Habitica vs HabitLab (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Habitica grades higher than HabitLab: 3.4 against 3.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Habitica grades higher on features. HabitLab grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Habitica
Habit and task tracker that works like a role-playing game
HabitLab
Free browser extension that cuts time on distracting sites
Which one is for you
Pick Habitica if
- Fits if levels, gear and pets get you moving when a plain checklist doesn't
- Works for friends who want to keep each other honest, since a Party takes on Quests together
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a calm, plain tracker, because the game is the whole point
- Pricey if you need to assign shared tasks, as that's a Group Plan at $9 a month plus $3 a member
- Not for you if you expect the subscription to add features, since it's in-game perks only, and Gems are sold on top from $0.99
- Not for you if you want a Mac or Windows app or integrations, as none are listed
- Watch out: public pull requests to the open-source code have been paused since August 2026
Pick HabitLab if
- Fits if you lose hours to a few websites and want something to nudge you
- Works for people who want a free tool and don't mind that it's a research project
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a daily habit checklist, because it only works on browsing
- Not for you if you're on Safari or iPhone, as the site mentions Chrome and Android
- Watch out: some anonymized data is sent to Stanford for research
- Watch out: it's a research project, and the site shows no company behind it
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHabiticaVery good | 3.2GPAHabitLabVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe tracker is free and open source, and the vendor's own listing says the app can be fully enjoyed for free. The $4.99 a month subscription buys in-game items, not features. The one real paid feature is a shared task board, at $9 a month plus $3 for each extra member. | AFree with no paid plans listed, and anyone can install it. Nothing in the category costs less. |
| Free plan and trial | ANo cap anywhere to walk into: Habits, Dailies and To Do's, rewards you set yourself, avatar customization, Parties and Quests, synced across your devices. Gems, the in-game currency for gear and outfits, are the only thing sold from $0.99. | AFree outright: a browser extension and an Android app, with no plan to hit a cap on. |
| Features | AHabits logged as they happen, Dailies on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule and one-off To Do's, plus reminders, widgets and sync. On top sits a role-playing game with gear, pets, health points, Parties and Quests, which its rivals here don't offer. | COver 20 interventions, usage tracking and results on what helped. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller job than habit tracking. |
| Ease of use | C4.3 on the App Store from about 3,500 ratings, which on our ladder needs ten times that volume to earn a B. There's a vocabulary waiting too: Habits against Dailies against To Do's, Gems, Mystic Hourglasses, Parties and Quests. | BNo store rating on record. Install the extension, pick your sites, and it runs by itself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BThe web app, iPhone and Android, all synced, which covers a laptop and whatever's in your pocket. No Mac or Windows app is listed, and nothing on record that it connects to: the code is on GitHub, but public pull requests have been paused since August 2026. | BA browser extension and an Android app. The home page mentions Chrome only, and there's no iPhone app. |
| Best for | turning habits and to-dos into a role-playing game | cutting time on distracting sites |
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: Habitica and HabitLab. How we grade
Price against what you get
Habitica starts at $4 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. HabitLab has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Habitica scores higher, and starts $4 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other habit trackers on the chart, 1 scores higher than Habitica for less, and none scores higher than HabitLab 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
- Habitica also covers tasks.
- HabitLab also covers site & app blocker and time tracking.
At a glance
| Habitica | HabitLab | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, or $47.99 for 12 months (App Store prices) | Free |
| Free plan | Habits, Dailies, To Do's, rewards, avatars, Parties and Quests are free; the vendor's App Store listing says the app can be fully enjoyed for free. | Free; the site lists no paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | HabitRPG, Inc. | Stanford HCI Group |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | habitlab.github.io |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
HabitLab
- The site's main download is for Chrome; other browsers are not mentioned on the home page.
- Some anonymized data is sent to Stanford for research purposes, according to the site.
- It targets browsing time and is not a daily habit checklist.
Key features
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.
HabitLab
- Over 20 interventions
- Includes hiding feeds, removing clickbait and blocking videos, rotated between visits to see what works.
- Sites you choose
- Supports Facebook, YouTube and any other site you pick as one you want to use less.
- Usage tracking
- Tracks your online time so you can see where it goes.
- Analytics on what helped
- Shows which interventions reduced your time the most.
- Android app
- The site also offers HabitLab for Android alongside the Chrome extension.
Plans
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.
HabitLab
HabitLab$0
Free browser extension and Android app; the site lists no paid plans.
Ways to pay less
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).
HabitLab
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Habitica or HabitLab?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HabitLab is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4 a month when paid by the year for Habitica. Habitica starts at $4.99 per month, or $47.99 for 12 months (App Store prices), and HabitLab is free.
Which has a free plan, Habitica or HabitLab?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Habitica and HabitLab have a free plan.
Which platforms do Habitica and HabitLab run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Habitica lists a web app and an iOS app and only HabitLab lists a browser extension. Both list an Android 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.