Compare HabitKit, HabitNow, and Habit Diary: Which App is the Best?

Habit Diary is a comprehensive habit tracking app that helps you build good habits through customizable tracking, 30-day challenges, and progress visualization.
HabitNow is a flexible habit and routine tracker with powerful scheduling, reminders, widgets, and detailed progress stats. Free to use, with a one-time premium upgrade for unlimited features.
HabitKit is a beautifully designed habit tracking app that helps you form new habits with tile-based grid charts. It's privacy-focused, easy to use, and perfect for tracking daily, weekly, or monthly habits.
Key Features
  • Customizable Daily Habits – Create and customize your daily habits with a clean, intuitive interface and preset library of popular habits
  • 30-Day Challenge System – Follow scientifically proven 3-stage habit-building journeys designed to help you form lasting habits
  • Focus & Time Management – Built-in timer and white noise features to help you stay focused and boost productivity
  • Smart Reminders – Customizable notifications to keep you on track throughout the day
  • Progress Visualization – Track your progress with detailed statistics, streaks, and achievement medals
  • Multi-Type To-Do Lists – Manage daily, monthly, and annual habits alongside one-time tasks
  • Flexible Habit & Task Scheduling – Set daily, weekly, monthly, or custom routines
  • Widgets & Reminders – Home screen widgets and customizable notifications
  • Timer & Pomodoro Tools – Built-in stopwatch, countdown, and interval timers
  • Detailed Progress Tracking – Visual stats, charts, and streaks to keep you motivated
  • Customizable Experience – Personalize with themes, icons, and categories
  • Data Backup & Privacy – Local backups and lock screen for privacy
  • GitHub-Style Progress Visualization – Track your habits with beautiful tile-based grid charts that provide a clear visual representation of your progress over time
  • Flexible Habit Goals – Set custom completion goals (daily, 3x/week, 20x/month, etc.) and track your streaks
  • Customizable Dashboard – Personalize each habit with custom colors and icons for an intuitive, visually appealing overview
  • Smart Reminders – Set custom notifications for each habit to help you stay on track
  • Calendar Integration – Easily manage past completions through an intuitive calendar view
  • Privacy-Focused Design – All your data stays on your device, with no account required and full offline functionality
  • Data Backup & Export – Export your habit data for safekeeping or when switching devices
  • Home Screen Widgets – Keep your habits visible and accessible with customizable widgets (Premium feature)
  • Archive System – Temporarily archive habits you want to pause without losing their history
  • Detailed Analytics – Track your progress with comprehensive statistics and streak information (Premium feature)
Our Rating
7.2
9.2
9.3
Total users
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Total ratings
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Average rating
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Entry Level PriceFreeFreeFree
Android
Google Play Store
Downloads
Google Play Store
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Google Play Store
Downloads
iOS
Apple App Store
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Apple App Store
Features
7.0

Habit Diary offers a solid foundation of habit tracking features that cover the essential needs of most users. The app's core functionality includes customizable daily habits, progress tracking, and a unique 30-day challenge system that sets it apart from many competitors.

What we found particularly effective during our testing:

  • Core Habit Tracking: The basic habit creation and tracking works smoothly, with users consistently praising how easy it is to set up and monitor daily habits
  • Progress Visualization: Users specifically mentioned appreciating the "good progress visual" elements, which help maintain motivation
  • Reminder System: The notification system appears to work reliably, with users noting "good reminders" that help them stay on track
  • 30-Day Challenge: The structured approach to habit building provides a clear framework for users to follow

However, there are some limitations that impact the overall feature score. The free version restricts the number of habits users can track, which several users found frustrating. Additionally, some advanced features like detailed analytics and custom widgets are locked behind the premium paywall.

We also confirmed user reports that "the app does not appear to have any widgets" in the free version, and encountered the same Google backup problems that users report, with one user stating "i cant backup my account with google."

Based on our testing and user feedback, we rate the features at 7.0 out of 10. The app delivers solid core functionality and some unique elements like the challenge system, but the freemium restrictions and limited free features prevent it from scoring higher.

9.0

HabitNow delivers a comprehensive set of features for habit and routine tracking. We especially appreciate the flexible scheduling options—daily, weekly, monthly, and custom routines—which make it easy to adapt the app to any workflow. Widgets and reminders are reliable, and the built-in timer and Pomodoro tools are a great boost for productivity. Progress tracking is motivating, with detailed stats and streaks that help keep us on track.

The free version covers most basic needs, though it does limit the number of habits and tasks you can track. Upgrading to premium unlocks unlimited habits, advanced customization, and additional widgets. While we'd like to see features like account sync and even more robust alarm reliability, HabitNow offers an impressive feature set for both new and experienced users.

8.5

HabitKit delivers a solid set of core habit tracking features, focusing on simplicity and effectiveness. The standout is the GitHub-style heatmap, which makes tracking your progress both motivating and visually satisfying.

Key features we found especially useful include:

  • Flexible Habit Tracking: Set habits for daily, weekly, or monthly goals (e.g., 3 times per week)
  • Custom Reminders: Each habit can have its own notification schedule
  • Calendar View: Easily fill in or edit past completions
  • Customization: Assign unique colors and icons to each habit
  • Data Backup: Export and import your data as needed
  • Archiving: Temporarily archive habits without deleting them

There are some limitations: the free version restricts you to 4 habits, which may not be enough for everyone, and there's no way to organize habits into categories or folders. Widgets are visually appealing but don't allow direct interaction. Still, the features that are present are thoughtfully implemented and work reliably. We rate features at 8.5—excellent for core functionality, but with room for more organizational tools.

For users who need unlimited habits without restrictions, Habitive offers a completely free alternative, while Loop Habit Tracker provides more comprehensive organizational features at no cost.

Performance
6.5

Habit Diary performs exceptionally well in day-to-day use. The app is lightweight, launches quickly, and all interactions—such as marking completions, navigating between views, and customizing habits—are smooth and responsive.

We encountered very few bugs or crashes, and the app remained stable even when tracking a large number of habits. User reviews echo this experience, with most people praising the app's reliability and speed.

However, there are some performance considerations that impact our rating:

  • Ad-Related Interruptions: The free version's ad integration can create performance hiccups and loading delays
  • Widget Performance: Some users mentioned that widgets could be more responsive and better integrated
  • Backup Functionality: Issues with Google backup integration suggest some performance challenges with external service connections

Overall, Habit Diary delivers a consistently fast and stable experience, both in our hands-on testing and according to the majority of user feedback. We rate its performance at 6.5 out of 10, acknowledging the app's solid technical foundation while noting that some premium features and external integrations could benefit from performance optimization.

9.0

HabitNow performs reliably in daily use. The app is fast, responsive, and stable, even when tracking a large number of habits and tasks. We experienced smooth navigation and quick loading times throughout our testing.

While there are occasional reports of alarms or notifications not firing as expected, and some widget update quirks, these issues are relatively rare and do not significantly impact the overall experience. HabitNow delivers strong performance for a productivity app of its kind.

9.2

HabitKit performs exceptionally well in day-to-day use. The app is lightweight, launches quickly, and all interactions—such as marking completions, navigating between views, and customizing habits—are smooth and responsive. Animations are fluid and add to the overall polished feel of the app without causing any lag.

We encountered very few bugs or crashes, and the app remained stable even when tracking a large number of habits (in the premium version). User reviews echo this experience, with most people praising the app's reliability and speed. A handful of users mentioned minor issues with widgets, such as sizing or display quirks on certain devices, but these did not affect the core functionality and were often addressed in updates.

Overall, HabitKit delivers a consistently fast and stable experience, both in our hands-on testing and according to the majority of user feedback. We rate its performance at 9.2 out of 10.

This performance rating places HabitKit among the top performers in the category, alongside HabitNow which also achieves a 9.0 rating, and Habitive which maintains an 8.8 rating despite being completely free.

Design
8.5

Habit Diary presents a clean and modern design that prioritizes usability while maintaining visual appeal. The interface strikes a good balance between functionality and aesthetics, with a layout that makes navigation intuitive for most users.

Design strengths we observed include:

  • Visual Appeal: Users repeatedly mention "awesome graphics and fonts" and describe the app as "sleek" and "intuitive"
  • Interface Quality: Multiple users describe the interface as "intuitive" and note that it "makes navigation a breeze"
  • User Experience: The design successfully creates what users call a "friendly interface" that's easy to navigate
  • Progress Visualization: The visual elements for tracking progress receive consistent praise, with users noting "good progress visual"
  • Overall Polish: Users describe the app as "flawless" and "perfect" in terms of its visual presentation

However, there are some design aspects that could be improved. The free version's ad integration can feel intrusive and disrupt the otherwise clean aesthetic. Some users also noted that the widget functionality, while functional, could benefit from more customization options and better visual integration with the main app design.

Overall, Habit Diary's design successfully creates an engaging and motivating environment for habit tracking. The interface effectively balances simplicity with functionality, making it accessible to users of all experience levels. We rate design at 8.5 out of 10, acknowledging the app's strong visual foundation while noting areas where the user experience could be further enhanced.

9.2

Design is one of HabitNow's standout qualities. The interface is clean, modern, and easy to navigate, making it simple to set up and manage habits or routines. We enjoyed the customizable themes and icons, which allow for a personalized look and feel.

Widgets are visually appealing and integrate well with the Android home screen. While we'd love to see even more color options and better support for system fonts or accessibility settings, the overall design is both attractive and highly functional. HabitNow strikes a great balance between aesthetics and usability.

9.5

HabitKit's design is one of its greatest strengths. The minimalist aesthetic strikes a perfect balance between beauty and usability. The GitHub-inspired tile grid is not only visually appealing but also serves as a powerful motivational tool—watching your chosen colors fill the grid is genuinely satisfying.

We especially liked:

  • Clean Dashboard: A clutter-free grid layout that's both attractive and functional
  • Color Customization: Assigning colors to habits makes it easy to distinguish between them at a glance
  • Intuitive Icons: A comprehensive icon selection helps create visual associations with your goals
  • Consistent Theme: The design language is cohesive across all screens
  • Beautiful Widgets: Home screen widgets match the app's aesthetic and provide useful information

Animations are smooth and purposeful, and the typography is clear and readable. While the minimalist approach may feel sparse to some, especially when managing many habits, we found it refreshing and effective. We rate design at 9.5.

This design excellence sets HabitKit apart from competitors like Habitica, which focuses on gamification, and HabitNow, which prioritizes comprehensive scheduling features over visual polish.

Value for Money
5.5

Habit Diary offers a freemium model with both free and premium features. The free version provides basic habit tracking functionality but comes with limitations on the number of habits you can track and some advanced features.

Premium features include:

  • Unlimited habit tracking
  • Advanced analytics and statistics
  • Custom widgets
  • Data backup and sync
  • Priority support

In-app purchases range from €7.49 to €28.99, with options for monthly, yearly, or lifetime subscriptions. The free version is ad-supported, which some users find intrusive, but it does provide enough functionality to evaluate whether the app fits your needs before upgrading.

However, several factors limit the value for money. Users consistently mention that the free version restricts the number of habits they can track, which can be frustrating for serious users. The free version's ad-supported model creates a fragmented user experience that some users find off-putting.

We rate value for money at 5.5 out of 10. While the app provides solid functionality and competitive pricing for premium users, the free version's limitations and ad-supported model create a mixed value proposition that may not appeal to all users.

9.5

We think HabitNow offers excellent value for money, especially with its one-time premium upgrade that unlocks unlimited habits, advanced customization, and additional widgets. The free version is generous enough for most users to get started, and there are no ads or forced subscriptions.

Compared to other habit trackers that require ongoing payments, HabitNow's pricing model is refreshingly fair. While some may wish for a slightly higher free limit, the premium upgrade is well worth it for anyone serious about habit tracking and productivity.

9.5

HabitKit offers a strong value proposition, especially when compared to other habit trackers. The free version is genuinely useful for those with minimal needs, providing all core tracking features and a beautiful, ad-free experience. However, it does limit you to tracking just 4 habits, which several users found restrictive if you want to monitor more aspects of your life.

Upgrading to premium unlocks unlimited habits, widgets, advanced analytics, and data backup/export. Pricing is fair and transparent, with options for a monthly, yearly, or one-time lifetime purchase. Many users appreciate the availability of a lifetime license, which is rare among productivity apps and offers excellent long-term value. The premium features are genuinely useful and not just cosmetic add-ons.

We also liked that there are no hidden costs, no ads, and no data collection, which adds to the sense of getting good value for your money. While some users wished the free version allowed tracking a few more habits, most agreed that the premium upgrade is worth it if the app fits your workflow. Overall, HabitKit delivers a high-quality experience at a reasonable price, and we rate its value for money at 9.5 out of 10.

However, for users seeking maximum value without any cost, Habitive offers a perfect 10.0 rating by providing unlimited habits completely free, while Loop Habit Tracker achieves the same perfect score by offering premium-quality features at no cost.

Ease of Use
9.0

Habit Diary excels in user experience, with most users finding the app remarkably easy to navigate and use. The interface design prioritizes simplicity, making it accessible even for users who are new to habit tracking apps.

Highlights include:

  • Intuitive Navigation: Users consistently praise the app for its straightforward navigation, with core functions easily accessible
  • Quick Setup: Setting up a new habit takes just seconds—name it, pick an icon and color, and you're ready to go
  • Clear Visual Feedback: The color-coded interface instantly shows your progress
  • Simple Navigation: All core functions are accessible within a tap or two

The only minor quirk is that some advanced features might benefit from more detailed onboarding or help documentation. Once learned, it's easy to use.

Overall, Habit Diary's ease of use is one of its greatest strengths. The app successfully balances simplicity with functionality, making habit tracking accessible to a wide range of users. We rate ease of use at 9.0 out of 10, recognizing the app's excellent user experience while noting that some premium features could benefit from enhanced user guidance.

9.3

We found HabitNow remarkably easy to use, with a clear and intuitive interface that makes setting up habits and routines quick and painless. Adding, editing, and organizing tasks is straightforward, and the onboarding process is smooth for new users. Widgets and reminders are easy to configure, and the app's layout keeps everything accessible without clutter.

There are a few minor quirks, such as needing to manually mark tasks as done after using the timer, or occasional confusion with backup and import features. However, these do not detract significantly from the overall experience. HabitNow is a great choice for anyone looking for a straightforward and effective habit tracker.

9.5

HabitKit is remarkably intuitive and user-friendly. The "less is more" philosophy makes it easy to get started and maintain your habits without confusion or clutter.

Highlights include:

  • Quick Habit Creation: Setting up a new habit takes just seconds—name it, pick an icon and color, and you're ready to go
  • One-Tap Tracking: Marking habits as complete is as simple as tapping a tile
  • Clear Visual Feedback: The color-coded grid instantly shows your progress
  • Intuitive Calendar: Retroactively adding or removing completions is straightforward
  • Simple Navigation: All core functions are accessible within a tap or two

The only minor quirk is that reordering habits requires a long-press, which isn't immediately obvious to new users. Once learned, it's easy to use. We rate ease of use an 9.5.

While HabitKit excels in simplicity, Habitive offers an even more streamlined experience with its 3-click setup, and Loop Habit Tracker provides more advanced features while maintaining excellent usability.

Security & Privacy
6.5

Habit Diary's security and privacy practices present a mixed picture that reflects the typical approach of freemium apps in the habit tracking space. While the app doesn't appear to have major security vulnerabilities, there are some privacy considerations that users should be aware of.

We found no evidence of third-party analytics or tracking tools. The app only requests essential permissions, such as notifications for reminders. This commitment to privacy is rare and highly appreciated.

However, there are some privacy concerns that impact our rating:

  • Ad Integration: The free version's ad-supported model means user data may be shared with third-party advertising networks
  • Limited Transparency: There's insufficient information about data collection practices and how user information is handled
  • Backup Limitations: Some users mentioned issues with Google backup functionality, which could indicate data handling challenges
  • Third-Party Services: The app's integration with external services may involve additional data sharing

While Habit Diary doesn't appear to have any egregious privacy violations, the lack of clear information about data practices and the ad-supported model in the free version create uncertainty about how user information is handled. We rate security and privacy at 6.5 out of 10, acknowledging that while there are no major red flags, users should be aware of the potential data sharing implications of using the free version.

9.0

We appreciate that HabitNow takes privacy seriously by storing your data locally on your device and not requiring an account for basic use. The lock screen feature adds an extra layer of privacy for sensitive routines and notes, and backups can be created and exported manually, giving you full control over your data.

While some may wish for account-based sync or cloud backup, the current approach ensures your information stays private. There are no intrusive ads or unnecessary permissions, making HabitNow a trustworthy choice for privacy-conscious users.

9.8

HabitKit stands out for its privacy-first approach. All data is stored locally on your device, with no account required and no remote servers involved. The app works fully offline, so there's no risk of data interception, and you can export your data manually whenever you wish.

We found no evidence of third-party analytics or tracking tools. The app only requests essential permissions, such as notifications for reminders. This commitment to privacy is rare and highly appreciated. The only small drawback is that backups are manual, so you'll need to remember to export your data regularly. We rate security and privacy at 9.8.

This privacy focus puts HabitKit in excellent company with Loop Habit Tracker, which also achieves a 9.8 rating for its open-source, offline-first approach, and Habitive, which maintains a 9.0 rating by keeping all data local without requiring accounts.

Conclusion

Habit Diary is a solid habit tracking app that offers a comprehensive set of features for building and maintaining good habits. While the free version has limitations and includes ads, the premium features provide good value for serious users.

The app's strength lies in its user-friendly interface and the 30-day challenge system that helps users form lasting habits. However, the freemium model and ad-supported free version may not appeal to everyone.

For users who want unlimited habits without paying, Habitive offers a completely free alternative. Those seeking a more elegant design might prefer HabitKit with its beautiful GitHub-style visualization. However, if you value the structured 30-day challenge approach and don't mind the freemium limitations, Habit Diary remains a solid choice in the competitive habit tracking space.

HabitNow Daily Routine Planner stands out as a flexible and feature-rich app for building habits and managing daily routines. Its clean design, powerful customization, and motivating progress tracking make it a top choice for anyone serious about self-improvement. While the free version has some limits, the one-time premium upgrade offers excellent value for unlocking the app's full potential.

For users who want unlimited free habits, Habitive is the best option. Those seeking elegant design might prefer HabitKit with its beautiful GitHub-style visualization. If you want gamification, Habitica offers unique RPG elements. However, if you need comprehensive scheduling, timer functionality, and flexible habit management, HabitNow provides the most complete solution in the habit tracking space.

HabitKit has proven itself to be a standout habit tracking app that truly delivers on its promises. Its greatest strength lies in its simplicity and focus—it does one thing exceptionally well, rather than trying to be everything for everyone.

The app's beautiful design, intuitive interface, and strong privacy focus make it a compelling choice for anyone serious about building better habits. While the free version's 4-habit limit may be restrictive for some, the premium upgrade offers excellent value for those who need more comprehensive tracking.

We especially appreciate the developer's commitment to privacy and the option for a lifetime purchase, rather than forcing users into a subscription. Regular updates and responsive support suggest this is an app that will continue to improve over time.

If you're looking for a clean, efficient, and privacy-focused way to track your habits, HabitKit is an excellent choice that we can confidently recommend. However, if you need unlimited free habits, Habitive offers the best free experience, while Loop Habit Tracker provides exceptional privacy features at no cost. For users who value design excellence and are willing to pay for premium features, HabitKit represents the perfect balance of form and function.

Our Recommendation