Pomo compared with ForestPomodoro timer comparison, November 2026
Forest is the best-known gamified focus app and has a far larger following than Pomo. It is a phone app first and keeps you off the phone; Pomo is a Pomodoro timer with breaks, a Mac app and a Watch app. This leaflet sets the two side by side, with the date on which the comparison was made.
Forest, in brief
Forest is made by Seekrtech and calls itself the number one focus app for time well spent. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision and Android, with browser extensions for the desktop; no Mac app and no Apple Watch app were observed in November 2026. In December 2025 it moved from a $3.99 one-time purchase to a free download with a Forest Plus subscription, listed at $5.99 a month; the annual price was shown differently in different places, so it is left out here. Forest is rated 4.8 stars from about 50,000 US ratings as listed in November 2026, and its site claims more than 60 million downloads. It suits people who want to stay off the phone for a stretch and enjoy a game around it, and who mostly focus away from a Mac.
Side by side
| Pomo | Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision, Android; browser extensions. No Mac or Apple Watch app observed |
| Price of the free tier | Free; everything in the manual | Free since December 2025; timer and blocking |
| Paid tier and price | None. Everything is free, with no in-app purchases | Forest Plus: $5.99 a month; annual price listed inconsistently; no lifetime |
| Timer sync across devices | No. The record syncs; each device runs its own timer | Not checked |
| Statistics | Day, week, month, year; hours by session name; change against the period before | Not checked |
| Streaks | Daily use stamp; one session every three days keeps it | Not checked |
| iCloud or cloud sync | iCloud, record only, no account | Not checked |
| Calendar export | Apple Calendar, by hand or automatically | Not checked |
| CSV export | CSV and text | Not checked |
| App blocking | Yes, Mac only | Yes, in the free tier |
| Website blocking | Yes, Mac only; Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera | Browser extensions |
| Apple Watch | Start, pause, skip; haptic tap | None observed |
| Widgets and Live Activity | Home Screen widget; Live Activity with pause | Not checked |
| Task list | None; session names only | Not checked |
| Account required | No | Not checked |
| Ads in free tier | No | No |
| Design | Split-flap display, four lamps, one red button; set like an owner's manual | Gamified |
Compared on 2 November 2026. Pomo's column is from this manual. Forest's column is from its public App Store listing and website as read on that date; details change, and a cell marked not checked means the point was not read for this leaflet. Pro in red marks a feature the other app sells in its paid tier.
Where Forest is better
Forest keeps you off the phone. Its blocking works on the iPhone itself, and its browser extensions reach Chrome and other desktop browsers on any system. Pomo blocks apps and websites on the Mac only; on iPhone and iPad it keeps the countdown in view and does not lock other apps.
Forest runs on Android and Apple Vision. Pomo runs on Apple's four platforms and nowhere else.
Forest has about 50,000 US ratings and a decade of use behind it. If a game around the timer is what keeps you at the desk, Forest built that game and Pomo has none. Pomo is awaiting its first App Review.
Where Pomo is better
Pomo is a Pomodoro timer in the full sense: 25 minutes of focus, a 5-minute break, a 15-minute break after four, all adjustable on the faders, with the lamps turning green while you rest. Reviews of Forest listed in November 2026 note that it has no Pomodoro break timer.
Pomo has a Mac app that lives in the menu bar and hides listed apps during a session, and an Apple Watch app that starts, pauses and skips the timer from the wrist. Neither was observed for Forest.
Pomo keeps a record of use by day, week, month and year with hours by session name, syncs it through iCloud without an account, and exports it to Apple Calendar, CSV and text. All of this is free, with no in-app purchases. Forest moved its existing buyers from a one-time purchase to a subscription in December 2025, and reviews listed in November 2026 say so.
Which to choose
Choose Forest if the phone is the distraction, you use Android or Apple Vision, and the game is what keeps you going. Choose Pomo if you want proper breaks in the cycle, a Mac app with a blocker, a Watch app, and a record you can export, for nothing and without an account. Pomo is awaiting App Review in November 2026.
Forest offers no export of its history, so nothing carries over; the record in Pomo starts fresh. Records from Pomofocus, Session, Toggl Track, spreadsheets and calendar files can be read in with the Import button on the record card.