These 10 Goal-Setting Apps Will Help Keep Your Good Habits in Check

Go the extra mile.

goal tracking apps

It's never too late to make a positive life change. Whether your New Year's resolutions haven't quite worked out as planned, or you've been trying to kick the same habit for years, finding a sustainable way to track your goals every single day makes them feel more real, and less like an abstract, unattainable concept. Here are 10 goal-setting apps that can help keep you on course to major self-improvement.

forest productivity timer
Seekrtech Co., Ltd.
Forest: Stay Focused

$1.99, for iOS and Android

There are lots of Pomodoro-style timer apps out there to help you get work done uninterrupted, but we don't know if any of them are as cute as the Forest app. We like this distraction-busting app's unique, gamified approach.

Start by opening the app and selecting your timer length — you can choose between 10 minutes and 2 hours. One you begin your timer, a seed is planted, and will start to grow for as long as the timer is running, but if you exit out of the app to answer texts or scroll around on social media, your tree will die! This app can also sync up with its desktop Chrome Extension, so you can't cheat.

If you can successfully keep your tree growing until your time's up, you can collect coins. The coins are a great added bonus, because you can either use them to grow different types of trees (we told you this app was cute), or you can use up to 2,500 of your accumulated coins to help plant a real tree through the nonprofit organization, Trees for the Future. Doing good by the planet may be the push you need to start working distraction-free.

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free with in-app purchases, for iOS

What's the difference between a non-starter goal and a SMART one? SMART goals feel less amorphous, because they're Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely, and this app actually uses these categories to set you up for success!

On Strides, you can set daily habits that are relevant to achieving any goal you have in mind, by any deadline. Each day, you hold yourself accountable to these goals by checking off the habits on your checklist! Each successful daily habit will be highlighted in green, while skipped habits are red, to incentivize you to not break your stride!

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Way of Life habit tracker app
ABCWay of Life
Way of Life

free with in-app purchases, for iOS and Android

This top-rated habit-tracker app also takes a daily checklist approach, and layers in some note-taking functionality as well, if you'd like to give context as to why you didn't meet a certain goal for the day. The longer you keep using it, the more useful it'll be, as you can zoom out on your week, quarter, or year, to see how much progress you've made.

Even though this app utilizes a "chain" approach as a visible encouragement to keep up with your daily and weekly goals, we like that it doesn't feel like you're starting from square one if you happen to miss a day.

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free with in-app purchases, for iOS and Android

Fabulous is a great app for those who want to fine-tune their daily routines to experience happier mornings and more productive workdays. The app has a "science-based" approach, where all of its pre-planned sessions are made in collaboration with experts or are based on data supporting stress reduction techniques and positive psychology.

Not only can Fabulous users track daily goals, but the premium version of this app integrates various programs for dieting, fitness, and mindfulness exercises, and getting morning and evening rituals to feel like second nature.

The paid version of this goal-setting app is $9.99 for a monthly subscription, or $95.99 for the entire year (billed in monthly increments). Its eye-catching graphics help make the journey a little more aesthetically pleasing as well.

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free with in-app purchases, for iOS and Android

The HabitBull app has a clean, colorful interface that'll actually make you want to open it up again and again. Each day presents a fresh color-coded checklist of chosen habits that users can either check yes/no on, or enter a number to denote whether or not a goal was met. Users can look back on their weeks and months to keep track of anything from flossing, to hours of sleep, to fitness, to making friend dates.

We like that it offers tons of flexibility for your own goal-setting style, whether you want to chart your daily tasks in streaks, or just punch in your progress periodically.

HabitBull's push notifications can also be enabled to remind goal-setters when to do things, or even just nudge you to open the app and check in on where you're at that day. The free version of this goal-tracking app allows you to track five habits at a time, but the premium version lets you track up to 100 of them for a one-time price of just $4.

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loop habit tracker
Álinson S Xavier
Loop Habit Tracker

free, for Android

How satisfying does it feel to check something off of your to-do list? With Loop, the more good habits you set for yourself, the more you'll want to do them! This free app is touted by users for its simple design and intuitive setup, and there are no annoying pop-ups or advertisements anywhere on the screen. Just check each task off as you do it to complete the "loop" that's next to each of your goals.

This app displays progress in both a checklist and a chart setup, so you can see your daily frequency, as well as your month-over-month progress. You can also choose whether to set notifications at specific times to give you that push in the right direction.

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Crunchy Bagel

$4.99, for iOS

While some of these apps let you track tons of habits at once, Streaks puts an emphasis on your most vital dozen. It's focused on daily and weekly habit-tracking (rather than occasional activities), so it's ideal for those who want to take active steps to quit smoking, lose weight, practice an instrument, or learn a new language.

Reviewers love this paid app for its attractive and highly customizable user interface (you can change the color scheme, button icons, and even the app's icon on your home screen). Plus, it's completely integrated with the iOS Health app, so all of your health- and fitness-related progress transfers right over for easy access and analysis.

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Apalon Apps

free with in-app purchases, for iOS

Productive is another iPhone-only app that prioritizes habit streaks over sporadic goal-tracking. Under each goal in the dashboard, it lists how many days you've reached in your streak (based on the parameters that you've set), motivating you to keep your numbers up. The free version starts beginners off with just five goals, the ability to set time-of-day reminders, and some generalized streak statistics, which may be enough for you!

However, if you're a total data-head, the paid version is very much worth the investment, as you can dig into each goal and track week-over-week progress. It also unlocks unlimited tracking, enhanced privacy settings, and more granular habit stats.

The Productive app is available on a subscription basis for either $1.99 per month, $7.99 per every six months, or $13.99 per year.

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free with in-app purchases, for iOS and Android

For those who have more of a project-manager mindset, Trello is a great app that keeps all of your to-dos (as well as your team's or family's) in one convenient place.

Reviewers like using it not only for work tasks, but for keeping an ongoing list of personal habits on the agenda at all times. You can set recurring reminders, color-code types of tasks, and schedule future events to set you up for success. It's also quite handy if you alternate between a desktop and device throughout the day.

As a collaborative tool, Trello also allows you to delegate responsibilities and check out in real time which tasks need to get done, whether you're planning a vacation, a home project, or coordinating tasks with a remote-based team. The free version is great for individuals who just want its organizational functionality (you can create unlimited boards and checklists), because the paid versions are better-suited for multiuser business teams.

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Jayvant Javier Pujara

free, for Android

Ever wish you could transfer the satisfaction of your completed Skyrim objectives to real-life tasks? Give LifeRPG a shot. Available for free only on Android devices, this goal tracker turns your long-term and daily goals into "missions" and "sub-missions" and achieving them helps you gain XP (experience points), just like in a video game! Set time constraints, daily reminders, and even create your own reward system for accomplishing particularly challenging goals.

Users love its granular stat-tracking, no-nonsense design, and its quest-oriented approach to tackling life's most mundane (but important!) tasks.

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