Hidden Value vs Forest
The short version: Forest turns focus into a game — start a session and a virtual tree grows for as long as you stay off your phone or blocked sites; leave early and it dies, and stick with enough sessions and your coins can fund a real tree planted through Trees for the Future. Hidden Value does something different on your work computer — it shows you the real dollar cost of every scroll, so cheap dopamine stops feeling worth chasing in the first place, backed by friction, popups, and an automatic tab close if you don't stop yourself. Forest's own reviewers are upfront that the tree only ever dies if you let it: close the app mid-session and there's no consequence at all. Here's the honest breakdown.
Most "X vs Y" pages are thinly disguised sales pitches where the author's product wins every round. This isn't that. Forest does real, useful things Hidden Value doesn't — mainly, a genuinely fun, cross-platform session timer that's motivated over 60 million people since 2014. The honest answer to "which should I use" comes down to whether a game keeps you honest, or a real number does — a tree that wilts on your phone, or a dollar figure that's visible every time you reach for Chrome.
The quick verdict
Choose Hidden Value if…
You lose focus in Chrome on your work computer, you bill by the hour, and you want the urge itself to weaken — not just a game to win. Built for founders, freelancers, and solopreneurs whose time converts directly into money.
Choose Forest if…
Your distraction is mostly on your phone, you respond well to gamification and streaks, and you want one app that covers iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome instead of a desktop-only tool.
Side-by-side comparison
| Hidden Value | Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary platform | Chrome (desktop browser); iPhone app coming soon | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, plus a Chrome extension — mobile-first |
| Core approach | Opportunity-cost visibility + friction + auto-close | Gamified session timer — grow a tree, don't leave until time's up |
| Blocking style | Graduated — friction, popups, then an automatic tab close on repeat offenders | None — leaving the app just kills your tree; nothing stops you from leaving |
| Shows cost in dollars | Yes — your Hidden Cost at your hourly rate | No — points and virtual/real trees, no dollar value |
| Can you turn it off? | Yes — a few clicks in chrome://extensions, same as any extension | Yes, even more easily — closing the app or session mid-way is the whole failure mode, and it's optional |
| Best for | Desktop deep work, billable time | Phone-first focus sessions, especially for people motivated by gamification |
| Pricing model | Free tier + optional Pro | Free with limits + subscription for the full app (used to include a one-time option) |
Pricing changes and is often tested, so we don't quote exact numbers — check each product's site for current plans.
What is Hidden Value?
Hidden Value is a Chrome extension that tracks the sites eating your time and reframes them as opportunity cost: a running dollar figure based on your hourly rate. When you reach for a distracting site, it adds friction and shows you the cost before you commit. If that's not enough, it escalates — a popup, then an intervention, and if you still don't stop, it closes the tab for you automatically. It isn't a scheduled lock you set in advance; it responds to what you're actually doing.
The goal isn't just to stand between you and the dopamine — it's to make the source less addictive, so you stop wanting it as much in the first place. When every scroll carries a visible price, the pull weakens on its own, and you can see exactly what the habit is costing you in hours and dollars, not just in vague "you should focus more" terms. That's the part that lasts, especially on the work computer where your billable hours actually live.
What is Forest?
Forest is a mobile-first focus app built around a simple idea: start a session, and a virtual tree grows for as long as you stay off your phone or off blocked sites on desktop. Leave the app before time's up, and the tree dies. Stick with enough sessions, and Forest converts your in-app coins into real trees planted through its partnership with Trees for the Future. It's been around since 2014, has more than 60 million users, and runs on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome — genuinely cross-platform in a way Hidden Value, built for desktop Chrome today (an iPhone app is coming soon), isn't yet.
It's worth being precise about how the block actually works, though. Forest doesn't stop you from leaving mid-session — the entire mechanic is a tree that dies if you do, and nothing more. Reviewers are upfront about this: you can just close the app and move on, tree be damned, and the core gamification loop is bypassed in one tap. Forest also doesn't show any dollar cost — it's points, streaks, and trees, not a number tied to your actual income. Its pricing has shifted too: what used to include a one-time-purchase option for extra features is now subscription-only for the full app, a change some longtime users have grumbled about in reviews.
Where Forest is genuinely useful: for people who respond to gamification, a tree that dies — and the promise that sticking with it plants a real one — is a genuinely clever motivator, and its session-timer model works well for scheduled focus blocks on mobile, where Hidden Value doesn't operate yet. Its reach across phone, tablet, and desktop also means one app covers every device, instead of a Chrome-only tool.
Forest's tree is a symbol of what you're giving up, not a lock — closing the app mid-session costs you nothing but a wilted icon, and reviewers say as much openly. Hidden Value is honest about being just as easy to escape: it's a Chrome extension, a few clicks in chrome://extensions and it's gone. The difference isn't which one is harder to quit. It's what happens while you're using it: Forest's cost is a make-believe tree; Hidden Value's cost is a real number, in dollars, at your actual hourly rate — and when that number is visible on every scroll, the pull weakens because the scroll stops feeling worth it, not because a game told you to stay. If that's not enough, an automatic tab close steps in as the backstop, which a dying virtual tree never will.
Where Hidden Value is the better choice
- You want the pull itself to weaken, not a game to win. Hidden Value's angle is making cheap dopamine stop feeling worth chasing in the first place — a real dollar figure hits differently than a tree losing its leaves.
- You bill by the hour and want to see the actual time wasted. A real dollar figure — your Hidden Cost — is a different kind of motivator than points or streaks. Curious what your number is? Run it through the screen time cost calculator.
- You're distracted at your desk, not just on your phone. Forest's session model is built mobile-first; Hidden Value tracks what's happening in Chrome specifically, during work. More on that in our guide to stopping doomscrolling during work hours.
Where Forest is the better choice
- Your distraction is mostly on your phone. Hidden Value is built for desktop Chrome today (an iPhone app is coming soon), so until then, Forest's mobile-first session timer covers ground Hidden Value doesn't yet.
- You're motivated by gamification and streaks. Watching a virtual forest grow — and funding real trees once you've planted enough — is a genuinely different kind of motivation than a dollar figure, and for some people it sticks better.
- You want one app across every device. Forest works on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome; Hidden Value is Chrome-only for now.
Can you use both?
Yes — Forest for scheduled focus sessions on your phone, where gamification and real-tree-planting are a genuine motivator, Hidden Value for the rest of the workday in Chrome, where you want the cost visible instead of a game. They're solving different problems on different devices rather than duplicating one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hidden Value or Forest better?
For distraction on your work computer, Hidden Value — it targets the pull itself: every scroll shows its real dollar cost, so cheap dopamine stops feeling worth chasing, with an automatic tab close as the backstop if friction alone isn't enough. Forest is the stronger pick if you respond to gamification and want a session timer across your phone and desktop, especially since your coins can fund real trees. Different mechanisms for different people.
Can you really just close the Forest app and skip the block?
Yes. Forest's entire mechanic is a tree that dies if you leave the app during a session — but nothing physically stops you from closing it and moving on, tree be damned. Reviewers note this openly: the core gamification loop is bypassed in one tap. Hidden Value doesn't pretend otherwise about itself either — it's a Chrome extension you can disable in a few clicks — but its dollar-cost framing is designed to work even when you could escape it, not just while you're locked in.
What is a good Forest alternative for Chrome?
Hidden Value is a strong Forest alternative if you want something built specifically for Chrome and desktop work, rather than a session timer ported from mobile. Instead of a tree that dies, it shows the real dollar cost of the time you're about to spend at your hourly rate, with friction, popups, and an automatic tab close as the backstop.
Can I use both Hidden Value and Forest?
Yes — Forest for scheduled focus sessions on your phone, where its gamification and real-tree-planting genuinely motivate people, Hidden Value for the rest of the workday in Chrome, where you want the cost visible instead of a game. They're solving different problems on different devices rather than duplicating one.
See what distraction costs you on desktop
Hidden Value tracks the sites stealing your time in Chrome and reframes them as the dollars and hours you're not getting back.
Add to Chrome