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All industries · head to head

Forest vs Tana

Forest logo

Forest

All industries

Stay focused, be present

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Forest no standalone desktop app; limited to browser extensions; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • They diverge on capability: Forest covers Focus timer, Tana covers Outliner interface.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Forest and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where Forest and Tana differ
AttributeForestTana
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsiOS, Android, Chrome, FirefoxWeb, Desktop
CategoryAll industriesProductivity
Founded20142020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Forest

  • Focus timer
  • Virtual forest building
  • Real tree planting partnership
  • Website/app blocking
  • Statistics tracking
  • Achievements & rewards
  • Social features
  • Custom tree species

Only in Tana

  • Outliner interface
  • Supertags
  • Live queries
  • AI integration
  • Graph views
  • Email capture
  • API
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • English language support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Forest

  • Study sessionsnot Tana
  • Work focus timenot Tana
  • Digital detoxnot Tana
  • Pomodoro techniquenot Tana
  • Phone addiction managementnot Tana

Tana

  • Structured note taking with a graph based supertag data modelnot Forest
  • Automatic meeting capture with AI transcripts and summariesnot Forest
  • Turning notes into queryable structured databasesnot Forest

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Forest

  • No standalone desktop app; limited to browser extensions
  • Mobile app pricing varies by platform; iOS one-time purchase vs. Android different model
  • Forest Plus features required for advanced analytics and custom tag tracking

Tana

  • The free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • The free plan connects only 1 calendar and allows 50 AI queries
  • Pro is $30 per user per month at standard price, with $20 shown as an early bird rate
  • Max is $120 per user per month at standard price, with $80 shown as an early bird rate
  • Integrations and full MCP require the Pro plan
  • Dedicated support and onboarding, and unlimited agents, skills and types, require the Max plan
  • The Business plan is custom priced, billed yearly and has no published rate
  • The free trial runs 30 days

Pricing, plan by plan

Forest

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Forest review.

Tana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core features
    • Supertags
    • Searches
  • Pro$10/month
    • Advanced AI
    • Priority support
    • Extended history

Which should you pick?

Choose Forest if

  • You need focus timer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox.
  • You also want virtual forest building.
Forest review

Choose Tana if

  • You need outliner interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want supertags.
Tana review

Questions people ask

Is Forest or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. Forest starts at Free and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Forest or Tana?
Forest starts at Free and Tana at Free.
Does Forest or Tana run on more platforms?
Forest runs on iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox. Tana runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Forest for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Forest best used for?
Forest is most often used for study sessions, work focus time, digital detox, pomodoro technique. Of those, study sessions and work focus time are not what Tana is typically brought in for.
What can Forest do that Tana cannot?
Forest covers Focus timer, Virtual forest building, Real tree planting partnership, Website/app blocking. Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration. Both handle English language support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Forest: How much does Forest cost?

Forest has a free version with core features (timer, app blocking, group focus). Forest Plus subscription costs $3.33/month when billed annually at $39.99, with pricing varying by region and platform.

Source
Forest: What platforms does Forest support?

Forest is available on iOS (one-time purchase $3.99), Android (free with ads, or $1.99 one-time for ad-free), and as a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox.

Source
Forest: What is Forest's tree planting program?

Forest has partnered with Trees for the Future to plant real trees. Users can spend earned focus coins to fund tree planting in Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Cameroon. Over 2.1 million real trees have been planted.

Source
Forest: Does Forest work offline?

Yes. Forest's core focus experience including the timer, tree growth, and stats works completely offline. This allows use on airplanes, subways, and areas without internet connectivity.

Source
Forest: Is there a Forest desktop app?

No. Forest does not have an official standalone desktop application. Desktop access is available through browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox only. Some users run the mobile app via emulators like BlueStacks.

Source
Forest: What features are in Forest Plus?

Forest Plus includes all Mindful Space soundscapes, custom app allowlists, advanced analytics with custom tags, exclusive tree species, 3x coin boost, and the ability to plant up to 5 real trees annually.

Source
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