We all have habits we want to build, or break. Maybe it’s exercising regularly or cutting back on late-night scrolling. Whatever it is, the problem isn’t knowing what to do, but staying consistent long enough for it to stick.

A habit tracker will help with this. It takes those small promises you make to yourself and turns them into something you can see. But not all of them are worth downloading, let alone using every day.

That’s why I’ve rounded up 10 of the best habit tracker apps that are genuinely helpful. These will fit into your routine and help your habit stick.

Criteria For Selecting the Apps

Before we jump into the apps, let’s first see how I selected them. After all, not every app is worth your time.

1. Ease of Use

Building a habit is hard enough on its own. Your tracker shouldn’t make it harder. If an app feels like work, then it’s not worth your time, simple as that. 

The best habit trackers are quick and almost effortless to use. You should be able to open the app and log your habits in a matter of seconds.

They are clean and intuitive, without complicated menus and little learning curve. It should be a simple way to check off that you did your workout and avoided the midnight snack.

The ease of an app’s use is non-negotiable and was definitely at the top of my selection criteria. 

2. Reminders and Notifications

Life gets busy, and even with the best intentions, it’s easy to forget a habit you are trying to build. That’s why reminders are important.

A good habit tracker will send you notifications. It should be on time and done gently to keep you consistent without driving you crazy.

3. Flexibility

No two habits are the same and they won’t all fit into a ‘once a day’ box. You may want to drink eight glasses of water a day or work out three times a week. These have different rhythms.

A solid habit tracker will bend with you. It will let you customize how often you want to track and adjust however you want to. You can set daily, weekly, or monthly goals.

This kind of flexibility is important to helping you stay consistent.

4. Motivation Factor

Ticking boxes will not always get you excited. You need a little spark of motivation to keep going. A good app will provide this.

Most come with a streak that grows with progress or a progress chart that fills up. The goal is to make you motivated to want to come back. It’s easier to believe in the bigger goal you are working towards when you see those small wins stack up.

5. Minimal Distractions

Extra features in an app are great, but they shouldn’t be too much that they end up pulling you in a dozen other directions. Some apps try too hard with pop-ups and endless features which you’ll likely never use.

The best trackers stay out of your way. They are clean and simple and give you what you need: a space to log your progress and glance at how you are performing.

The last thing you need is an app that makes everything more complicated.

Best Habit Tracker Apps

Note: The pricings are as of the time of writing

1. Loop Habit Tracker

Simple doesn’t always mean shallow, and Loop Habit Tracker proves this. The clean and straightforward design of the app may not grab your attention at first glance, but with time, it quietly becomes one of those apps you rely on every day.

Standout Features:

Loop is completely free with no subscriptions, hidden fees or ads. It gives you unlimited habits with detailed stats and customization options without having to worry about paywalls. Such generosity is difficult to find on an app.

While the design is minimal, it’s functional. You can quickly log your habits, mark your habits and get back to life. It doesn’t try to overcomplicate things.

What Could Improve:

Given that it’s free, the design, of course, had to be simple. If aesthetics motivate you, you may find Loop a little too plain for you.

Plus, the app is Android only. iOS users are left out in the cold, which is a shame given that this is one of the best free trackers available.

2. Habitica

Habitica is a gamified habit tracker that turns daily routines into a role-playing game (RPG). Instead of just checking boxes, it lets you build a character and earn rewards by completing quests.

Standout Features:

Habitica’s selling point is that it makes habit tracking fun. The avatars, pets and quests add a unique twist that unsurprisingly keep you motivated.

It’s also flexible in how you set things up. You can track to-dos (one-offs), recurring tasks (dailies) and habits (both good and bad). There’s a spot for everything.

And most importantly, the free plan is strong and covers the essentials like reminders and progress tracking. Not everything is locked behind a paywall.

What Could Improve:

Everything can feel a bit too much if you’re not into RPGs. It’s easy to get distracted by the fun and lose focus on the important habits that you are trying to build.

Also, the app isn’t the strongest in terms of analytics. It’s more about motivation than data. If you want detailed graphs and streak history to see how consistent you’ve been, you may want to check elsewhere.

Overall, Habitica is flexible and fun, and surprisingly full-featured even without paying. Try its free version first, and see whether it suits your needs before going for the upgraded extras. 

3. Streaks

Streaks takes the opposite path to Habitica. This is a sleek and simple app that is laser-focused on one thing: helping you stay consistent. It’s built around creating a streak, and every time you show up and complete your habit, the streak continues. 

Standout Features:

Streak’s biggest strength is its simplicity. You open the app, view your habits and tap to check them off. 

No noise, no distractions, just a clear focus on whether you completed your thing or not. It’s simple and straightforward and you barely need to learn how to use it.

The Apple integration is another big plus. You can sync with your Apple Watch and automatically track relevant activities, which is incredible for fitness-related habits. 

What Could Improve:

Streak offers a one-time purchase. That means you are committing money upfront to an app you haven’t tested. And if its style doesn’t suit you, there’s no way to back out of it.

 Also, it’s iOS only. It’s simply not an option for Android and Windows users.

But if you can get past these two drawbacks, Streaks remains a solid choice for those who want a clean checklist and the satisfaction of keeping a streak alive.

4. Productive

Productive sits somewhere in the middle of Habitica and Streak. It’s modern and polished and gives you a nice balance between flexibility and structure.

This is one of those apps that work for both beginners and advanced users. It’s simple enough to track a couple of daily goals and advanced enough to dig deeper into stats and streaks.

Standout Features:

Productive’s interface is intuitive and attractive and makes logging habits feel pleasant. Plus, it has no steep learning curve. You simply open the app, check your tasks for the day, and get moving.

It’s also flexible enough to allow you to set one-off goals or habits for specific days. This makes it more versatile than trackers that focus only on daily repetition.

You also get to see your stats and streaks in a way that feels encouraging and not overwhelming. It gives you enough feedback to see your progress.

What Could Improve:

Productive’s free version is limited. You only get to track a handful of habits. All the nice features are locked behind the premium plan. No money, no cool features.

5. Habitify

If you like clarity and structure, you’ll appreciate Habitify. Where apps like Habitica take the fun approach, Habitify keeps things neat and professional.

The app presents habits in a timeline that resembles a daily agenda. It is flexible enough to let you create habits with custom schedules and track them multiple times a day.

Standout Features:

Habitify supports multiple platforms, which is a big plus. Unlike other trackers that lock you into one device, you can stay consistent on your phone, desktop and web.

Its design is also another highlight. It’s clean and organized and motivates you to keep going without trying too hard. You open the app and immediately see what you need to do without the extra clutter.

What Could Improve:

As expected, the app’s free version is limited. You can only track a few habits and in case you need to do more, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan.

Still, the app is a clean choice if you want a structured habit tracker that works across devices.

6. Coach.me

Coach.me is part habit tracker and part accountability partner. You get a straightforward app to log habits and track streaks. But it also gives you the option to bring in a real human coach to help you stay consistent.

This combination helps distinguish Coach.me from many other habit trackers. 

Standout Features:

The coaching option is ingenious. Some habits like fitness and meditation need someone to guide and check in on you. This is a unique offering that you don’t get in many habit trackers.

Even when you don’t pay for coaching, Coach.me still gives you a community aspect where you can join groups and learn from others working on similar habits. It makes building a habit less lonely and more supportive.

What Could Improve:

While the coaching option is valuable, it’s not cheap. $25 a week isn’t realistic for everyone. Also, most of its features are fairly basic and you may have to consider other options for something more advanced.  

That said, the tracker’s real value comes from either investing in a coach to keep you on track or joining the community.

7.Fabulous

Fabulous is designed to feel more like a personal coach than a checklist app. Aside from logging habits, the app guides you through science-backed routines to target different areas of your life.

This approach makes it appealing for those who want structure and built-in motivation.

Standout Features:

Fabulous has an engaging design. It features gamified elements and visuals that make habit tracking interesting.

The addition of science-backed habit-building journeys makes it appealing for people who don’t know where to start or those who struggle with discipline.

What Could Improve:

While the structured routines make the app engaging, they can at times feel rigid especially when you prefer full control over your habits. The app chooses a path for you which may not always match your lifestyle.

8. HabitBull

HabitBull has a strong focus on accountability. You can create multiple habits and track progress daily or weekly. You can also monitor streaks with statistics and graphs.

Standout Features:

HabitBull shines in its data-driven approach. You can track goals and see your progress through charts which makes the whole thing motivating. There is also community support that adds a layer of encouragement and makes it easier to stay committed.

What Could Improve:

The app’s interface feels outdated compared to sleeker competitors. This design makes navigation less intuitive at times, which can be frustrating when you are trying to build momentum.

The free version is also limited and you’ll need to upgrade to the premium plan for better features.

But if you want something that is stats-heavy, HabitBull is a practical choice.

9. Finch

Finch is designed as a self-care companion. Your habit-building activity helps a virtual pet bird grow and thrive. This gamified approach makes building habits feel less like a chore and more like a nurturing process.

Standout Features:

Finch blends habit tracking and self-care in a playful way. You take care of a virtual pet while building habits which is surprisingly motivating. It also includes features like journaling and mood check-ins that give you a well-rounded tool for mental wellness.

What Could Improve:

The playful design may not appeal to everyone. It can feel a bit too much for those who want a clean, professional habit tracker. Its premium plan is also on the pricier side compared to similar apps.

10. TickTick

TickTick is designed primarily as a task manager but its built-in habit tracker makes it strong in this category. It lets you track your habits alongside your calendars, reminders and to-do lists.

It’s a good choice if you want to keep everything in one place.

Standout Features:

TickTick is versatile. On top of checking off habits, you are also managing tasks and schedules in one app. This integration means you can link them to daily priorities and broader goals.

If you already use TickTick for planning, the habit tracker will blend effortlessly into your workflow.

What Could Improve:

Since the app isn’t a primary habit tracker, most of its features are basic. It’s fairly okay for logging daily progress, but it offers fewer motivational features than dedicated habit-building apps.

TickTick is a smart choice if you want a productivity tool and habit tracker under one roof.

Consistency Beats Perfection

No app, however good, can build or break a habit for you. It’s your effort and consistency that matters. The right tool only makes the journey smoother and more enjoyable.

Settle for an app that you’ll use; one that feels natural and fits your lifestyle. Start small and let the habit compound over time.