Looking for a Forest alternative?
Forest is built to keep you off your phone. If you would rather study next to other people, in a live room or with your friends, Lilo works in a different way.
On the App StoreOn Google Play Also on Google PlayAlso on the App Store
Scan to get LiloYour phone's camera opens the right store.
The short answer
Forest is built around keeping you off your phone: Deep Focus blocks other apps during a session, your tree withers if you give up, and Plus members can spend coins to plant real trees with Trees for the Future. Lilo works in a different way. It does not block apps. It gives you company instead, with live 3D study rooms where you see who else is studying right now, private rooms for your friends and challenges like time goals and speed races. If you study better next to other people, with some friendly competition, Lilo is built for you.
Lilo vs Forest, side by side
| Feature | Lilo | Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free download, optional Lilo Premium subscription | Free with ads and in-app purchases, optional Forest Plus subscription (price varies by region) |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and Android | iPhone, iPad and Android, plus Chrome and Firefox browser extensions |
| Core idea | Sit at a desk in a live 3D study room while your timer runs | Grow a virtual tree while you focus. It withers if you give up |
| Blocks other apps | No, Lilo does not block apps or lock your phone | Yes. Deep Focus blocks other apps during a session (free). Custom allowlists come with Plus |
| Real trees | No | Yes, with Trees for the Future. Plus and Pro members can spend coins on up to 5 real trees |
| Studying with friends | Private study rooms joined with a 6-character code or invite link, with chat | Plant Together: friends join one focus room and grow one tree. If anyone gives up, it withers for everyone |
| Live rooms with other students | Yes. Classroom, Café, Library, Seaside terrace and seasonal rooms, with name tags, flags and live study time | Not listed |
| Competition | Challenges with friends (time goal, speed race, ranking battle, streak), friends feed and rankings | Global leaderboard and Focus Challenge |
| Timer modes | Countdown free. Stopwatch and Pomodoro with Premium | Focus timer that grows a tree, described as a Pomodoro timer on Google Play |
| Progress | Streaks you can protect with XP, 101 levels where Lilo changes outfit | A forest of your sessions, custom tags, stats and over a hundred tree species to unlock |
| Languages | 33 languages | 14 languages on the App Store listing |
| Store ratings | 4.8 on Google Play, 4.7 on the App Store | 4.3 on Google Play, 4.8 on the US App Store |
Details about Forest checked in October 2026 from its official website and store listings. Apps change, so check the store page for the latest.
Why students switch to Lilo
- You study better when other people are studying with you, even strangers in a live room.
- You want a private room where your friends sit with you and you can chat.
- You like challenges with friends: time goals, speed races, ranking battles and streaks.
- You want a free countdown timer with calm scenes, like a rainy window or a sleeping cat.
- You want the app in your own language. Lilo has 33.
How they differ in practice
Forest and Lilo both start with a timer, but they push you in different ways. Forest works on your willpower around your phone. You plant a seed, a tree grows while you focus, and if you give up, the tree withers and stays in your forest as a record. Deep Focus, which is free, blocks other apps until the session ends. Over time you build a forest of past sessions, unlock new tree species and see your focus time by tag.
Lilo works on company. When you start a session, you can take a desk in a live 3D study room, like the Classroom, Café, Library or Seaside terrace, and see who else is studying right now. Each person has a name tag with a country flag and their live study time. Nobody is on camera, and nobody can talk to you in public rooms, but you can wave. Lilo does not block apps or lock your phone, so it suits people who get more from seeing others work than from a lock.
The free timer in Lilo is a countdown with four scenes: Classic ring, Coffee, Sleeping cat and Rainy window. Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes come with Lilo Premium.
Studying with friends
Both apps let you focus with friends, but the stakes are different. Forest’s Plant Together puts everyone in one focus room growing one tree. If one person gives up, the tree withers for the whole group. iPhone and Android users can join the same room.
In Lilo, you open a private study room and share a 6-character code or an invite link. Your friends sit at desks next to you, and private rooms have a chat. Outside of rooms, you can start study challenges with friends: a time goal, a speed race, a ranking battle or a streak. There is also a friends feed and rankings.
What switching looks like
If you move over to Lilo, here is what changes:
- Lilo has no app blocking and no real tree planting. It keeps you going with company instead: other people studying in the same room, friends in a private room and challenges you take on together.
- Your Forest history stays in Forest. Lilo starts counting from your first session, with streaks you can protect with earned XP and 101 levels where the mascot Lilo changes outfit.
- Most of what you need is free: the focus timer, live rooms, private rooms, challenges and streaks. Lilo Premium adds Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes, 30+ more timer scenes, the full music library, unlimited challenges and planning, and advanced stats.
Lilo is on iPhone, iPad and Android, in 33 languages, with no web or PC version. Download Lilo and take a desk in a room for your next session.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Forest?
Lilo is free to download, and the focus timer, live study rooms, private rooms for friends and challenges are free. Lilo Premium adds Stopwatch and Pomodoro modes, more timer scenes and more. Forest also has a free tier with ads that includes Deep Focus and Plant Together.
Does Lilo block apps like Forest?
No. Lilo does not block other apps or lock your phone. It helps you focus in a different way: you take a desk in a live 3D study room and see other people studying at the same time, or you study with friends in a private room and take on challenges together.
Can you study with friends on Forest?
Yes. With Plant Together, friends join one focus room and grow the same tree, and if one person gives up the tree withers for everyone. In Lilo, friends join a private 3D study room with a code or invite link and can chat while they study.
Does Lilo plant real trees?
No. Real tree planting is something Forest does with Trees for the Future. Lilo rewards you with streaks, XP and 101 levels where the mascot Lilo changes outfit.
Can I use Lilo on my computer like Forest's browser extension?
No. Lilo is a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android, with no web or PC version. On your phone or iPad, you get live 3D study rooms, private rooms for friends, challenges and a free countdown timer.
More comparisons
your desk is waiting.
Free on iPhone and Android. Setting it up takes about a minute.
On the App StoreOn Google Play Also on Google PlayAlso on the App Store
Scan to get LiloYour phone's camera opens the right store.
