The Beeminder Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Beeminder in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Beeminder
The Insider’s Guide
Goal tracker that charges you money when you fall behind
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among habit trackers, read from Beeminder’s own pages.
Made by Beeminder · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Beeminder’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Beeminder’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 8 of the 43 other habit trackers we grade
Beeminder is a goal tracker built around commitment contracts. Each goal is anything quantifiable, plotted on a graph against a Bright Red Line that marks the rate you committed to; if your data crosses the line, Beeminder charges the amount you pledged. Data can be entered by hand or pulled in automatically from dozens of devices and apps. The core service is free apart from those pledges, and premium plans add unlimited goals and extra goal controls.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Beeminder, taken from its own pages and our grades.
If a charge for a bad week would sting, look elsewhere.
- 1
Best for number goals with real money riding on them
Fitbit, Strava, Duolingo and dozens more can report for you on the free plan.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $8 per month for Infinibee, billed monthly (14% off when paid yearly).
- 3
There is a free plan
Core Beeminder: a limited number of goals with unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every app and all autodata integrations. Derailing still charges your pledge.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Bright Red Line graphs
Every goal gets a graph with a Bright Red Line showing the rate you committed to. The steepness can be adjusted as you go, and you can walk away from a goal with one week's notice.
- 6
Pledges on every goal
Crossing the line charges your pledge, which then rises through a fixed schedule from $5 to $2,430 unless you cap it. The FAQ says the first attempt is free.
- 7
Autodata integrations
Dozens of integrations report data automatically, including Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, Apple Health, Duolingo, Todoist and RescueTime. All are included in the free plan.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 8 of 43
That is against the other habit trackers we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Your call
A habit tracker at its plainest is a list of habits, a tick for each day and a count of the streak.
Beeminder at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $8 per month for Infinibee, billed monthly (14% off when paid yearly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Beeminder, since 2011
- Category
- Habit Trackers
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for number goals with real money riding on them
Beeminder is a commitment tracker: you commit to a rate, it draws a Bright Red Line on a graph, and if your data crosses the line you pay the pledge. Fitbit, Strava, Duolingo and dozens more can report for you on the free plan. But derailing charges your pledge on every plan, the free plan caps goals, and the plans with room to work are $8, $16 and $81 a month. If a charge for a bad week would sting, look elsewhere.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Unlimited goals means Infinibee at $8 a month, where the middle of this category is $3.33. The controls you'd actually want, auto-ratchet, weekends off and custom goals, sit on Bee Plus at $16, and goals with no pledge at all are Beemium at $81. There's 14% off for paying yearly, which doesn't close that gap. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Core is free and gets you unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every integration and the API. But the number of goals is capped, and the cap only rises when you pay for a derailment. And free here still takes your money the week you slip. |
| Features | A | Anything you can put a number on, plotted against a line you committed to, with dozens of services reporting for you: Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, Duolingo, Todoist, RescueTime. The other pledge apps here take your word for it. Beeminder's charge comes off data that arrives on its own. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and there's a vocabulary waiting for you: Bright Red Lines, derailments, pledges, safety buffer, auto-ratchet. Once a device is wired up it reports by itself, but setting a rate you can live with is a judgement call on day one. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, Apple Health, Duolingo, Todoist, RescueTime, IFTTT and Zapier, with a public API, all on the free plan. But it's web and phones, with no Mac or Windows app, and the SMS bot is US numbers on Bee Plus and up. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Beeminder is for
- Fits if real money on the line is what gets you moving
- Works for people whose fitness tracker or other apps can report their numbers through the free integrations or the API
Who it is not for
- Skip it if being charged for a bad week would sting, as derailing charges your pledge on every plan, free included
- Tight if you stay free, as goals are capped and the cap only rises when you pay for a derailment
- Pricey if you want unlimited goals ($8 a month), auto-ratchet and weekends off ($16) or goals with no pledge ($81)
- Not for you if you'd rather not learn Bright Red Lines, derailments and safety buffers before your first goal
- Watch out: the SMS bot works with US numbers only and needs Bee Plus, and there's no Mac or Windows app
Good to know
Good for
- People who are motivated by having real money at stake
- Quantifiable goals fed automatically by a fitness tracker or another app
- Tinkerers who want an API and Zapier or IFTTT hooks on a free plan
Worth knowing
- Derailing a goal charges your pledge to Beeminder, on the free plan as well as on the paid ones.
- The free Core plan tracks a limited number of goals; the limit rises each time you pay for a derailment.
- Goals with no pledges and the option to send half of a pledge to charity are limited to Beemium at $81 per month.
- The SMS bot works with US numbers only and needs Bee Plus or Beemium.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Beeminder has a free plan. Paid plans start at $8 per month for Infinibee, billed monthly (14% off when paid yearly).
Core is free and gets you unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every integration and the API.
Core Beeminder
$0
A limited number of goals with unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every app and integration, and API access. Derailments charge your pledge.
Infinibee
$8
per month, billed monthly
Unlimited goals, exotic goal types and a subscription that stops renewing by itself if you stop using Beeminder.
Bee Plus
$16
per month, billed monthly
Everything in Infinibee, plus auto-ratchet, custom goals, weekends off, the graph editor and an SMS bot for US numbers.
Beemium
$81
per month, billed monthly
Everything in Bee Plus, plus goals with no pledges, pledge short-circuiting, a 50% charity option and chat access to the developers.
The free plan
Core Beeminder: a limited number of goals with unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every app and all autodata integrations. Derailing still charges your pledge.
Read from beeminder.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
14% off when paying yearly
The pricing page's discount slider gives 14% off premium plans paid yearly, and the discount grows with longer payment intervals, up to two years.
Stated on beeminder.comEducation
Student and senior discounts on request
The premium FAQ says Beeminder has student and senior discounts and asks those who may qualify to get in touch. It does not state the amounts.
Stated on beeminder.comOther savings
Discounts for jobseekers and non-OECD residents
The same FAQ lists discounts for jobseekers and for people living in non-OECD countries, also arranged by contacting support.
Stated on beeminder.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Goal tracker that charges you money when you fall behind. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, habit tracking, goals.
The other pledge apps here take your word for it.
- Bright Red Line graphs
- Every goal gets a graph with a Bright Red Line showing the rate you committed to. The steepness can be adjusted as you go, and you can walk away from a goal with one week's notice.
- Pledges on every goal
- Crossing the line charges your pledge, which then rises through a fixed schedule from $5 to $2,430 unless you cap it. The FAQ says the first attempt is free.
- Autodata integrations
- Dozens of integrations report data automatically, including Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, Apple Health, Duolingo, Todoist and RescueTime. All are included in the free plan.
- Several ways to report
- Enter numbers on the web dashboard, in the iOS or Android app, by replying to the bot's emails or in Slack. An SMS bot for US numbers comes with Bee Plus.
- API, IFTTT and Zapier
- A public API and connections to IFTTT and Zapier allow custom automation, and are part of the free Core plan.
- Breaks and safety buffer
- Breaks can be scheduled and pledges capped on any plan. After a derailment the goal restarts with a week of safety buffer by default.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Fitbit
- Garmin
- Strava
- Apple Health
- Duolingo
- Todoist
- RescueTime
- Zapier
Beeminder is made by Beeminder, and has been around since 2011.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
8/43
Other habit trackers it is graded above
Beeminder's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 43 other habit trackers we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on features (A, above 41 of 43) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8 a month, against a middle price of $2.50 for the category: 25 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 44 habit trackers we grade, cut by the letter each got. Beeminder’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 43
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 43
- AFeaturesAbove 41 of 43
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 43
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 43
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 32 habit trackers. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Beeminder is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Your call
A habit tracker at its plainest is a list of habits, a tick for each day and a count of the streak.
You could make the core of Beeminder for yourself: habit tracking and goals. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $96 a year.
What you could make
- Habit tracking and goals: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Fitbit, Garmin and Strava among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Beeminder’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
stickK, Forfeit, Habitica, Habitify and Coach.me
The 5 tools Beeminder is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
stickK
Free plan
- 2.4GPA
Forfeit
Free trial · from $3.99
Habit contracts that charge your card when you miss a goal.
- Beeminder has a free plan. Forfeit does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Forfeit lists a macOS app.
- Forfeit also covers site & app blocker and Pomodoro timer.
- 3.4GPA
Habitica
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
Habit and task tracker that works like a role-playing game.
- Habitica is open source, according to its own site.
- Beeminder also covers goals.
- Habitica also covers tasks.
- 2.8GPA
Habitify
Free plan · from $29.99/yr
Cross-platform habit tracker with health-data sync and an API.
- Only Habitify lists a macOS app.
- Beeminder also covers goals.
- Habitify also covers Pomodoro timer.
- 2.8GPA
Coach.me
Free plan · from $25
Free habit tracker with community support and paid human coaching.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Beeminder free?
Beeminder has a free plan. Core Beeminder: a limited number of goals with unlimited data, pledge caps, scheduled breaks, every app and all autodata integrations.
How much does Beeminder cost?
Beeminder lists 4 plans. Core Beeminder: $0.
What platforms does Beeminder work on?
Beeminder is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Beeminder offer any discounts?
Beeminder publicly lists the following: 14% off when paying yearly; Student and senior discounts on request; Discounts for jobseekers and non-OECD residents.
Does Beeminder have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Beeminder is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Beeminder have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Beeminder is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Beeminder open source?
Beeminder is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Beeminder have an API?
Yes. Beeminder offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Beeminder integrate with?
Beeminder's listing names Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, Apple Health, Duolingo, Todoist, RescueTime and Zapier.
Does Beeminder have a student discount?
Student and senior discounts on request. The premium FAQ says Beeminder has student and senior discounts and asks those who may qualify to get in touch.
Who makes Beeminder?
Beeminder is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2011.
What are the alternatives to Beeminder?
The closest alternatives to Beeminder in our directory are stickK, Forfeit, Habitica, Habitify and Coach.me.
How does Beeminder compare with other habit trackers?
Beeminder's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 43 other habit trackers we grade, and level with 10.
Is Beeminder good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Beeminder D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8 a month, against a middle price of $2.50 for the category: 25 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Beeminder?
A habit tracker at its plainest is a list of habits, a tick for each day and a count of the streak.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Beeminder’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Beeminder's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-01-26.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Beeminder. Prices change, so check beeminder.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Beeminder, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/beeminder
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Beeminder: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/beeminder
Know someone choosing between habit trackers?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/beeminder/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded habit trackers after Beeminder, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Habit Trackers Insider's GuideEvery one of the 44 habit trackers we grade, compared
- Finch Insider's GuideSelf-care app that ties daily goals to a virtual pet bird3.4 GPA
- Habitica Insider's GuideHabit and task tracker that works like a role-playing game3.4 GPA
- Disciplined Insider's GuideMinimal habit tracker built around daily streaks3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Beeminder’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Beeminder is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Beeminder. Prices and plans change: check beeminder.com before you buy.