Forest App Review: Free Features, Plus and Limits

This Forest app review examines a specific job: making phone avoidance visible during a focus session. Forest grows a virtual tree while you focus. Its free and paid features differ, and the current Plus plan does not erase the rights of people who previously bought Pro.

What Forest offers now

The official site lists countdown and stopwatch modes, Deep Focus, tracking and Plant Together among the free features. Free Time Guard has a one-app or one-site limit. Plus adds broader blocking controls, a custom allowlist, advanced statistics, tags, pauses and more customization. Availability can vary by platform and version. Check the store listing for the device you use.

Existing Pro users retain their Pro features permanently, according to Forest. Pro is no longer sold to new users. If you already bought it, check those retained features before paying for Plus. This distinction matters more than comparing a headline price.

Decide whether it fits your session

If checking your phone is the main escape route, the tree can act as a visible commitment cue. If your work requires switching between reference apps, inspect the allowlist and blocking behavior first. A game reward cannot tell whether your reading or writing is correct.

Before subscribing, try one specific task with the free mode. Write down which distraction the app prevented and which it did not. If you need to block websites across several devices, compare a dedicated blocker. If you need someone to wait for you, compare live body doubling apps. Those tools solve different problems.

Price and review limits

This review uses Forest's published feature information. We have not run a paid Plus account across every platform. We do not assign a rating or claim a measured productivity gain. Prices and promotions differ by region and store, so verify renewal terms at checkout.

For an immediate browser session, try the focus timer. It offers pause, reset and optional ambience. It does not block other apps or reproduce Forest's tree collection. See Forest alternatives for choices grouped by the reason you want to switch.