Forest alternative: a focus app that helps you start
Forest is the better pick if the problem is picking up your phone mid-task, because it blocks other apps and rewards staying away. FocusFlow is the better pick if the problem is starting, because it offers a two-minute first step, an energy check-in and a garden that never goes down. Neither is a medical product, and they can be used together.
Forest and FocusFlow both give you a small living reward for focusing, which makes them look alike. They aim at different moments: Forest at the minutes after you begin, FocusFlow at the moment before.
Facts below come from Forest's App Store listing and vendor site, plus FocusFlow's own listing, checked 2026-10-16. Prices and features change, so check the listings before you buy. "Not verified" means we did not see a clear statement on an official page, which does not mean the feature is absent.
What Forest is
Forest, from Seekrtech, is a focus timer built on a simple trade: stay off your phone and a virtual tree grows, leave early and it withers. Its listing says it is used by 60 million people and recommended by The New York Times, and that the community has planted over two million real trees through Trees for the Future. It lists Allow Lists that block other apps during a session on iOS 16 or later, friends planting together, tree species to unlock, statistics, and widgets. It uses an account to sync across devices per its listing, requires iOS 16.0, and is free to download with an optional paid Forest Plus.
Forest vs FocusFlow: what actually differs
| Forest | FocusFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Stay off your phone and a tree grows; leave and it withers | Make the first step smaller: energy check-in, two-minute start, then a focus timer |
| What happens if you quit early | The tree withers, per its listing | Nothing is lost. The Focus Garden counts total minutes and never goes down |
| Blocks other apps | Yes, via Allow Lists on iOS 16 or later | No |
| Helps you start | Not stated beyond the timer | Yes: an I'm stuck page that hands you a two-minute first move |
| Matches tasks to energy | No | Yes, you pick high, steady or low and see the tasks tagged for it |
| Social features | Plant with friends | None |
| Account | Sign-in used to sync across platforms, per its listing | No account |
| Price model | Free to download, optional Forest Plus | Free; one optional one-time purchase for decorative themes |
| Minimum iOS | 16.0 | 17.0 |
Where Forest is stronger
- Staying off the phone. Forest's whole design is to make leaving a session costly in a small, visible way, and its app blocking is the real mechanism. If your phone is the distraction, FocusFlow does not do this.
- Community and proof. The listing shows around fifty thousand ratings with an average near 4.8, millions of users and a long history. Planting with friends gives some people the push they need.
- A real-world effect. The partnership with Trees for the Future turns focused time into planted trees, which FocusFlow has no counterpart for.
When to choose Forest
- You can begin a task but keep drifting to your phone, and you want something that gently punishes leaving.
- You are motivated by friends or by the idea of real trees being planted.
- You want to block other apps during a session.
When to choose FocusFlow
- Starting is the hard part. FocusFlow puts a two-minute first move in front of you instead of asking for a full session.
- A withering tree feels like failure. FocusFlow rewards showing up: the garden levels up on total minutes, and a missed day costs nothing.
- Your energy changes day to day, and you want a short list that fits how you feel right now.
- You prefer no account and no social layer.
Moving from Forest to FocusFlow
There is nothing to export. Forest keeps its own history, and FocusFlow starts with an empty garden, which is deliberate: it counts minutes from the day you begin.
Install FocusFlow, tag a few tasks as high, steady or low energy when you feel good, and use the I'm stuck page the next time you cannot begin. Many people keep Forest for phone-free stretches and use FocusFlow to get going.
Sources and check date
- Forest: App Store listing (id866450515), version 5.30.0 listing, checked 2026-10-16; vendor site forestapp.cc
- FocusFlow: App Store listing (id6782065239), version 1.8.0, checked 2026-10-16; flow.daylumen.com
Frequently asked questions
Is FocusFlow a free alternative to Forest?
FocusFlow is free, with one optional one-time purchase for decorative garden themes. Forest is free to download with an optional Forest Plus, whose current price we did not verify.
Can FocusFlow block distracting apps like Forest?
No. FocusFlow does not block other apps.
Does FocusFlow punish me for leaving a session?
No. The garden counts total focus minutes and never goes down.
Are these apps treatment for ADHD?
No. Both are productivity tools, not medical products, and neither replaces professional support.
If starting is the hard part, try a focus app built around the first step.
Get FocusFlow on the App StoreFree · iPhone · iOS 17 or later · no account