Forfeit vs Pavlok (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Forfeit grades higher than Pavlok: 2.4 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Forfeit grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Forfeit
Habit contracts that charge your card when you miss a goal
Pavlok
Wearable that uses a vibration, beep or zap to break habits
Which one is for you
Pick Forfeit if
- Fits if you only follow through when money or your reputation is on the line
- Works for habits that can be proven with a photo, GPS, health or screen-time data
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want anything free, as there's no free plan and the card-first trial leads into $10.99 a month
- Pricey if you slip often, because penalties are charged on top of the subscription
- Not for you if you mind where the money goes, since the FAQ says Forfeit currently keeps it
- Watch out: what Premium and Pro include isn't published, and the web price differs from the App Store's $3.99 weekly and $59.99 yearly
- Watch out: the Mac app only blocks apps and the web app is mainly for the AI coach, so the real product is on your phone
Pick Pavlok if
- Fits if you want a physical nudge on your wrist when you slip on a habit
- Works for people who keep missing alarms and want a device that escalates
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want software only, since every route here is a device purchase or rental
- Not for you if you dislike a startling zap, which the company itself describes as unpleasant
- Pricey if you're comparing with habit apps that cost a few dollars a month
- Watch out: the rental is for the US and Canada only, and the refund terms sit on a separate page
- Too light for tracking many habits on a checklist
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAForfeitFair | 1.4GPAPavlokWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe web signup is $10.99 a month where this category's middle is $3.33, and the App Store's weekly billing at $3.99 works out at $17.29 a month. Penalties are charged on top of all that, and the vendor doesn't publish what Premium or Pro actually include, so you're paying without a list. | DDevices run $159.99 to $219.99 against a category where a paid app starts near $2.49 a month. The $19.99 monthly rental is only for the US and Canada. |
| Free plan and trial | DNothing free at all. The web signup offers a 7-day trial through Stripe, so your card goes in first, and then it's $10.99 a month. A 2025 App Store review says you can't even set a goal without a subscription. | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. A 180-day money-back guarantee is listed, but that's not a trial. |
| Features | AEvidence by photo, video, timelapse, GPS, health or screen-time data, reviewed by AI or a person; appeals answered within 12 hours under rules you wrote yourself; misses that text, call or email a friend, block apps or lock your Mac; and an AI coach that will phone you. | CBeep, vibration and optional zap, smart alarms, habit routines, a buddy feature and automations. It reacts to a moment but it's no daily habit checklist. |
| Ease of use | B4.76 on the App Store, but from only 358 ratings, so it misses the 1,000 an A needs on our ladder. Setting up a goal is real work too: a task, a deadline, a stake, a kind of evidence and your own appeal rules, which lock once it's running. | CNo store rating on record. You have to buy a device and pair it with the app before it does anything. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, Android, Mac and the web, and it pulls data from Apple Health, Health Connect, Strava, Whoop, MyFitnessPal, RescueTime, IFTTT and Plaid. But the FAQ says the Mac app only does blocking and the web app is mainly for the AI coach, so the real product is on your phone. | CCompanion app for iPhone and Android only, with IFTTT, Zapier, Tasker and Shortcuts links. No web or desktop version. |
| Best for | putting real money on the line for a habit | a wrist device that interrupts habits |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Forfeit and Pavlok. How we grade
Price against what you get
Forfeit starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pavlok starts at $19.99 a month and scores 2.0.
Forfeit scores higher and starts $14.99 a month lower. Of the other habit trackers on the chart, none scores higher than Forfeit for less, and 38 score higher than Pavlok for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Forfeit also covers site & app blocker and Pomodoro timer.
At a glance
| Forfeit | Pavlok | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $3.99 per week or $59.99 per year for Premium (US App Store); $10.99 per month on the web | $19.99 per month (Shock Clock 3 rental); devices from $159.99 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on eligible web signups; the Stripe checkout confirms whether it applies. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Forfeit Inc. | Pavlok |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | pavlok.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Forfeit
- No free plan is published: the web signup offers a 7-day trial, then $10.99 a month, and a 2025 App Store review says no goal can be set without a subscription.
- Penalties are charged on top of the subscription, and the FAQ says forfeited money is currently kept by Forfeit.
- The vendor does not publish what Premium and Pro each include, and the web price differs from the App Store amounts.
- The FAQ limits the Mac app to Mac blocking and says the web app is mainly for Overlord, the AI coach.
Pavlok
- It is hardware: the price is a device purchase or a rental, not a software subscription.
- The zap is described by the company as unpleasant and startling, so it is not for everyone.
- The rental program is offered for US and Canada only, according to the product page.
- The page lists a 180-day money-back guarantee, but check the returns page for its terms.
Key features
Forfeit
- Habit contracts with a stake
- Each goal has a task, a deadline and an amount of money. Stripe pre-authorizes the stake, and a missed deadline captures it. Goals can repeat on set days or a number of days a week.
- Other consequences
- Instead of money, a miss can text, call or email a contact you chose, block apps on your phone or Mac, or lock your Mac screen.
- Evidence and verification
- Goals are proven by photo, video, timelapse, GPS check-in, Apple Health or Health Connect data, Screen Time or Mac activity. AI or a person on the team reviews evidence before a charge.
- Appeals and leniency
- A missed goal can be appealed, and a person reviews each appeal within 12 hours. You write the appeal rules when creating a goal, and they lock once it is running.
- Overlord AI coach
- Overlord chats around the clock, reminds you before deadlines, can phone you, and grants or refuses temporary unblocks according to the rules you set.
- App and website blocking
- Blocking uses Apple's Screen Time framework on iOS and a native app on Mac that closes blocked sites and tracks the apps in use. Disconnecting the tracking counts as a failure.
Pavlok
- Beep, vibration and zap
- Devices escalate from a chime or vibration to an electric zap; the page says intensity is adjustable from 0 to 100%.
- Smart alarms
- Shock Clock devices can require actions such as jumping jacks, scanning a QR code or solving a puzzle to switch off.
- Habit routines in the app
- The Pavlok app lets you create and customize routines, track habits and sleep, and use AI insights.
- Buddy and challenges
- A trusted friend can trigger the zap for you, and monthly Pavlok Challenge groups add peer accountability.
- Automations
- Connects to services such as IFTTT and Zapier, and offers an API and a productivity extension.
Plans
Forfeit
Forfeit Premium$7.99
billing period not shown in the US App Store list
In-app subscription. The same list shows Premium Weekly at $3.99 and Forfeit Premium Yearly at $59.99. What Premium includes is not published.
Web subscription$10.99
per month
The price on the vendor's web signup page after a 7-day free trial, paid through Stripe. The page does not say which tier it buys.
Forfeit Pro$12.99
billing period not shown in the US App Store list
In-app subscription. The same list shows Pro Weekly at $5.99 and Forfeit Pro Yearly at $99.99. How Pro differs from Premium is not published.
1 Month Overlord Subscription$12.99
per month
Listed as a separate item in the US App Store. Overlord is the AI accountability coach inside the Forfeit app.
Pavlok
Shock Clock 3 rental$19.99
per month, rental with option to buy; US and Canada
Rents the Shock Clock 3 with no contract; the page says you can return it and may buy it outright.
Shock Clock 3$159.99
one-time purchase
Wake-up wearable that escalates from vibration and chime to a zap, controlled in the Pavlok app.
Pavlok 3$184.99
one-time purchase, Sports and Deluxe editions
Wearable that interrupts unwanted habits in the moment with beep, vibration or an optional zap.
Shock Clock MAX$219.99
one-time purchase
Sleep and wake-up device with a backlit display, sold as a one-time purchase.
Ways to pay less
Forfeit
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost less than weekly billing
The US App Store lists Forfeit Premium Yearly at $59.99 against Premium Weekly at $3.99, which is $207.48 over 52 weeks. Pro is $99.99 a year against $5.99 a week.
Pavlok
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Forfeit or Pavlok?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Forfeit is cheaper to start with: $5 a month when paid by the year, against $19.99 a month for Pavlok. Forfeit starts at $3.99 per week or $59.99 per year for Premium (US App Store); $10.99 per month on the web, and Pavlok starts at $19.99 per month (Shock Clock 3 rental); devices from $159.99.
Which has a free plan, Forfeit or Pavlok?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Forfeit nor Pavlok has a free plan. Forfeit has a free trial.
Which platforms do Forfeit and Pavlok run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Forfeit lists a web app and a macOS app. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.