# Forest vs Buzzkill

The clearest difference is rating: Forest at 4.8 against Buzzkill's 3.7. Forest also leads on ratings volume (50K vs 3) and chart position (#206 vs unranked). Buzzkill's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Forest sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Buzzkill asks for nothing beyond the download.

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 50% of Buzzkill's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Forest | Buzzkill |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (50K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forest-focus-for-productivity/id866450515/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buzzkill/id6754295660/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **50K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **57.5% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#206** | — |
| Size | 840 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SEEKRTECH CO., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/469475888) | [Jens Somers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1847195635) |

## What reviewers say

### Forest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forest-focus-for-productivity/id866450515)

**Currently charting:** #206 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly (Early Bird) | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly (Early Bird) | $5.99 | per month |
| Annual (Early Bird) | $35.99 | per year |
| Shovelful of Crystal | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bottle of Sunshine Elixir | $0.99 | one-time |
| Box of Sunshine Elixir | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small pot of Crystal | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large bag of Crystal | $10.99 | one-time |
| Cartful of Crystal | $21.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💪 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Buzzkill

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buzzkill/id6754295660)

This app helps you break free from excessive app usage by sending custom, frequent notifications. Set limits and control the urgency of alerts to manage your screen time effectively and privately.

**Highlights:** Customizable notification frequency per app, Adjustable notification tone (friendly to angry), Gradually increasing urgency of alerts, Daily buzz-free time settings, Daily usage limits with advance notifications, Privacy-focused with on-device data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Forest free?

Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Buzzkill free?

Buzzkill is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Forest or Buzzkill?

Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Buzzkill averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Forest or Buzzkill have ads?

Neither Forest nor Buzzkill shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Forest or Buzzkill?

Forest ships an update weekly, and Buzzkill weekly. Most recently, Forest was updated on November 5, 2026 and Buzzkill on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*