Comparison

Forest vs Sit Still

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

Sit Still

This app helps you focus by blocking distracting applications and offering a calming timer experience. Earn rewards by staying focused to unlock new cozy rooms and accessories for your virtual cat companion.

Highlights
  • App blocking modes (Companionship, Whitelist, Strict)
  • Scheduled app locking
  • Customizable timer shapes (countdown, open-ended, pomodoro)
  • Collectible illustrated rooms with unique soundscapes
  • Virtual cat companion with unlockable accessories
  • Task list syncing with Reminders
  • Session history and streak tracking
Features
Read full description

Sit Still is a focus timer and app blocker that gives you somewhere to be. Most focus apps punish you, Sit Still keeps you company. A cat sleeps in a painted room while you work, and the reward for sitting still is a collection you build. Blocking is real, and as firm as you want it to be. The rooms are the heart of it: watercolour illustrations painted like the pages of a childhood picture book, meant to feel cozy and nostalgic — to stir a memory of being small and safe somewhere — each with its own soundscape. APP BLOCKING FEATURES Three app blocking modes for a focus session: Open, Whitelist and Strict. Additionally, app blocking rules allow you to put away the apps that keep distracting you throughout the day. You can lock the apps on a schedule of your own or hold them to a daily limit. You can also set a bedtime lock on a night schedule you choose. WALLPAPERS AND WIDGETS Any room you have can be saved to your Photos as a wallpaper, drawn at the full resolution of your phone or iPad, with your cat in the corner or without it. There are widgets too: the room you are sitting in with your focus stats under it, the collection with a different room every hour, a calendar of the month with your cat beside it, and your streak on the Lock Screen and in StandBy. A TIMER WITH THREE SHAPES Countdown, open-ended, or pomodoro. The pomodoro starts at the classic 25 / 5 / 15, and all three lengths are yours to change. A session carries on with the screen locked, and shows itself on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. A COLLECTION OF ROOMS A permanent collection of rooms, from a bookshop loft in Porto to a stilt house on the Mekong Delta, and two new rooms on the first of every month that leave with it. Every room has its own illustration and its own ambience loop, levelled against all the others so changing rooms is never a lurch. On iPad, every room opens out into a wide painting, upright or sideways. A CAT, AND THINGS FOR IT TO WEAR Six companions, hand-drawn and animated. Focusing earns whiskers, and whiskers buy cat accessories and the monthly rooms. Pet the cat and it notices. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, AND WHAT YOU DID A task list that stays in sync with your phone's own Reminders. A record of every session — hours, streaks, and the note you left about what you were working on. Sit Still Premium is an auto-renewing subscription, offered monthly or yearly at the price shown in the app. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and can be managed or cancelled in Settings › your Apple Account › Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://alteraapps.com/sit-still/privacy/

Screenshots

Forest4 screens
Sit Still4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sit Still at 100% against Forest's 58%. Sit Still also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). Forest's advantage is ratings volume (50K vs 2) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Sit Still sells 2 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

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest has 50K ratings behind it against 2, 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 Sit Still's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest ships an update every 9 days, Sit Still every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Forest versus Sit Still: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForestSit Still
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#202 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size826 MB173 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSEEKRTECH CO., LTD.Johannes Butzke

Customer experience

Forest

All ratings49,540 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews2,291 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative34.7%

Sit Still

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 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

Sit Still

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
2 purchases

Sit Still

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sit Still free?
Sit Still is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forest or Sit Still?
Forest is rated higher. Forest averages 4.8 out of 5 from 50K ratings, while Sit Still averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Forest or Sit Still have ads?
Neither Forest nor Sit Still shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest or Sit Still?
Forest ships an update every 9 days, and Sit Still every 3 days. Most recently, Forest was updated on October 19, 2026 and Sit Still on October 16, 2026.

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