Comparison

Forest vs Lofi Study 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

Lofi Study Timer

This app provides curated lo-fi music playlists designed for deep focus and calm productivity. It offers five distinct ambient modes to enhance studying, reading, working, or relaxing, with a clean interface and animated visuals.

Highlights
  • 45+ original lo-fi tracks
  • 5 focused music categories
  • Ambient backgrounds and icons
  • Minimal design
  • Ad-free experience
  • MP3 playback with visuals
Features
Read full description

Lofi Study Timer is a cozy focus room in your pocket: a Pomodoro timer, chill lofi beats and soft background noise, all on one calm screen. PICK A ROOM, PRESS PLAY Choose a scene — a cozy room, a rainy city, a late café — and start a focus block. Gentle rain, snow or drifting stars move in the background while the timer counts down. We pick the music, so there is nothing to decide before you start. A REAL POMODORO TIMER • 25/5 and 50/10 presets, or your own lengths (Premium) • Short and long breaks, round dots, auto-start options • Pause, skip and reset — and a notification when a block or break ends • Write down what you're working on, so the session has a purpose BROWN NOISE, RAIN AND FIRE Layer background sounds under the music or use them on their own: rain, brown noise, fireplace, pink noise and white noise, each with its own volume. Great for ADHD focus, noisy rooms and long study nights. 50 LOFI TRACKS, 6 MOODS Study Focus, Reading Mode, Café Vibes, Night Time Study, Rain + Lofi and more, plus long seamless mixes built into the app that play with no internet at all. ROOMS THAT OPEN AS YOU FOCUS New rooms unlock as your focus hours add up — 1 hour, 3, 6, 10, 20 — so every session counts toward something. Streaks, minutes focused and a seven-day chart keep you coming back. MADE FOR LONG SESSIONS • Background playback and lock-screen controls • Sleep timer that fades out instead of cutting off • Offline downloads, favorites, shuffle, repeat and Up Next • Light and dark themes FREE, OR PREMIUM Free: the Pomodoro timer, two rooms, rain and brown noise, and a free selection of tracks, supported by ads that never play over your music or interrupt a focus block. Premium: every room, every sound, custom timer lengths, the full library and offline downloads, with no ads. Yearly, Monthly and a one-time Lifetime unlock are available; the paywall shows a free trial whenever one is offered. Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. Lifetime is a one-time purchase and never renews. Music: public-domain (CC0) works by HoliznaCC0 via the Free Music Archive. Background sounds are made in-house. Privacy Policy: https://arifinazis.github.io/json/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Lofi Study Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Forest at 4.8 against Lofi Study Timer's 4.0. Forest also leads on ratings volume (50K vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Lofi Study Timer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 58%) and in-app purchases (none vs 21). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Forest sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Lofi Study Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lofi Study 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 weekly, Lofi Study Timer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Forest versus Lofi Study Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestLofi Study Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews57.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#205 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size829 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.Arifin Azis Nur Hidayat

Customer experience

Forest

All ratings49,559 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews2,344 reviews
Positive57.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative35.3%

Lofi Study Timer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Lofi Study Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Lofi Study Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lofi Study Timer free?
Lofi Study Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Lofi Study Timer?
Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Lofi Study Timer averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Forest or Lofi Study Timer have ads?
Neither Forest nor Lofi Study Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Lofi Study Timer?
Forest ships an update weekly, and Lofi Study Timer monthly. Most recently, Forest was updated on October 30, 2026 and Lofi Study Timer on October 23, 2026.

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