Free habit tracker apps compared: what you really get

The best free habit tracker app is the one whose free plan covers the habits you actually want to track, on the phone you actually use. “Free” means very different things from one app to the next: a few habits, a free download with paid extras, a free app with an optional subscription, or a one-off price. Below are seven habit trackers side by side, with every fact about the other apps checked on their own pages and store listings.

We make one of them, BeHabit, so take our row with that in mind. We’ve tried to be as fair to the others as we’d want them to be to us.

What does “free” mean in a habit tracker?

A free habit tracker is only free if its limits fit you. Before you compare apps, it helps to know which limits matter:

• How many habits are free. Most free plans cap the number of habits. If you track three things, a cap of three or four is plenty. If you track ten, it isn’t.
• Which devices it runs on. An app for Apple devices only won’t help if you’re on Android, or switch between the two.
• Whether you need an account. Some apps ask you to sign in, some keep everything on your phone.
• Whether widgets are paid. Seeing your habits on the Home Screen is often a paid extra.
• How you pay, if you pay. A subscription, a one-off price for life, or optional in-app purchases.

As James Clear writes in his habit tracker guide, “A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit.” Any of the apps below can do that. The differences are in the limits around it.

Free habit tracker apps compared

“Not checked” means we didn’t find it on the app’s own pages, so we left it out rather than guess. Prices are the ones shown on each app’s pages or the US App Store on the day we checked, and may differ in your country. All the details, side by side with BeHabit, are on our comparison pages.

Which free habit tracker is best for you?

Every app here is good at something. Here’s who each one suits best.

BeHabit: a free plan that covers a real routine, no account

BeHabit is free for 4 active habits, with time and place reminders, calendar sync and Insights, and you don’t need an account: your habits stay on your phone and work offline. Premium adds unlimited habits, Home Screen widgets, cloud backup and restore, and shared habits. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, in English, French and Arabic. It suits you if you want to start small without signing up. Why no account? We explain in habit tracker app without an account.

Habitify: the most devices

Habitify runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple Watch and the web, and you sign in so your habits sync between them. The free plan covers up to 3 habits; paid is $2.49 a month billed yearly, or $59.99 once for life. Pick it if you want your habits on a computer or a watch, or you’d rather pay once. Sources: Habitify pricing, App Store listing, checked on November 6, 2026.

Streaks: pay once, all on Apple

Streaks has no free plan, but it costs $5.99 once on the US App Store, with no subscription. It tracks up to 24 habits, includes widgets and Apple Health, and runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. There’s no Android version. Pick it if you only use Apple devices and dislike subscriptions. Sources: streaks.app, App Store listing, checked on November 6, 2026.

Habi: habits, to-dos and focus in one planner

Habi is free to download with in-app purchases. It’s more than a habit tracker: habits, to-dos, projects, a focus timer, countdowns and an app blocker, built around your calendar. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro (iOS 18 or later), with no account, and has no Android version. Pick it if you want one planner for your whole day on Apple devices. Source: App Store listing, checked on November 7, 2026.

HabitKit: a simple grid of tiles

HabitKit is a simple, offline tracker for iPhone, iPad and Android, with no account. The free plan covers a few habits, and Pro (monthly, yearly or once for life) adds widgets and up to three reminders per habit. Pick it if you love seeing each habit as a grid of tiles. Sources: habitkit.app, App Store listing, checked on November 7, 2026.

Habitica: your habits as a game

Habitica turns habits, tasks and goals into a role-playing game, with an avatar, quests and parties with friends. It’s free, with an optional subscription at $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year on the US App Store, and gems. You need an account, and it runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. Pick it if a game is what keeps you going. Sources: App Store listing, Google Play listing, checked on November 6, 2026.

Atoms: James Clear’s lessons in the app

Atoms is the app from Atomic Habits, with daily lessons from James Clear. It’s free, with Pro at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year on the US App Store, and runs on iPhone and Android, in English. Pick it if you loved the book and want its method every day. Sources: atoms.jamesclear.com, App Store listing, Google Play listing, checked on November 6, 2026.

How do you choose a free habit tracker?

Count your habits first

Write down the habits you want to track this month. If it’s three or four, almost any free plan here will do. Starting with fewer habits is usually wiser anyway: how many habits to track explains why.

Check your devices

List the phone, tablet and computer you’d use. That alone rules some apps in or out.

Decide how you feel about accounts

If you’d rather your habits stay on your phone, pick an app that works without signing in.

Try it for a week

Add one habit, tick it off for seven days, and see if the app feels light enough to open every day. The app matters less than the habit; our guide on how to build a habit covers the part no app can do for you.

What if you’ve already tried a habit app and stopped?

That’s normal, and it rarely means the app was the problem. Most people stop because they started with too many habits, or a habit that was too big. Before you switch apps, try again with one small habit in the app you already have. If the app itself was in the way (too many steps, the wrong devices, a paywall at the wrong moment), then the table above should help you pick a better fit.

The short version

• “Free” in a habit tracker can mean a habit limit, a free download with paid extras, or an optional subscription. Streaks is paid once.
• Compare the free habit limit, devices, account and widgets before you pick.
• BeHabit is free for 4 active habits with no account; Premium adds unlimited habits, widgets, backup and shared habits.
• Habitify reaches the most devices, Streaks suits Apple-only users who pay once, Habi is an all-in-one planner, HabitKit is a simple tile grid, Habitica is a game and Atoms brings James Clear’s lessons.
• Start with one small habit for a week: the habit matters more than the app.