Six apps that turn habits into a game, and who each one is actually for. We make one of them (XP Tracker), so we have tried hard to be fair to the rest.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XP Tracker: Hero's Journey | People who want a program, not a blank list, and like RPGs or anime | iOS, Android | Free through your first boss, then $9.99/mo or $49.99 one time |
| Habitica | People who want to turn their OWN task list into an RPG, with friends | iOS, Android, web | Free (optional subscription) |
| Finch | Gentle self-care and mood check-ins | iOS, Android | Free (optional subscription) |
| LifeUp | Tinkerers who want to design their own reward system | Android, iOS | Paid / freemium |
| Do It Now: RPG To Do List | A simple RPG layer on everyday tasks | Android, iOS | Free (optional upgrade) |
| Forest | Staying off your phone while you focus | iOS, Android | Paid on iOS / freemium on Android |
Best for: People who want a program, not a blank list, and like RPGs or anime. Platforms: iOS, Android. Price: Free through your first boss, then $9.99/mo or $49.99 one time.
Your real habits (training, focus, reading, meditation or prayer, cold showers and more) become daily quests. XP levels up your hero, the work damages bosses, and a comic story unlocks as you go. It builds your plan from your own answers and grows the targets over 8-14 months. Then it ends, on purpose. 8 classes, 195 bosses, 404 companions, 832 items. Full disclosure: we made this one.
Best for: People who want to turn their OWN task list into an RPG, with friends. Platforms: iOS, Android, web. Price: Free (optional subscription).
The original habit RPG. You add your own habits, dailies and to-dos, and they earn you gold, gear and XP. Parties, guilds and group boss battles make it social. Open-ended: it keeps going as long as you keep feeding it tasks.
Best for: Gentle self-care and mood check-ins. Platforms: iOS, Android. Price: Free (optional subscription).
You look after a little bird that grows as you complete self-care goals and reflections. Soft, kind and low-pressure. More self-care companion than RPG.
Best for: Tinkerers who want to design their own reward system. Platforms: Android, iOS. Price: Paid / freemium.
A highly customisable gamified to-do list: set your own skills, coin rewards and a shop where you spend coins on real treats. Powerful if you enjoy building the system yourself.
Best for: A simple RPG layer on everyday tasks. Platforms: Android, iOS. Price: Free (optional upgrade).
Tasks raise character stats like strength and intelligence as you complete them. Lightweight and quick to start.
Best for: Staying off your phone while you focus. Platforms: iOS, Android. Price: Paid on iOS / freemium on Android.
Plant a tree, stay focused, and it grows; leave the app and it dies. A focus timer more than a habit tracker, and a very good one.
Want someone to hand you the quests? XP Tracker. Want to build your own list and play with friends? Habitica. Want gentle self-care? Finch. Love designing systems? LifeUp. Just need to stop picking up your phone? Forest.
Most people who quit habit apps don't quit because the app was bad. They quit because nothing told them what to do next, or because the game never ended. Pick the one that fixes whichever of those gets you.
What is the best gamified habit app?
It depends on what you want. For a structured RPG program with bosses, a story and an ending, XP Tracker. To gamify your own task list with friends, Habitica. For gentle self-care, Finch. To design your own reward system, LifeUp. For focus, Forest.
What is an RPG habit tracker?
A habit app that treats your real habits like quests in a role-playing game: completing them earns XP, levels up a character and unlocks rewards. XP Tracker and Habitica are the best-known RPG habit trackers.
Is there a habit tracker for gamers?
Yes. XP Tracker is built for people who love games and anime: character classes, boss fights, loot, pets and a comic story, driven entirely by your real-life habits.
What is a good Habitica alternative?
XP Tracker, if you want the quests planned for you instead of building your own list. It personalises a program from your answers and runs 8-14 months to a real ending.
Pick a class. Your habits become the quests. There is no attack button. The damage is the work.
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