Comparison

Forest vs Lilo

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 helps you stay focused by growing a virtual forest while you avoid your phone. Earn rewards, unlock new trees, and even plant real trees on Earth through a partnership. It offers tools to block distractions and track your progress.

Highlights
  • Gamified focus timer
  • Virtual forest growth
  • App blocking with Allow Lists
  • Real tree planting partnership
  • Detailed statistics and insights
  • Co-planting with friends
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

Lilo

This app helps students focus by offering study timers, Pomodoro sessions, and challenges with friends. Track progress, maintain study streaks, and compete on leaderboards to stay motivated. Includes focus music and customizable scenes to enhance concentration.

Highlights
  • Study timer and Pomodoro with breaks
  • Challenges with friends (streak, time goal, speed race)
  • Weekly leaderboards and daily study streaks
  • Day planner with tasks and subjects
  • Focus music and customizable timer scenes
  • Live Activity and home screen widget
Features
Read full description

Lilo is the study timer you use with friends. Start a focus session or a Pomodoro, challenge your friends, climb the weekly leaderboard and keep your study streak alive. 500K+ students have downloaded Lilo and left 200K+ ratings, because studying together works better than studying alone. STUDY TIMER AND POMODORO - Focus timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with breaks. - Pick a subject and tasks before you start, so every session counts toward a goal. - Timer scenes and a full screen mode keep your phone out of the way. - A Live Activity and a home screen widget show your session and streak at a glance. CHALLENGES WITH FRIENDS - Invite friends to a study challenge: streak, time goal, speed race or ranking battle. - Follow everyone's progress live and see who stays focused the longest. - Join a challenge from a link, even before you create an account. LEADERBOARDS AND STREAKS - Weekly rankings with your friends. - Daily study streak with streak protection, so one bad day does not erase your progress. - Comment on your friends' sessions and keep each other accountable. PLANNER AND STATS - Day planner with tasks and subjects. - Study history, subject distribution, activity heatmap and advanced stats. - Share your weekly results to Instagram Stories in one tap. FOCUS MUSIC AND SCENES - Lofi, nature sounds and white noise inside the timer. - Choose a timer scene and an accent colour that matches your mood. WHO IS LILO FOR High school and university students, exam season, homework, language learning, thesis writing, and anyone who focuses better with a bit of friendly competition. Lilo is free to use. Lilo Premium adds Pomodoro and stopwatch modes, the full focus music library and extra scenes. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Terms: https://lilostudytimer.com/terms/ Privacy: https://lilostudytimer.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Lilo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Forest at 50K against Lilo's 4.7K. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Lilo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 4.7 for Lilo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 4.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 68% of Lilo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest ships an update weekly, Lilo every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Forest versus Lilo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestLilo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better4.7 (4.7K ratings)
Positive reviews65.3% of reviews67.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50K — better4.7K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size840 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.Pawel Gladysz

Customer experience

Forest

All ratings49,580 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews4,050 reviews
Positive65.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative27.8%

Lilo

All ratings4,729 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive67.7%
Neutral3.2%
Negative29.0%

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

Lilo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Forest

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly (Early Bird)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Monthly (Early Bird)$5.991 Month
  • Annual (Early Bird)7 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time6
  • Shovelful of Crystal2 variants$0.99
  • Bottle of Sunshine Elixir$0.99
  • Box of Sunshine Elixir$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Small pot of Crystal$4.99
  • Large bag of Crystal$10.99
  • Cartful of Crystal$21.99
5 purchases

Lilo

Subscriptions5
  • Premium Access Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Access$6.991 Month
  • Premium Access Yearly$25.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Premium Access Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Premium Access3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lilo free?
Lilo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Lilo?
Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Lilo averages 4.7 from 4.7K ratings.
Do Forest or Lilo have ads?
Neither Forest nor Lilo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Lilo?
Forest ships an update weekly, and Lilo every 10 days. Most recently, Forest was updated on November 9, 2026 and Lilo on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons