Habit Star vs HabitKit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Habit Star grades higher than HabitKit: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Habit Star grades higher on the free plan and features. HabitKit grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Habit Star
Habit and routine app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
HabitKit
Habit tracker that shows each habit as a grid of daily tiles
Which one is for you
Pick Habit Star if
- Fits if you want your habits sorted into morning, afternoon and evening
- Works for people who'd rather pay once than subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Android or Windows, as it's Apple devices only
- Tight if you want sync, trends or Apple Watch for free, since they need Pro
- Watch out: data stays on your device, so backups depend on your own iCloud
- Watch out: the browser demo doesn't sync
Pick HabitKit if
- Fits if you track four habits or fewer and only ever use one phone
- Works for buyers who'd rather pay once, from $14.99, than subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want your habits on two devices, because nothing syncs between them
- Tight if you're staying free: four active habits, one reminder each, and widgets, charts and export locked
- Not for you if you want a web, desktop or Apple Watch app, as there's none
- Watch out: the App Store lists three prices for each Pro length, plus an unlabelled $59.99 item
- Skip it if you want a streak freeze for sick days, as there isn't one
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAHabit StarVery good | 2.8GPAHabitKitGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $9.99 once with no renewal, under a year of the $4.99 middle subscription. The free part covers unlimited habits too. | APro can be bought once, and the App Store's Lifetime items run from $14.99 to $29.99, all under a single year of this category's middle subscription at $39.96. The yearly starts at $5.99. The store lists several amounts for each length, and the app shows the one that applies. |
| Free plan and trial | AUnlimited habits and reminders, goals, widgets and Siri, free, with no account or ads. Pro also has a 14-day trial. | CFour habits free with no time limit, with all three tracking types, notes, categories, quit habits and daily backups. But four is a wall, each habit gets one reminder, and the widget you'd log from shows a padlock until you pay. |
| Features | BHabits by time of day, break habits, streak shield, widgets, Siri and a Watch app. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the basics, though Health and sync sit in Pro. | CIt does the tile-grid job: a year per habit, yes/no, count or measured amounts with units, daily, weekly or monthly goals, Shortcuts and Siri. The gaps are named in the listing: nothing syncs between devices, there's no watch app and no streak freeze or skip day. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. No account to make, so you install it and start. | A4.8 on the App Store from about 2,400 ratings, which is an A on our ladder. There's no account to make and it works offline. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with Apple Health and iCloud. No Android or web version. | CiPhone and Android, and nothing else: no web, no desktop, and the help centre says plainly there's no Apple Watch app. Siri and Shortcuts are the only things it connects to, and your data never leaves the phone. |
| Best for | habits by time of day on iPhone | seeing a year of each habit as a grid of tiles |
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: Habit Star and HabitKit. How we grade
Where they differ
- HabitKit can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Habit Star also covers daily notes and reports.
At a glance
| Habit Star | HabitKit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 once for Pro | $0.99 to $4.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase list) |
| Free plan | Unlimited habits and reminders, areas, streak shield, stars, goals, widgets, Siri, Shortcuts and 18 themes, with no account or ads. | Up to four active habits with no time limit: all three tracking types, one reminder per habit, a daily check-in, notes, categories, quit habits and automatic daily backups. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Pro, nothing charged and nothing renews | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Habit Star | Sebastian Röhl |
| Price read from | habitstar.app | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Habit Star
- iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only; the browser demo is for demonstration and does not sync.
- Routines, Apple Watch, Apple Health, iCloud sync and trends all need the Pro purchase.
- Data stays on your device, so sync and backups depend on your own iCloud.
HabitKit
- The free version stops at four active habits; widgets, charts, extra reminders, and export and import need Pro.
- Nothing syncs between devices: moving to a new phone means exporting a file and importing it, and export and import are Pro features.
- The US App Store lists several amounts for each Pro period, such as $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99 for one month; the app shows the price that applies.
- Listed for iPhone and Android only. The help center says there is no Apple Watch app, and no web or desktop version is listed.
Key features
Habit Star
- Habits by time of day
- Routines for morning, evening and other parts of the day show one habit at a time with a single reminder.
- Break habits and pauses
- Quit habits with slip counts and daily limits, and pause or skip a habit when sick or traveling.
- Streak shield and stars
- A shield covers a missed day when most of the last two weeks were kept, and stars are earned along the way.
- Apple Health
- Pro checks off habits from Health data such as steps, sleep, workouts and mindful minutes. Access is read-only.
- Widgets, Siri and Watch
- Check off habits from widgets, Siri phrases, Shortcuts, and with Pro the Apple Watch app.
- Trends and journal
- Pro shows when you usually do each habit, a month view, a timeline and a searchable journal.
HabitKit
- Tile grid for every habit
- Each habit gets a year-long grid with one tile per day and one column per week, and the dashboard offers three views for seeing all habits together.
- Yes/No, Count and Measure tracking
- A habit can be a daily tick, a whole-number count or a measured amount with a unit and up to three decimal places. Counts and amounts use a daily goal or, for quit habits, a stay-below limit.
- Streaks and flexible goals
- Streaks follow a daily, weekly or monthly goal, such as 3 times a week or 20 times a month, so planned days off are not misses. There is no streak freeze or skip day.
- Home screen widgets
- Widgets on iPhone and Android show habit grids and let you log a habit without opening the app. They are part of Pro; without it a widget shows a padlock.
- Siri and iOS Shortcuts
- Seven iOS Shortcuts actions log amounts and notes, edit past days, read progress or open a habit, and can be run with Siri or from automations.
- On-device data and backups
- Habit data stays on the phone with no account. The app keeps seven daily backups that are free to restore, and Pro adds export and import of one JSON file.
Plans
Habit Star
Free$0
Unlimited habits and reminders, areas, goals, widgets, Siri and Shortcuts, and a daily backup to your own iCloud.
Pro$9.99
one-time purchase, no renewal
Adds routines, workouts, timers, Apple Watch, Apple Health, iCloud sync, trends, calendar, journal and extra themes.
HabitKit
Free$0
Up to four active habits with no time limit, one reminder per habit, a daily check-in, notes, categories, quit habits and automatic daily backups.
HabitKit Pro (1 Month)$0.99 to $4.99
per month
Unlimited habits, widgets, charts, up to three reminders per habit, and export and import. The US App Store lists $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99.
HabitKit Pro (1 Year)$5.99 to $24.99
per year
The same Pro features on an annual subscription. The US App Store lists $5.99, $11.99 and $24.99.
HabitKit Pro (Lifetime)$14.99 to $29.99
one-time purchase
The same Pro features for a single payment. The US App Store lists $14.99 and $29.99, plus an unlabelled HabitKit Pro item at $59.99.
Ways to pay less
Habit Star
No public discounts listed.
HabitKit
- Lifetime license
Lifetime purchase instead of a subscription
HabitKit Pro can be bought once as a Lifetime purchase with the same features as the subscriptions. The US App Store lists Lifetime at $14.99 and $29.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Habit Star or HabitKit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Habit Star starts at $9.99 once for Pro, and HabitKit starts at $0.99 to $4.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase list).
Which has a free plan, Habit Star or HabitKit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Habit Star and HabitKit have a free plan.
Which platforms do Habit Star and HabitKit run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only HabitKit lists an Android app. Both list an iOS app. 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.