Comparison

Forest vs Tomato 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 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

Tomato Timer

This app provides a customizable Pomodoro timer designed to enhance focus and productivity. It features an ADHD-friendly mode with minimal distractions and offers Live Activity widgets for seamless tracking on your device's lock screen.

Highlights
  • Customizable work and break cycles
  • ADHD-friendly low-stimulation mode
  • Step-by-step session progression
  • One-tap controls for start, pause, restart, skip
  • Progress bar for visible time tracking
  • Live Activity widgets for Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
Features
Read full description

Meet Tomato Timer — a modern Pomodoro timer built to help you start, stay focused, and finish. Whether you need a study timer, a work timer, or a simple productivity timer for deep work, Tomato Timer keeps your sessions clear, calm, and easy to control. The Pomodoro Technique, simplified Pick a focus session, take a short break, repeat, then recharge with a longer break. Tomato Timer turns this proven rhythm into a clean focus timer you can trust during work, study sessions, and everyday tasks. ADHD-friendly, low-stimulation mode If animations, moving backgrounds, or visual effects pull you out of focus, enable ADHD-friendly mode: • Disable all animations • Disable background tinting • Keep the interface steady and predictable Less sensory noise → fewer interruptions → more sustained concentration. Core features • Pomodoro timer with fully customizable work & break cycles (classic 25/5, 50/10, 90/20, or your own) • Step-by-step sessions: work → break → repeat, with clear phase changes • One-tap start, pause/resume, restart, and skip (because real life is messy) • Convenient progress bar that makes time feel “visible” at a glance • Live Activity widgets for Lock Screen and Dynamic Island so your timer stays in view • Smooth, elegant modern design that stays out of your way Built for focus, not friction Tomato Timer is intentionally fast to use. Open the app, choose a cycle, start. No complicated setup, no clutter—just a productivity timer that helps you do the next small step. Use Tomato Timer as a… • Study timer for exams, language learning, homework, and reading • Focus timer for ADHD brains that prefer a clean, stable UI • Work timer for coding, writing, design, and meetings • Break timer to prevent burnout, stretch, hydrate, or reset your mind • Interval timer for any routine that benefits from clear phases Live Activities that keep you on track With Live Activity widgets, you can see your current session (work or break), remaining time, and progress without opening the app. Keeping the timer on your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island reduces “just checking my phone” distractions—so you return to the task faster. Customize your rhythm Different days need different cycles. Build what fits you: • Set focus minutes, short break minutes, and long break minutes • Choose how many cycles you want before a long break • Change your plan anytime (great for flexible schedules and ADHD variability)

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Tomato Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Forest at 65% against Tomato Timer's 0%. Forest also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Tomato Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Tomato Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Forest's written reviews are positive against 0% of Tomato Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest ships an update weekly, Tomato Timer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Forest versus Tomato Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestTomato Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better3.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews65.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings50K — better5
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size840 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.Ameliia Shekikhacheva

Customer experience

Forest

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

Tomato Timer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

Tomato Timer

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
None

Tomato Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tomato Timer free?
Tomato Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Tomato Timer?
Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Tomato Timer averages 3.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Forest or Tomato Timer have ads?
Neither Forest nor Tomato Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Tomato Timer?
Forest ships an update weekly, and Tomato Timer every 3 months. Most recently, Forest was updated on November 10, 2026 and Tomato Timer on November 5, 2026.

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