4thewords vs Habitica

4thewords

• Writers who are motivated by game rewards and daily streaks
• Building a daily writing habit around a word-count target
• People who draft in Google Docs or Notion and want those words counted

Habitica

• People motivated by game mechanics such as levels, gear and pets
• Friends who want to keep each other accountable
• Tracking habits, routines and one-off to-dos without paying

4thewords

• The Free plan stops at 25 files, 2 projects and 25 battles a day, and leaves out streak saving and sharing files with collaborators.
• Sharing is capped by plan: 2 collaborators per file or project on Member, 5 on Pro and 10 on Lifetime Pro.
• It is a web app with no App Store download, and the extension is tested and supported on desktop Chrome only.
• Monthly plans and Lifetime Pro cannot be refunded; yearly plans can be refunded within 15 days of purchase.

Habitica

• The vendor lists a website plus Android and iOS apps; no desktop apps are listed.
• Assigning shared tasks to other people needs a Group Plan at $9 a month plus $3 for each additional member.
• Gems, the paid in-app currency for equipment and avatar customizations, are sold separately in packs from $0.99.
• Subscription benefits are in-game items and perks rather than extra task features.

4thewords

Writing battles

Pick a monster and write the required number of words before the timer runs out. There are solo, endurance and co-op modes, with co-op teams of 2 to 8 writers.

Streaks and daily challenges

Writing 444 or more words in a day extends a streak that earns rewards over time. Paid plans can repair missed days or reserve future ones.

Built-in writing editor

A cloud editor groups files into projects, saves automatically, keeps a version history and exports to Word, text, Markdown or HTML.

Writing goals and stats

Word-count targets with deadlines can be set for a single file, a project or the whole account, with charts to track progress.

Chrome extension

A free extension counts the words typed on other sites, such as Google Docs, Notion and Substack, and applies them to battles, streaks and quests.

Sharing and co-writing

On paid plans a file or a whole project can be shared with friends as editors or viewers, who can write in it together in real time.

Habitica

Habits, Dailies and To Do's

Habits are positive or negative actions logged as they happen, Dailies repeat on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, and To Do's are one-off tasks.

RPG rewards

Finished tasks earn gold, experience and items for a customizable avatar, and missed ones cost health points. Rewards to spend gold on can be customized.

Parties and Quests

Friends team up in a Party for accountability and take on Quests together, which award Pets and Equipment.

Group Plans

A paid Group Plan lets members work from one task board and lets tasks be assigned to any number of members.

Reminders, widgets and sync

The mobile apps include reminders and widgets, and progress syncs across devices.

Open source

The code is published on GitHub and the project says it will stay open source. Public pull requests have been paused since August 4, 2026.

4thewords

• Free$0

  25 files, 2 projects, 25 battles a day, one month of version history and limited event access.

• Member$10

  per month, or $96 per year

  Unlimited files, 40 projects, up to 1,000 battles a day, 6 months of version history, streak saving and full event access.

• Pro$14

  per month, or $144 per year

  Unlimited files, projects and battles, one year of version history, monthly refills and Pro event perks such as early access.

• Lifetime Pro$599

  one-time purchase

  The Pro features for a single payment with no renewals, plus up to 3 years of file history.

Habitica

• Free$0

  Habits, Dailies and To Do's with rewards, avatar customization, Parties and Quests, synced across devices.

• Subscription$4.99

  per month; $14.99 for 3, $29.99 for 6, $47.99 for 12 months

  Optional in-game perks: an exclusive gear set every month, Mystic Hourglasses and the ability to buy Gems with Gold.

• Group Plan$9

  per month, plus $3 per month for each additional member

  A shared task board with tasks assigned to members, and full subscription benefits for everyone in the group.

4thewords

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing saves 20% on Member

  Member costs $96 a year against $10 a month ($120 over a year), a 20% saving. Pro costs $144 a year against $14 a month ($168), about 14% less.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro for a one-time $599

  Lifetime Pro is a single $599 payment with the same features as the Pro subscription, including any benefits added to Pro later. It does not renew.

• Other savings

  Community Pool for writers who need help paying

  Members can donate subscription time to a Community Pool, which goes to writers who have opted in because they need financial assistance.

Habitica

• Annual discount

  About 20% less with a 12-month subscription

  The App Store listing shows the subscription at $4.99 for 1 month and $47.99 for 12 months, about 20% less than 12 monthly payments ($59.88).