Forest vs Opal

Forest

• People who respond to a visual reward for staying off their phone
• Friends or study groups who want to focus in a shared session
• Short timed work sessions in the Pomodoro style

Opal

• Phone users who want distracting apps blocked automatically by rule
• People who want a block that cannot be switched off once it starts
• Students, who can apply for half-price yearly Pro

Forest

• Seekrtech does not publish Forest Plus prices on its site; it says they vary by region and platform and points to the app stores.
• No Mac or Windows app is listed; on a computer Forest runs only as a Chrome or Firefox extension.
• Custom app allowlists, focus analytics, custom tags and real-tree planting need Forest Plus.
• Forest Pro, the earlier unlock, is no longer available to new users; existing Pro holders keep it.

Opal

• The free plan allows 1 rule and shows the Opal Score for the current day only.
• Hard Mode, Allow Only, unlimited rules and score history all require Pro.
• No Windows, Linux or web version is listed, and the App Store lists the iOS app for iPhone only.
• Opal's Mac page lists app limits and sync with the iPhone app as still to come on Mac.

Forest

Tree-growing focus timer

A tree grows during a countdown or stopwatch session and dies if you leave to use other apps. Each finished session is added to your forest.

Deep Focus Mode

A stricter mode that blocks other apps or sends you back to Forest when you open one. It is free; building a custom allowlist of permitted apps needs Plus.

Time Guard

Scheduled windows during which chosen apps or sites are blocked. The free tier covers 1 app or site and Plus covers several.

Plant Together

Create a room, invite friends with a code and plant the same tree in a synchronized session. If one person gives up, the tree dies for everyone.

Real tree planting

Plus and legacy Pro users can spend coins earned from focus sessions to have real trees planted through Trees for the Future, up to 5 per account.

Focus statistics and tags

Your forest shows total focus time, patterns by day, week or month, and streaks. Focus analytics and custom tags are part of Plus.

Opal

Focus Rules

Rules block chosen apps automatically on a schedule, after a time limit or after a set number of opens. The free plan allows 1 rule and Pro removes the cap.

Focus Timer

Pick what to work on, set a duration and stay locked in until the timer runs out. Advanced timers and soundscapes are part of Pro.

Hard Mode

A Pro setting under which Opal cannot be turned off while a block is active.

Opal Score

A single daily score built from sleep, focus and rest signals. Free accounts see today's score; the history needs Pro.

Mac app

Sessions block distracting websites and apps on macOS 13 or later, with the same Normal, Timeout and Deep Focus levels as the iOS app.

Opal for Schools

A separate school program in which administrators block set apps during school hours and follow usage on a dashboard.

Forest

• Free$0

  Countdown and stopwatch timer, Deep Focus app blocking, Time Guard for 1 app or site, 1 soundscape and group focus rooms.

• Forest Plus (monthly)$5.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Custom app allowlist, Time Guard for multiple apps and sites, all soundscapes, focus analytics, custom tags and real-tree planting.

• Forest Plus (annual)$32.49 or $35.99

  per year, US App Store in-app purchase

  The same Plus features billed yearly. The App Store lists two annual purchases and does not say which one a new subscriber pays.

Opal

• Free$0

  App blocking with 1 rule, basic timers and soundscapes, and the Opal Score for the current day.

• Opal Pro (yearly)$8.29

  per month, billed annually ($99.99)

  Unlimited rules, Hard Mode, Allow Only, advanced timers and soundscapes, and Opal Score history.

• Opal Pro (monthly)$19.99

  per month, billed monthly

  The same Pro features paid month to month; the pricing page puts the cost at $239 over a year.

• Opal Pro (lifetime)$399

  one-time purchase

  Pro features for a single payment with no subscription.

• Opal Teams ProCustom

  Everything in Opal Pro with a single invoice, advanced support and training, and an account manager.

Forest

• Annual discount

  Annual Forest Plus costs about half of monthly

  The US App Store lists the monthly Forest Plus purchase at $5.99 and annual purchases at $32.49 and $35.99, so a year paid annually costs about half of twelve monthly payments.

Opal

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing costs about 58% less than monthly

  Opal Pro is $99.99 billed annually ($8.29 a month) against $19.99 billed monthly, which the pricing page totals at $239 a year.

• Education

  Student discount: 50% off Opal Pro

  Students can apply for 50% off the yearly Opal Pro plan, shown as $49.99 billed annually ($4.19 a month).

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Opal Pro for a one-time payment

  The pricing page lists a lifetime Opal Pro option at $399, paid once.