After all, the habit tracking mechanics side of things is simple-it's building a nice app that's the real challenge. Then, I added a few habits and used them over a few days to see how nice they were to use, explore any quirks, and look at their claimed features.
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To test the apps on this list-and a bunch of the ones that aren't-I signed up for whatever free account or trial was available. I use one of the apps on this list myself, though I would happily use the other five if I needed to (or changed smartphone platform). If there's an approach to tracking habits out there, I've probably tried it-and I genuinely think that a well-designed app offers the best balance between simplicity and effectiveness. I've been writing about self-improvement, building habits, and apps for almost a decade. All the best habit apps offer statistics that break down things like how often you do each habit, how long your current streak is, and more. If you're going to use a smartphone app, you might as well get the benefit of instant data analysis. Any app that adds friction to the process didn't make this list. If it's awkward, it won't fit into the good routines you're trying to build. Tracking your habits should be simple and take no more than a few seconds. There's nothing worse than getting stuck with an outdated app you love.īe quick, intuitive, and easy to use. Habit tracking is a long-term plan, so we only included apps that were still actively supported and had been updated in roughly the last year-that way, you can be sure they'll work for the next few years, at least. Since habit tracking apps are so simple, there are a lot of unmaintained apps out there that seem to have been built by developers as a side project or just for fun. The best apps should let you set a target number of times per week or per month, track habits you are trying to break, and otherwise offer a lot more control over how you track what you want to do and when.īe under active development. The big advantage of using a mobile app is that you can track things in more nuanced ways than with a calendar. Brush your teeth in the morning? Let's be honest-your phone is already with you in the bathroom, so you can check it off right there and then.Īllow for flexible habit tracking. It's the only device you can always rely on having on hand, which means you can mark off habits as soon as you do them. A desktop app or a website that syncs is a bonus, but a smartphone app is a must. For a habit app to be great (and to beat out a wall calendar), it has to: For this list, I set the bar really high. This simplicity, though, means there are a massive number of apps that claim to be capable of tracking habits while being really awful to use. It's easy to see why a wall calendar or a little notebook and a red pen were the default options for so long. Did you do the habit you were trying to build today? If yes, check a box.
Habit tracking is an inherently simple idea.
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For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site-we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. Habitica for people who want to turn building habits into a gameĪll of our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Productive for people who want guidance on building habits Habitify for planning your day around your habits Way of Life for gathering lots of data about your habits I considered, researched, and tested almost 40 apps for this article-and here are the six best habit trackers. Most are based around building a daily streak or not breaking a chain of X's on a calendar, although most also allow you to set a target number of days per week or per month rather than just forcing you to do every habit every day. There are lots of different apps that offer some kind of habit testing. You always have your smartphone with you, it can remind you when you haven't done something yet that day, and there's more room for nuance in how often you have to perform a particular habit. While you can use a wall calendar or a journal to record your habits, an app can be a more convenient solution. One of the most powerful ways to build new habits is to track when you do them.
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