Compare Habitica and PaperSpan: Which App is the Best?

	PaperSpan	Habitica
	A reliable read-it-later app with clean formatting and offline reading. Great for organizing articles by category, though the interface feels dated. Read It Later Productivity	A fun, RPG-inspired habit tracker that turns your daily tasks into a game. Great for motivation, with strong social features and lots of customization. Habit Tracker Productivity
Key Features	Clean Reading Experience – Articles displayed in distraction-free format Offline Reading – Access saved articles without internet connection Audio Playback – Listen to articles with text-to-speech feature Smart Organization – Auto-categorization and folder management Cross-Platform Sync – Save from desktop, read on mobile devices Kindle Integration – Send articles directly to Kindle devices	Gamified Habit Tracking – Turn daily tasks into RPG-style quests Customizable Avatars & Collectibles – Personalize your character and earn rewards Flexible Task Types – Track habits, dailies, and to-dos Party & Social Features – Team up with friends for accountability Reminders & Widgets – Stay on track with notifications and widgets
Our Rating	7.2	7.8
Total users	0	0
Total ratings	0	0
Average rating	— ⭐	— ⭐
Entry Level Price	Free	Free
Android	Downloads	Downloads
iOS
Features	7.3 PaperSpan is pretty good at the basic stuff. It takes messy web articles and makes them actually readable, which is honestly the main thing you want from an app like this. No ads, no random pop-ups, just clean text that's easy on the eyes. Saving Articles: Click one button and it's saved. The app even sorts them into categories automatically, which actually works most of the time. Clean Reading: Articles look way better in the app than on the original websites. No clutter, just the content. Offline Reading: Download stuff to read on the subway or plane. Really handy when your internet is spotty. Listen to Articles: The text-to-speech thing is useful if you want to "read" while doing dishes or whatever. Works Everywhere: Save on your computer, read on your phone. It syncs pretty well most of the time. Kindle Thing: You can send articles to your Kindle, which is nice if you prefer reading on e-ink. The annoying part is that sometimes the text gets cut off halfway through an article, so you have to switch to the web view to finish reading. Also, the search could be better. It's a solid app for basic use, but if you want fancy features, you might be disappointed. We'd give it 7.3 out of 10.	8.2 Habitica is honestly unlike any other habit tracker we've used. It turns your daily tasks into a full-on RPG adventure, which makes building routines way more fun. You can track habits, daily routines, and one-off to-dos, and you get experience, gold, and collectibles for checking things off. It's surprisingly motivating! Gamified Habit Tracking: Every time you finish a task, your character levels up and you get new rewards. Flexible Task Types: You can track habits, daily routines, and one-off to-dos all in one place. Party & Social Features: Team up with friends for extra motivation and shared quests. Customization: Make your avatar your own, collect gear and pets, and join community challenges. Reminders & Widgets: Notifications and home screen widgets help you stay on track. We did wish there were more advanced stats and better ways to manage tasks (like duplicating or redoing them). We also ran into a few bugs that messed with streaks or notifications. Still, Habitica's features are fun and keep you coming back—especially if you like games. We give features an 8.2 out of 10.
Performance	6.9 Performance is PaperSpan's biggest weakness. When everything works correctly, the app is fast and responsive. Article saving is quick, reading is smooth, and offline functionality is excellent. The problem is consistency—too many things go wrong too often. The most common issues we encountered include sync problems between devices, network connectivity failures during signup, and the frustrating text view cutoff that interrupts reading sessions. The discontinued Chrome extension also limits desktop integration significantly. These aren't dealbreaking problems, but they add up to an inconsistent user experience. The positive news is that recent ratings have improved significantly (4.13/5 for the last 100 reviews compared to 3.8/5 overall), indicating the developers are actively addressing these issues. Performance score: 6.9/10.	7.2 Most of the time, Habitica runs smoothly and does what you need. We did run into some slowdowns, bugs, and issues with notifications or widgets—something other users have mentioned too. These problems didn't ruin the experience, but they were a little annoying. With some bug fixes, performance could be even better. For now, we rate it 7.2 out of 10.
Design	6.2 PaperSpan's design prioritizes function over form, which works well for the reading experience but falls short everywhere else. The article reader itself is excellent—clean typography, perfect spacing, and smart image handling make reading genuinely enjoyable. Reading Interface: Distraction-free design that puts your content front and center. Article Formatting: Excellent text sizing and spacing that's comfortable for extended reading sessions. Navigation: Simple menu structure that anyone can understand immediately. The problem is everything outside the reading experience. The overall interface looks and feels outdated compared to modern apps. Multiple users mentioned this in reviews, and we completely agree—PaperSpan desperately needs a visual refresh. The functionality is solid, but the dated appearance undermines the user experience. Design score: 6.2/10.	8.8 Habitica's design is a breath of fresh air compared to most productivity apps. The retro pixel art and RPG theme make it feel playful and rewarding. The interface is colorful and lively, and we had a lot of fun customizing our avatars. Pixel Art Style: The graphics and RPG touches make Habitica stand out. Customizable Avatars: Tons of ways to make your character unique. Colorful UI: The bright, fun interface actually makes you want to use the app. Sometimes the UI can feel a bit busy, and we'd love even more options for color coding and icons. But overall, Habitica's design is charming and makes habit tracking feel less like a chore. We rate it 8.8 out of 10.
Value for Money	8.1 This is where PaperSpan absolutely excels. The free version is genuinely useful—not a crippled demo designed to force you into paying. You get article saving, clean reading, offline access, and basic organization without any artificial restrictions. It's refreshingly honest in a world of manipulative freemium models. The premium subscription at €10.99 monthly unlocks audio playback, enhanced search, Kindle integration, and improved syncing. For heavy readers who use these features daily, it's reasonably priced. Casual users will find the free version more than sufficient for their needs. What impressed us most was user feedback describing PaperSpan as "the only read later app providing all the features for free." While not entirely accurate, it speaks to how generous the free tier feels. The pricing is fair and transparent—no hidden costs or misleading trials. Value for money score: 8.1/10.	7.5 Habitica is free to use, with optional in-app purchases for gems and subscriptions. Most features are available for free, and we never felt pressured to pay. Some of us wished there were more ways to earn premium currency without spending money, but overall, the value is fair—especially if you want a fun way to stay productive. We give value for money a 7.5 out of 10.
Ease of Use	7.8 PaperSpan gets this right from the first minute. The app is genuinely intuitive—no complex setup, no overwhelming feature lists, just straightforward functionality that works exactly as you'd expect. Within minutes of downloading, you're saving and reading articles effortlessly. The basics are seamless. Save articles with one click from your browser, and the automatic categorization handles organization without any input from you. Reading controls are exactly where you'd expect them, and switching between text and web view is instant when needed. We did encounter some frustrating technical issues. Network connectivity problems during signup affect multiple users, and we experienced sync delays between devices. The text cutoff issue can be annoying mid-article. These problems don't break the app, but they create unnecessary friction in what should be a smooth experience. Ease of use score: 7.8/10.	7.8 Getting started with Habitica is pretty easy, and the game-like approach makes tracking habits feel less boring. Adding tasks, checking them off, and customizing your avatar are all simple. If you need a little extra motivation, this app really helps. There is a bit of a learning curve if you want to use all the features, and sometimes the interface can feel overwhelming at first. We also hit a few bugs and slow moments here and there. Once you get used to it, though, Habitica is user-friendly and rewarding. We'd love to see better onboarding and smoother performance, but overall, ease of use scores a 7.8 out of 10.
Security & Privacy	6.8 Security and privacy aren't PaperSpan's strongest selling points, mainly because there's limited transparency about how your data is handled. The app stores your reading data on their servers for syncing across devices, which is standard practice but means your reading habits and saved articles aren't kept locally. What concerned us most was the lack of detailed privacy documentation. For an app that handles your reading preferences, article URLs, and potentially sensitive saved content, clearer communication about data protection would be reassuring. We didn't encounter obvious security problems during testing, but the transparency gap is noticeable. Most users probably won't find this problematic for everyday use, but privacy-conscious readers might want to dig deeper into the terms of service or consider alternatives with more transparent data practices. Security and privacy gets 6.8 out of 10.	7.0 Habitica says your data stays private and isn't sold to third parties, which is great. We didn't find much info about advanced privacy or security features, but we also didn't run into any issues. For most people, privacy is handled well, but if you have strict needs, you might want to look a bit deeper. We rate security and privacy at 7.0 out of 10.
Conclusion	After using PaperSpan for a while, we'd actually recommend it to most people. Yeah, it looks a bit old and has some annoying bugs, but it does the main job really well. If you commute a lot or just want to actually read those articles you save instead of letting them pile up forever, this app helps. It's not fancy, but it works, and sometimes that's exactly what you need.	If you want to make habit tracking more fun, Habitica is a great pick. The RPG style and social features make it easy to stay motivated, and there's a real sense of progress as you level up and collect rewards. There are a few rough edges—like some missing stats and the occasional bug—but overall, Habitica is one of the most enjoyable productivity apps we've tried.
	Install PaperSpan	Install Habitica
Our Recommendation