Pavlok vs stickK (2026): which should you pick?

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

Pick stickK if

• Fits if you only follow through when money or your reputation is on the line
• Works for people with a friend, coach or family member willing to check reports as Referee

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you might change your mind, as a contract can't be deleted once it begins, short of a physician's form
• Not for you if you just want to tick off small daily habits, as everything here is a contract with an end date
• Pricey if you set a big stake and slip, since your card is charged within 48 hours of each failed period
• Watch out: a daily report not filed within 24 hours counts as a failure, and stickK keeps 50% of anti-charity stakes
• Watch out: paid Campaign prices show only inside an admin account, and older help articles describe outdated terms

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.

stickK

• stickK keeps 50% of forfeited stakes sent to an anti-charity, plus contract costs, under its contract terms last updated June 12, 2024.
• Those terms removed a $5 creation fee and ended charity and friend-or-foe recipients for new contracts; older help articles still describe all three.
• A contract cannot be deleted once it begins; the terms allow cancellation only with a physician's medical excuse form.
• Prices for the paid Campaign plans (All-access and Pro) are not published in the help center; they appear inside a Campaign admin account.

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.

stickK

Commitment Contracts

A contract with yourself that fixes a goal, a start and end date and a reporting schedule. After creation you can only add a Referee, invite Supporters and change its privacy settings.

Reports on a fixed schedule

You report success or failure daily, weekly or once at the end. A report not filed within 24 hours (daily) or 72 hours (weekly and single-report contracts) counts as unsuccessful.

Referees

A person you invite verifies your reports and has the final word: a Referee can turn a reported success into a failure. Without one, the contract runs "On Your Honor".

Money stakes

Set an amount that is charged to your card within 48 hours of each unsuccessful reporting period. Under the June 2024 terms, new stakes go to an anti-charity you pick or to stickK itself.

Supporters and Commitment Journal

Supporters can be emailed your result after each report and can comment in the Commitment Journal, where you add notes and progress photos.

Communities and Campaigns

A public contract can be listed in up to three of ten topic Communities. Campaigns bundle a set of contracts for a group, whose members join with an activation code.

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.

stickK

• Commitment Contract$0

  Any number of personal contracts with a Referee, Supporters and a journal. Optional stakes are charged per failed reporting period.

• Campaigns Basic$0

  Free plan for group Campaigns. An account downgraded to it keeps its most active Campaign and 2 of that Campaign's Commitments.

• Campaigns All-access and ProNot published

  Paid group plans that unlock more features, each with its own Campaign and Commitment limits, billed monthly or annually. Prices appear only inside a Campaign admin account.