Chain
Chain vs Forest.
Forest made focus feel like growing something. Chain takes that idea to the place a lot of deep work happens: your PC.
Short answer: Forest is a phone-first app where a tree grows while you stay off your phone. Chain is a free focus timer for Windows and Android where twenty minutes a day adds a link to your chain, and your hours turn into levels, titles, rewards and goal castles. If you work at a Windows PC, Chain is the closer fit. If you want to stay off an iPhone, Forest is.
Side by side
| Chain | Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10/11 app, Android (pre-registration on Google Play), synced | iPhone, Android, browser extensions; no Windows app |
| What grows | A chain, one link per day; castles for your goals | A tree per session, and a forest over time |
| Daily rule | 20 minutes secures the day | No daily minimum |
| If you slip | Streak resets; levels, hours and rewards stay | Leaving the app kills that session's tree |
| Rewards | XP, 100 levels, hour ranks, medals, timer and chain cosmetics, earned only | Coins for new tree species; real trees planted through a partner |
| Friends | Optional Guild: see who's focusing now, no feed | Plant together |
| Cost | Free during beta, no ads, no in-app purchases | Paid on iPhone; free with in-app purchases on Android |
Checked October 2026. Forest details come from its public listings and may change.
What feels different
A streak with a low bar
Forest rewards each session on its own. Chain asks for twenty minutes a day and keeps a visible chain of every day you showed up. The bar is low on purpose: easy enough to clear on a bad day, which is when it matters.
Progress you can't lose
A dead tree stays dead. In Chain, missing a day breaks the streak, but your XP, level, hours and everything you've earned stay. You start a new chain, not a new life.
Phone and PC together
On Android, switching apps ends a Chain session, much like Forest; locking the screen is fine. On Windows, Chain runs alongside your work instead of blocking it. With an account, a session can start on one and carry on to the other.
When Forest is the better pick
If you focus mostly on an iPhone, if your main problem is picking up your phone, or if planting real trees is what keeps you going, Forest is a lovely app and Chain can't replace it there.
Try Chain
Free on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play: pre-register now.
Get it on the Microsoft Store Pre-register on Google PlayMore: Focus timers for Windows · Chain as a study timer · FAQ