If you are looking for a Forest app alternative, you probably already know the feeling of a tree growing while your phone stays face down. The question is what you want that quiet time to be for. Forest is built for focused work and study sessions. ReadFirst is built for reading: your chosen apps stay locked until you have read a page of a printed book. We make ReadFirst, so we are not neutral. We checked every fact about Forest on its App Store page on 20 October 2026.
What is Forest?
Forest, listed as "Forest: Focus for Productivity" by SEEKRTECH CO., LTD., is a gamified focus timer. You start a session with a timer or a stopwatch, and a virtual tree grows while you stay off your phone. Leave early and the tree withers. Over time your sessions add up to a forest.
On iPhone and iPad, Forest can also block chosen apps during a session with Allow Lists, and its Time Guard feature blocks apps on a schedule. You can turn off Focus Pause for stricter sessions. The developer partners with Trees for the Future and says it has planted over 2 million real trees.
Forest is a free download with in-app purchases. On the US App Store on 20 October 2026, Forest Plus was listed at $5.99 a month and from $32.49 a year, plus optional coin packs.
Forest vs ReadFirst at a glance
| Forest | ReadFirst | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A gamified focus timer | An app blocker plus a reading tracker |
| How you get back into your apps | The session ends, or you give up the tree | Read a page of a printed book and take a live photo of it |
| What you build up | Virtual trees, a forest | Pages, finished books, a streak, medals |
| Reading built in | No | Yes |
| Printed books | Not part of the app | The key to your apps |
| Streaks and goals | Your forest of focus sessions | Daily page goal, reading streak, 60 medals |
| Price (US App Store, 20 Oct 2026) | Free, Forest Plus $5.99 a month or from $32.49 a year | $39.99 a year (3 days free for new subscribers), $7.99 a month or $99.99 one-time purchase |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 18+) |
| Best for | Work and study sessions | Building a daily reading habit |
Where Forest is a great choice
Forest is a great choice when you need to protect a block of time for something other than reading. Writing an essay, studying for an exam, finishing a report: you start a timer, put the phone down, and the growing tree gives you a small reason not to pick it up. The idea is simple, and that is its strength.
It also has a gentle, visual reward that is hard to beat, and the real trees behind it give it meaning beyond the screen. If you like starting your focus on demand, Forest's free version lets you try that before paying, and Time Guard covers blocking on a schedule.
Where ReadFirst is different
The main difference is what opens the door. In Forest, time passing opens it. In ReadFirst, reading opens it. You cannot simply wait out a ReadFirst lock: apart from an occasional skip, the way back into your apps is a page of a real book.
- Reading is the key. Read a page of a printed book, take a live photo of the last page you read, and your chosen apps open. The photo is checked on your device and never saved. See how read to unlock works.
- A reading clock instead of a focus timer. Tap Read now and a clock starts. It pauses while you use your phone in another app, and the camera opens once you have read long enough for your pages. It even shows as a Live Activity on your Lock Screen. More on the reading timer.
- Pages become minutes. Your rule says how much one page is worth, for example 15 minutes in your apps. Minutes only run while you use those apps, and you can lock them again early.
- You grow a reader, not a tree. Every page counts toward your book, your daily goal and your reading streak, which forgives one missed day a month. Sixty reading medals mark milestones like your first 100 pages or a book started and finished on the same day.
- No timer to remember. The lock is always on until you read. You do not have to decide to start a session when you are already tired or already scrolling.
Can you use both?
Yes. Many people want two different things from their phone: deep focus for work, and a calmer evening with a book. Forest can guard your study or work blocks during the day. ReadFirst can make sure the first thing you do when you reach for social media is read a few pages. They solve different problems, so they rarely get in each other's way.
If you only want to track reading without locking anything, ReadFirst has a Track only mode too. Set the minutes to zero and every page still counts for your book, your goal and your medals.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Forest if:
- you want a focus timer for work or study sessions
- a growing tree is the kind of reward that keeps you going
- you want to try a free version first
Choose ReadFirst if:
- your goal is to read more printed books and scroll less
- you want a lock that only reading can open, not one that ends when time runs out
- you want your pages, books, streak and medals in one place
Frequently asked questions
Is ReadFirst free like Forest?
No. ReadFirst has no free tier. It costs $39.99 a year with 3 days free for new subscribers, $7.99 a month, or $99.99 as a one-time purchase on the US App Store.
Can I use ReadFirst as a study timer?
ReadFirst's reading clock times reading, not general study sessions. For timed work or study blocks, a focus timer like Forest is the better tool.
Does ReadFirst plant trees?
No. ReadFirst turns pages into progress instead: your book moves forward, your streak grows and you earn reading medals.
Does ReadFirst work with e-books?
No. ReadFirst works with printed books only. Photos of phone or e-reader screens do not count.