Maintaining good habits is harder than ever, even for the most disciplined students. With the internet and its unlimited sea of distractions, staying organized can feel like a full-time job.
Habits can create a foundation for how we live our lives. But sometimes we need a little help breaking free of bad habits, and fostering good ones.
In this article, we're sharing the best habit tracking apps to help you find one that works for you.
The Best Habit-Tracking App for Each Student Goal
Not every app is built for every habit. The right pick depends on what you're actually trying to change. Here's where each one shines for the goals students care about most.
Best for study blocks: TickTick. Studying is part task, part routine, and TickTick handles both. Because it pairs a full to-do list with habit tracking, you can schedule a recurring study session and check off the specific assignment in the same place. That makes it easy to time-block your day and see your study streak alongside your actual coursework.
Best for sleep: Way of Life. A consistent bedtime mostly comes down to a daily yes-or-no, and Way of Life is built for exactly that. Its clean interface takes seconds to log, and the weekly and monthly scoreboard makes it obvious when your sleep schedule starts slipping—usually right before midterms.
Best for exercise: SnapHabit. Workouts are far easier to keep up when someone's watching. SnapHabit lets friends see your progress and streaks, turning a solo gym habit into a group effort. For students who skip the gym the moment motivation dips, that social pressure is the feature that matters—and it's free.
Best for beating procrastination: Beeminder. When willpower runs out, stakes help. Beeminder charges you real money when you break a streak, which creates a consequence for putting things off. If "I'll do it later" is your default, having actual dollars on the line is a surprisingly effective fix.
If you'd rather keep everything in one place, Notion works as an all-in-one hub for notes, class planning, and habits together. And if design matters to you and you're on an iPhone, Today offers the most polished look of the bunch.
Notion
Notion | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | A comprehensive and versatile productivity and organization app with unparalleled functionality |
Price | Free; Optional subscription |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, Web Browser |
Notion has been at the forefront of productivity software for years now, offering a robust and expandable app.
Notion operates much like a binder of documents. You can create habit-tracking pages, task lists, quick notes, journals, recipe lists, and much more. And Notion can be modified to meet the personal needs of the user to a large degree.
The main drawback with Notion is that it requires a learning curve to get the most out of it. If you're looking for a minimalist habit-tracking app, then Notion may not be for you. However, if you want a comprehensive suite of productivity tools at your disposal, it's certainly worth considering.
Way of Life
Way of Life | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | A simple, effective, and practical way to track your habits. A unique scoreboard feature offers feedback as you make progress. |
Price | Free; Premium option $4.99, no subscription |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS |
Way of Life offers a simple and clean user interface that makes building healthy habits a breeze. It requires almost no time to get started and is a great way to begin tracking your habits.
The app provides many of the features we’ve come to expect from the top habit-tracking apps, including streaks, reminder notifications, and progress data.
Way of Life provides you with a unique scoreboard feature, which allows you to check weekly and monthly reports that help you gauge your progress.
Beeminder
Beeminder | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | A habit-tracking app you can set up to charge you money if you fall off-track |
Price | Free; Premium subscriptions are $8-$32 monthly |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS, Web Browser |
Not everyone has success with habit-tracking apps and need more accountability. Beeminder takes habit-tracking to another level by forcing you to pay (yes, really) when you miss a day and break a streak.
Beeminder can be used on its own, and it has all of the typical habit-tracking features you’d expect. But it also integrates with a wide range of external apps, helping you to track your progress across a wide range of activities.
For example, you can use Beeminder with DuoLingo, Trello, Gmail, EPSON, Zapier, Slack, and Draft, just to name a few. The core features are free, with a few add-ons locked behind a subscription.
TickTick
TickTick | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | A minimalistic app that combines both to-do list and habit-tracking functionality |
Price | Free; Premium option is $2.80 monthly |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS, Web Browser, MacOS, Windows |
There is something to be said for having everything in one place, which is exactly where TickTick excels in the habit-tracking world. The app combines both a to-do list, similar to the popular Todoist app, and a range of habit-tracking features.
TickTick has less features than other apps on this list, as it focuses more on the to-do list. But if you're a fan of using to-do lists, it might be the best app of the bunch.
Today
Today | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | Well-designed habit-tracking app with plenty of customization options |
Price | Free; Premium subscription is $1.99 monthly |
Platform(s) | iOS |
If you’re the type of person who wants their apps to look gorgeous, then Today is the habit-tracking app for you. It combines a beautiful interface with a feature set that will serve all of your habit-tracking needs.
Today lets you customize the background images for your habits, allowing you to give every habit a unique and custom feel. Today also provides you with “Custom Cards”, which can be attached to habits, allowing you to add important information with the flick of a finger.
SnapHabit
SnapHabit | |
|---|---|
What Is It? | A feature-rich habit-tracker with a clean UI, media-rich design |
Price | Free |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS |
There is something to be said about the power of collaboration. Working alongside others, and motivating each other, is great for personal development. The creators behind SnapHabit know this and have created a habit-tracking app focused on individual and group tracking.
You are free to track your daily, weekly, or monthly habits, but SnapHabit shines when used with a group. The app lets you see how your friends are progressing, including their streaks, so you can work together to achieve your goals.
SnapHabit lacks some in-depth features contained in other apps, but as a free app with group habit-tracking capability, it's worth considering.
How To Build Habits That Actually Stick
Downloading the app is the easy part. Keeping the habit going is where most students fall off. A few principles make the difference.
Start with one or two habits, not ten. The most common mistake is trying to overhaul your entire routine at once. Pick one keystone habit—say, a nightly study block—and add more only once it feels automatic. Stacking five new habits on day one almost guarantees you'll drop all of them by week two.
Make your goals specific. "Study more" is impossible to track and easy to fudge. "Study 45 minutes after dinner" is clear, measurable, and either happened or it didn't. Vague goals are the quiet reason most habit trackers get abandoned—there's nothing concrete to check off.
Log at the same time every day. Inconsistent logging breaks the feedback loop that makes these apps work. Attach your check-in to something you already do—right after you brush your teeth, or when you sit down at your desk. Tying a new habit to an existing routine (sometimes called habit stacking) makes it far more likely to stick.
Keep it visible. Turn on reminders and, if the app allows it, put the widget on your home screen. Out of sight really does mean out of mind, especially during a busy semester.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do habit-tracking apps cost?
Most of the apps on this list are free to use, and the free versions are genuinely capable. Paid tiers typically run a few dollars a month (or a one-time unlock) and add things like detailed reports, more integrations, or extra customization. For most students, the free version is plenty—try it before paying for anything.
Is my habit data private?
Habit trackers can hold sensitive information like your sleep, mood, or health routines, so privacy is worth a look. Policies vary by app, and they change over time, so check the current privacy policy in the app store listing before you commit. As a general rule, favor apps that let you keep data on-device or that clearly state they don't sell your information, and be cautious about granting permissions the app doesn't obviously need.
Will the app sync across my phone and laptop?
It depends on the app. Notion, TickTick, and Beeminder all work across phones, computers, and the web, so you can log a habit anywhere. Way of Life and SnapHabit cover both major phone platforms. Today is iOS-only, so it won't sync to a Windows laptop. If switching between your phone and computer matters to you, pick one with web or desktop access.
Can a habit tracker sync with my class schedule?
Not directly. None of these apps plug into university systems like Canvas or your registrar. The simplest workaround is to keep your class schedule in Google Calendar and use your habit app for the routines around it—study blocks, sleep, and exercise. Apps with their own reminder systems can be timed to your real schedule even without a formal integration.
Final Thoughts
There are many things students can do to build and maintain good habits. If you are already using apps for budgeting or to keep track of your investments, you may find success with a habit-tracker app. If you're unsure, I recommend that you try out an app's free version first to see if it's a good fit.
Editor: Colin Graves Reviewed by: Chris Muller
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
Robert has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Forbes, where he has been a regular personal finance contributor for over a decade. His work combines both professional expertise and personal experience – he successfully navigated his own student loan repayment journey and has helped thousands of readers do the same.
He is committed to making the intersection of personal finance and education transparent and accessible. You can learn more about Robert on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.