Forest alternative
A Forest alternative where stopping early costs you nothing
Quiet Orbit is a free focus timer for iPhone that closes the apps you pick. Nothing withers when you stop early, and you can pay once instead of subscribing.
Forest and Quiet Orbit, side by side
| Quiet Orbit | Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price to start | Free | Free |
| What paying costs (US) | $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $39.99 once | Forest Plus, listed at $5.99 a month or $32.49 to $35.99 a year, plus coin packs |
| Blocks the apps you pick | Yes, free, through Apple's Screen Time | Yes, with an Allow List (iOS 16 or later) |
| If you stop early | You keep every minute you focused | Your tree withers |
| Focus with friends | Up to four phones start together, free | Plant trees together with friends and family |
| Runs on | iPhone | iPhone and iPad |
Why people look for a Forest alternative
Forest started in 2014 as a paid app. Since December 2025 it's a free download with Forest Plus, a subscription, for the extra trees and rewards. The core still works without it, but people who liked paying once now find a monthly or yearly plan. Others are simply tired of watching a tree die because they had to answer a message.
Quiet Orbit keeps what made Forest work, a timer with a picture of your progress, and drops the punishment. App blocking is free at every length. If you want everything, you can pay once, $39.99, and never think about a renewal.
What Quiet Orbit does
- Focus sessions from 15 to 90 minutes, with breaks if you want them.
- The apps you pick stay closed until the session ends, breaks included. Everything else stays open.
- Every minute you focus flies your ship closer to the next world, Earth out to Pluto. Each session you finish turns up a finding from the place you reached.
- Stop early and you keep every minute. Nothing dies, withers or resets.
- Up to four friends can start the same session at the same second, with a link. Hosting and joining are free.
- A weekly log, a live timer on the Lock Screen, widgets, reminders, and a streak with a rest day built in.
- No account. Which apps you block never leaves your iPhone.
Where Forest is the better pick
- You want apps blocked on a schedule every day, not only during a session. Forest's Time Guard does that.
- You use an iPad, or want your focus time in Apple Health.
- Planting real trees matters to you. Forest has planted over 2 million with Trees for the Future.
Switching takes a minute
- Install Quiet Orbit from the App Store. It's free, for iPhone on iOS 18 or later.
- Allow Screen Time access when it asks, and pick the apps that stay closed.
- Choose a length, press and hold to start, and put the phone down.
Your history in the other app stays there; Quiet Orbit starts you in Earth orbit. More on how the block works and the study timer, or see every app side by side.
Prices and features of other apps are from their US App Store listings, checked on 16 October 2026, and can change; Forest's pricing history is from Wikipedia. Prices differ by country. Every app named here is a trademark of its owner; Quiet Orbit isn't affiliated with any of them.