Best apps for focus (2026): Focus Friend, Forest, and Focus Traveler

When you try To stay focused on something, there are no shortage of distractions on your phone, through your web browser, or out the window. And with attention spans collapsing in the age of TikTok, we now have a whole category of apps dedicated to helping you stick to what you’re supposed to be doing.

All of these apps work in much the same way, giving you a straightforward way to track how long you spend on a task, and offering some sort of incentive to stick to the allotted time. Sometimes you get some extra features too, like the ability to block access to other apps.

In order to try to write this specific article without switching between browser tabs and apps every two minutes, I tried out three of the best focus tools. Here’s how they stack up.

Focus, friend

Focus Friend gives you a companion pill to focus on.

Photography: David Nield

The atmosphere of Focus Friend is very warm and cozy. When you first set up the app, you get your own bean, which you can give a name. Once you get through the intro screens, the beans will start knitting — and any time you pick up your phone after that, the knitting stops.

The idea is that if you stick to the time you set, your bean can come up with a variety of knitted creations, which can then be replaced with different decorations for your bean’s living space. As you might expect, you can pay for embellishments too, and the Pro subscription ($2 per month) means your beanies are able to get even more creative with their knitting.

The length of your focus sessions is up to you, and you have the option to play some soothing music, block access to other apps, or keep the screen on while you work or study – and while you’re busy doing some knitting. Everything is whimsical and easy to set up. You don’t even need to register a user account.

How effective you find Focus Friend really depends on how much you like beans and their knitting projects. The app is essentially just a stopwatch, although the option to block other apps is useful. For me, the extra gentle companionship makes a difference, and helps with sticking to the task.

Focus Friend for Android and iOS (Free or starting at $2 per month)

forest

The forest plants virtual trees while you work or study.

Photography: David Nield

The trick Forest uses to keep you focused is planting virtual trees within the app. The longer you stay engaged and able to avoid distractions, the more trees you’ll have – until you have your own forest on your phone. The app developers have partnered with the non-profit Trees for the Future to plant millions of actual trees in the real world as well.