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Best Forest app alternatives for iPhone in 2026

Updated · Data checked on the App Store on 3 November 2026

Forest grows a virtual tree while you stay off your phone and kills it if you leave early; it can block apps from an Allow List and plants real trees with Trees for the Future. On the US App Store (3 November 2026) it is free to download, with a subscription listed at $5.99 a month or $35.99 a year («Early Bird» prices) and in-game items, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You.

For the same idea for free, Flora grows trees with friends and adds a to-do list. Focus Friend swaps the tree for a Bean you decorate, and Focus Plant for plants and worlds. If what you need is to finish tasks rather than avoid your phone, Focus To-Do pairs a Pomodoro timer with a task manager, and 3 Tasks keeps you to three tasks a day with a timer on each. FocusFlight and Focus Keeper are timers first. Focus Friend, Focus To-Do and FocusFlight list only Data Not Linked to You.

At a glance

AppPrice (US)Blocks apps, per its listingTo-do listApp Store privacy labelVersion (date)Rating (US)
Flora - Green FocusOptional tours $0.99 to $1.99YesYesData Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You3.7.43 (30 Oct 2026)4.8 (82,948 ratings)
Focus Friend, by Hank GreenPro $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year, lifetime $39.99; bean packs from $2.99Yes (Deep Focus Mode)NoData Not Linked to You1.28.2 (27 Oct 2026)4.8 (9,819 ratings)
Focus To-Do: Focus Timer&TasksLifetime $11.99; 3 months $3.99NoYes, full task managerData Not Linked to You8.8 (21 Sep 2026)4.8 (14,712 ratings)
To Do List & Focus: 3 TasksPro one-time $4.99 or $9.99NoYes, three tasks a dayData Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You1.4.3 (26 Oct 2026)5.0 (5 ratings)
FocusFlight - Deepfocus TimerMonthly $3.99, yearly $18.99, lifetime $18.99 to $33.99YesTask per sessionData Not Linked to You2.1.1 (1 Nov 2026)4.8 (9,822 ratings)
Focus Keeper - Pomodoro TimerPro $3.99 to $12.99 a month, $34.99 to $69.99 a year; $99.99 or $199.99NoNoData Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You4.2.21 (27 Oct 2026)4.8 (31,740 ratings)
Focus Plant：forest app blockerRemove ads $4.99 a month; passport $4.99 to $39.99; packs from $0.99Not namedNoData Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You4.6 (2 Nov 2026)4.7 (5,463 ratings)

Prices are in-app purchases listed on each US App Store page on 3 November 2026; pages list only some. All are free to download. Forest for comparison: $5.99 a month or $35.99 a year, plus items. Ratings are that day's App Store average and count.

1. Flora - Green Focus

Best for: Forest's idea for free, with friends and a to-do list.

  • Plant a seed and it grows while you stay off the phone; leave and the tree dies.
  • Plant together with friends, chat and share progress.
  • A to-do list with reminders and a widget; tag trees with a task. Only small optional purchases listed.

Limits: it is a large download (693 MB), it is in 3 languages, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You.

App Store page

2. Focus Friend, by Hank Green

Best for: a cute Bean instead of a tree, with a lifetime price.

  • Stop the timer early and your Bean is sad; finish and you earn decorations for its room.
  • Deep Focus Mode locks distracting apps; Pomodoro breaks; Live Activity on the lock screen.
  • Pro is $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime.

Limits: English only, a large download (399 MB), and no to-do list in its listing.

App Store page

3. Focus To-Do: Focus Timer&Tasks

Best for: a Pomodoro timer and a full task manager in one, synced with your computer.

  • Pomodoro timer with custom lengths, short and long breaks and a continuous mode.
  • Tasks, projects, reminders, recurring tasks and time tracking; syncs with a computer.
  • Lifetime premium is listed at $11.99, in 33 languages.

Limits: no app blocking or game in its listing; it is a planner more than a phone-free timer.

App Store page

4. To Do List & Focus: 3 Tasks

Best for: three tasks a day with a timer on each, free, and a one-time Pro.

  • Write three tasks each day and finish them one at a time, with a start and pause timer on each that keeps counting with the screen locked.
  • Tasks that repeat daily, a home screen widget and dark mode, all free.
  • Pro is a one-time purchase ($4.99 or $9.99 listed): history, streaks, CSV export and color themes.

Limits: it does not block apps or grow anything, it has only 5 US ratings, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You (Firebase Analytics, per its listing).

App Store page

5. FocusFlight - Deepfocus Timer

Best for: turning each session into a flight on a 3D map, with app blocking.

  • Board, take off and land: each focus session is a flight you watch on a 3D map.
  • «Airplane Mode» blocks distracting apps and websites through Apple's Screen Time.
  • Lifetime listed from $18.99 to $33.99.

Limits: a large download (273 MB), in 6 languages, and no to-do list beyond choosing a task.

App Store page

6. Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer

Best for: the classic 25-minute Pomodoro, with charts of your focus time.

  • 25-minute sessions with short and long breaks, all adjustable.
  • Charts of your focus time over days and weeks.
  • In 12 languages.

Limits: a large download (914 MB), Pro prices up to $199.99, no app blocking in its listing, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You.

App Store page

7. Focus Plant：forest app blocker

Best for: collecting plants and restoring worlds, if Forest's game is what keeps you going.

  • Focus time turns into raindrops that grow plants; hundreds to collect and worlds to clean up.
  • Records of your focus time; reads mindful minutes from Forest and other apps through HealthKit.
  • In 14 languages; runs on iOS 13.

Limits: ads unless you subscribe ($4.99 a month to remove them), many packs and passes for sale, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You.

App Store page

Who should use what

Use cases

How we checked

On 3 November 2026 we searched the US App Store for «forest focus», «focus timer», «pomodoro», «stay focused» and «study timer», and read Forest's and each app's US App Store page and Apple's lookup data. «Blocks apps» means its listing says so. We tested nothing.

Prices change often. Check inside each app before paying.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Forest?

Flora is free, with only small optional purchases listed. 3 Tasks keeps its three tasks, timers and widget free. The others are free to download with paid upgrades.

Which Forest alternatives block apps?

Flora, Focus Friend (Deep Focus Mode) and FocusFlight («Airplane Mode») say they block distracting apps. Focus To-Do, 3 Tasks and Focus Keeper are timers without blocking.

Which have a one-time price instead of a subscription?

3 Tasks Pro ($4.99 or $9.99), Focus To-Do ($11.99), FocusFlight (from $18.99) and Focus Friend ($39.99) list a lifetime or one-time purchase.

Which ones combine a focus timer with a to-do list?

Focus To-Do has a full task manager, Flora a to-do list with reminders, and 3 Tasks a list of three tasks a day with a timer on each.

Sources