller averages 4.9 from 3.9K ratings.
Do Forest or Focus Traveller have ads?
Neither Forest nor Focus Traveller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Focus Traveller?
Forest ships an update every 9 days, and Focus Traveller every 2 months. Most recently, Forest was updated on September 26, 2026 and Focus Traveller on September 26, 2026.

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