Apps Like Forest: 6 Forest App Alternatives (Free and Paid)
Forest is great for study sessions but can't stop the 11 p.m. scroll. 6 apps like Forest for iPhone, free and paid, including ones that block apps for real.
Forest is a brilliant focus timer, but it only protects the sessions you remember to start. The scroll that eats your evening never begins with "let me plant a tree". If you need cover for the rest of the day, pick an app that works without being switched on.
Quick answer
- Love the tree: Flora, or just keep Forest.
- Free, all day: ScreenZen or Screen Time (both easy to skip).
- Laptop too: Freedom.
- The evening scroll, automatically: Detox.
What is Forest great at?
- Gamified focus. A growing tree is a gentle reason to leave your phone alone.
- Free Deep Focus. Blocks chosen apps during a session at no cost.
- Time Guard. Scheduled blocks for regular focus hours.
- Social sessions. Plant with friends; whoever gives in kills everyone's tree.
- Everywhere. iPhone, iPad, Android and browser, with a real tree-planting partnership behind it.
Where does Forest fall short?
- No session, no protection. Don't start a timer and Forest does nothing.
- A dead tree is a mild consequence. It stings at first. Later you'll kill a tree to check Instagram.
- It's built for work blocks, not habits. It doesn't notice you've been on TikTok for 50 minutes straight at midnight.
What are the best Forest alternatives?
Flora (free)
The best-known Forest-style app: grow plants during focus sessions, with social and accountability features. Same strengths, same gap outside sessions.
Apple Screen Time (free)
Covers the whole day with App Limits and Downtime. The flaw is the one-tap "Ignore Limit". See why Apple Screen Time doesn't work.
ScreenZen (free)
A pause before apps open, all day, for free on iOS and Android. It fills Forest's gap gently. See ScreenZen alternatives.
Opal (limited free tier, about $99.99 a year)
A full screen time app with schedules, a focus score and a strict Deep Focus mode. Forest grown up, at a premium price. See Opal alternatives.
Freedom (subscription or lifetime)
For students and workers distracted on a laptop too: one session blocks the same sites on phone and computer. See Freedom alternatives.
Detox (iPhone and iPad, paid, free trial)
Detox covers the hours Forest doesn't.
- Session limit, always on. No timer to start. Quick checks go through; once you have scrolled the chosen apps continuously past your limit, they lock for a short break. Step away a couple of minutes and the count resets.
- Block now. If you like Forest's timer, lock apps instantly for as long as you choose.
- Schedules for work, study or sleep.
- Strict mode stops you from editing or deleting a rule, or uninstalling apps, while it blocks. An urgent unblock covers real emergencies, once every 24 hours.
Forest vs the alternatives
| App | Works outside focus sessions? | Strictness | Platforms | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | Schedules only | Low to moderate | iOS, Android, browser | Free, optional Plus |
| Flora | No | Low | iOS, Android | Free |
| Screen Time | Yes | Low ("Ignore Limit") | Apple devices | Free |
| ScreenZen | Yes | Low | iOS, Android | Free |
| Opal | Yes, schedules | Moderate to high | iOS, Android, Mac | Subscription |
| Freedom | Yes, schedules | High | All major platforms | Subscription or lifetime |
| Detox | Yes, automatically | High | iPhone, iPad | Paid, free trial |
Which should you pick?
- Help during study or work only: keep Forest, or try Flora.
- The same sites blocked on laptop and phone: Freedom.
- The evening scroll is the real problem: Detox, and keep Forest for focus sessions if you love it.
Forest is great at the hours you already meant to protect. The hours that get away from you need a tool that doesn't wait to be switched on.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Forest app do?
Forest is a focus timer: a virtual tree grows while you stay off your phone and dies if you leave. Deep Focus blocks chosen apps during a session, and Time Guard adds scheduled blocks. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and the browser.
Is Forest free?
Yes, including Deep Focus. An optional Forest Plus subscription adds extras, around $5.99 a month or $32 to $36 a year on the US App Store. Prices vary by country.
Why doesn't Forest stop me from scrolling?
Forest protects the sessions you choose to start. When no session runs, which is when most doomscrolling happens, it does nothing.
What's the best Forest alternative for blocking apps all day?
Detox works without you starting anything: it locks the chosen apps once you have scrolled them continuously past your limit, whenever that happens. It also has Block now if you like a timer. iPhone and iPad, paid, with a free trial.