App guide

The Best Goal Tracking Apps of 2026: 10 Picks Compared

By Jay Rockliffe, founder of Start From Done

Updated October 17, 2026. Prices, platforms and features checked on each app's own pages that day.

Ten apps for keeping a goal moving, from habit streaks to team targets, with prices and platforms checked on each app's own pages this month.

Short answer: on iPhone, Strides is a flexible goal tracker, with five tracker types including SMART goals. Griply links goals to habits and tasks on more platforms. Streaks costs $5.99 once for daily habits, Way of Life charts yes or no habits on iPhone and Android, and Habitica turns tracking into a game. If your goal keeps sliding because the next step is unclear, Start From Done (ours) plans it backward to today.

We make Start From Done. It is in this list, and we have tried to treat it like every other entry: facts only, and the same limits noted. No company paid to be here, and none of the links are affiliate links.

At a glance: 10 apps compared

App	Best for	Price	Platforms
Strides	Tracking any kind of goal on iPhone	Free for your top three goals and habits. Strides Plus monthly, yearly or lifetime (App Store).	iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; the App Store also lists Mac
Griply	Goals linked to habits and tasks	Free for 2 goals and 2 habits. Premium $49.99 a year. Lifetime $149.99.	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, web; Android in public beta
Streaks	Daily habits for a one-time price	$5.99 once.	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Way of Life	Yes or no habits, with trend charts	Free download. Premium by in-app purchase (US App Store).	iPhone, Android
Habitica	Making progress feel like a game	Free. Optional subscription $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year (US App Store).	Web, iPhone, iPad, Android
Start From Done	Goals that keep slipping	Free core loop. Pro $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $249 once for the first 100 founders (then $299).	Web app you install on iPhone, Android and desktop; App Store and Google Play versions are planned
TickTick	Tasks, habits and focus in one app	Free. Premium $49.99 a year.	Phones, tablets, computers and watches, with sync
Todoist	Turning a goal into a task list	Free (Beginner). Pro $7 a month or $60 a year. Business $8 per user a month billed yearly.	iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, browser extensions
ClickUp	Team goals with targets	Free Forever plan. Paid plans from $7 per user a month, billed yearly.	Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Goalscape	Seeing a big goal as a map	14-day free trial, then read-only. Pro $8.25 per user a month billed yearly, or $9.90 monthly.	Web browser on desktop or mobile; runs in Microsoft Teams

How we chose

We started from the apps that show up again and again in this year's "best goal tracking apps" lists and app store collections, then narrowed to 10 that each do one job clearly. For every app we read its own website, pricing page or store listing on the review date and wrote down three things: the price, the platforms and one feature the company itself describes. Each entry links to those pages. We did not run long-term tests of every app, and we do not publish star ratings, user counts or reviews we cannot check, so this guide compares what each app offers, in its own words.

Prices are in US dollars and can differ by country and store. Where an app sells several in-app prices, we give the range or the main plan and point you to the store page.

The 10 picks

1. Strides

Best for: Tracking any kind of goal on iPhone

Strides handles more than streaks: habits, numeric targets, averages, projects and SMART goals with a deadline. More than 150 templates mean you rarely start from nothing. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Price: Free for your top three goals and habits. Strides Plus monthly, yearly or lifetime (App Store).
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; the App Store also lists Mac
Standout: Five tracker types (habit, target, average, project and SMART goal) and more than 150 templates.
Keep in mind: Apple devices only.

Checked October 17, 2026: Strides on the App Store, Strides help center

2. Griply

Best for: Goals linked to habits and tasks

Griply breaks a goal into the habits and tasks that serve it, sorted by life area. Premium adds subgoals and time blocking on your calendar. Free covers two goals, which is enough to see if it fits.

Price: Free for 2 goals and 2 habits. Premium $49.99 a year. Lifetime $149.99.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, web; Android in public beta
Standout: Connects goals to habits, tasks and life areas. Premium adds subgoals, habit targets and calendar time blocking.
Keep in mind: The free plan caps you at two goals.

Checked October 17, 2026: Griply pricing, Griply FAQ: free goal trackers

3. Streaks

Best for: Daily habits for a one-time price

Streaks tracks up to 24 tasks a day and can mark some done from Apple Health data, such as steps or water. It is $5.99 once and won an Apple Design Award.

Price: $5.99 once.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Standout: Up to 24 daily tasks, and it can tick off tasks from Apple Health data. An Apple Design Award winner.
Keep in mind: Apple devices only, and built for daily tasks rather than long projects.

Checked October 17, 2026: Streaks on the App Store

4. Way of Life

Best for: Yes or no habits, with trend charts

Way of Life keeps it simple: each day is green or red. The value is in the charts, which show how a habit moves over weeks, months or years. It runs on iPhone and Android.

Price: Free download. Premium by in-app purchase (US App Store).
Platforms: iPhone, Android
Standout: Mark each day green or red to keep chains going, then read charts of your trends over weeks, months or years.
Keep in mind: Tracks yes or no habits more than multi-step goals.

Checked October 17, 2026: Way of Life home page, Way of Life on the App Store, Way of Life on Google Play

5. Habitica

Best for: Making progress feel like a game

Habitica turns habits, dailies and to-dos into a role-playing game, with an avatar, gold, gear and parties of friends who keep each other going. The core is free on the web and on phones.

Price: Free. Optional subscription $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year (US App Store).
Platforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Android
Standout: Turns habits, dailies and to-dos into a role-playing game: an avatar earns gold and gear, and you can join a party of friends.
Keep in mind: The game layer is the point; if it does not appeal, a plain tracker will feel lighter.

Checked October 17, 2026: Habitica on the App Store, Habitica FAQ, Habitica wiki: Android app

6. Start From Done (we make this app)

Best for: Goals that keep slipping

Most trackers count what you did. Start From Done starts from the finish: write the goal as already done, and the app drafts the milestones back to today, an if-then plan for what could stop you and one 45 minute step. Each step you finish lands on a Done list, so progress is something you can see. Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it. Share only what you choose: invite a friend as your witness for accountability, and they can invite you back.

Price: Free core loop. Pro $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $249 once for the first 100 founders (then $299).
Platforms: Web app you install on iPhone, Android and desktop; App Store and Google Play versions are planned
Standout: You write the goal as already done. The app drafts backward milestones, an if-then plan for what could stop you and one 45 minute step for today, and you log what you did on a Done list.
Keep in mind: A newer, smaller app built for one goal at a time; it is not a diary for long entries.

Checked October 17, 2026: Start From Done, Start From Done: the app, free and Pro, Start From Done privacy

7. TickTick

Best for: Tasks, habits and focus in one app

TickTick puts a to-do list, a habit tracker, calendar views and a Pomodoro timer in one place, with sync across phones, computers and watches. Premium is $49.99 a year.

Price: Free. Premium $49.99 a year.
Platforms: Phones, tablets, computers and watches, with sync
Standout: To-dos, a habit tracker, calendar views and a Pomodoro focus timer in one app.
Keep in mind: The free plan allows 5 habits; Premium raises it.

Checked October 17, 2026: TickTick Premium, TickTick home page

8. Todoist

Best for: Turning a goal into a task list

Todoist is a task manager, not a goal app, but many people run goals through it: a project per goal, recurring tasks and custom filters. It is on nearly every platform.

Price: Free (Beginner). Pro $7 a month or $60 a year. Business $8 per user a month billed yearly.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, browser extensions
Standout: Add tasks in natural language, set recurring tasks, and sort the list with custom filters.
Keep in mind: A task manager first: goals live in projects you set up yourself.

Checked October 17, 2026: Todoist pricing FAQ, Todoist home page, Todoist downloads

9. ClickUp

Best for: Team goals with targets

ClickUp includes Goals and Portfolio Management, for tracking team objectives beside the tasks that serve them. Goals is a trial on the free plan; paid plans start at $7 per user a month billed yearly.

Price: Free Forever plan. Paid plans from $7 per user a month, billed yearly.
Platforms: Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Standout: Goals and Portfolio Management for tracking team objectives beside the tasks, on paid plans.
Keep in mind: Goals is a trial on the free plan, and the tool is built for teams more than one person.

Checked October 17, 2026: ClickUp pricing, ClickUp downloads

10. Goalscape

Best for: Seeing a big goal as a map

Goalscape draws your goal as a visual map of subgoals, sized by how important you say each one is, and progress rolls up to the center. It runs in the browser and in Microsoft Teams.

Price: 14-day free trial, then read-only. Pro $8.25 per user a month billed yearly, or $9.90 monthly.
Platforms: Web browser on desktop or mobile; runs in Microsoft Teams
Standout: A visual goal map: split a big goal into subgoals and set the Importance of each, which sets its size on the map.
Keep in mind: No free plan after the trial, and no native phone app listed.

Checked October 17, 2026: Goalscape pricing, Goalscape product overview

Also considered: Daylio, which has simple goals inside a mood diary (see our journaling apps guide), and Notion, which can hold a goal tracker you build from templates.

Start From Done next to other apps, feature by feature

How Start From Done lines up with 3 journaling, habit and task apps on the things buyers ask about. Each app does things this table does not cover, so read it as a starting point.

What it does	Start From Done	Streaks	Things 3	Daylio
Goal written as already done	Yes, free	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Backward milestone plan	Yes, free: drafted for you, edit any step	Not listed	Projects for a big goal, with to-dos and a deadline you add	Not listed
If-then plan for the obstacle	Yes, free: pick one or write your own	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Focus timer	Yes, free: 45 minute sprints (10 minutes counts too)	Built-in timer for timed tasks	Not listed	Not listed
Done list of what you finished	Yes, free	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Generated future photo or film	Future Photo: first one free, marked as a generated preview; up to 10 a day in Pro. Future Film: Pro	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Share with a friend	Yes, free: a witness link for one friend, plus group sprints	Share a task with friends or family who use Streaks	Not listed	Share statistics with friends
Privacy, as the app describes it	Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it	Not listed	Not listed	Stored locally on your phone, with optional backups
Free version	Free core loop, no account needed	Not listed	Free trial on Mac	Free download with in-app purchases
Paid price (USD, as listed)	Monthly $9.99, Annual $59.99 with 7 days free, Founding Lifetime $249 once for the first 100 founders, then $299	$5.99 once on iPhone	$9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac, each once	Premium in-app purchases listed from $4.99

As of October 17, 2026, from each app's own site or store listing. "Not listed" means we did not find it on that page, not that the app lacks it. Prices are in USD as listed and may change. We make Start From Done.

Sources for this table

Streaks: apps.apple.com, streaksapp.com
Things 3: apps.apple.com, apps.apple.com, apps.apple.com
Daylio: apps.apple.com

This shared table comes from our full list of Start From Done features, where every free and Pro feature is listed.

How to choose a goal tracking app

Name the kind of goal. A daily habit (run, read, meditate) fits Streaks, Way of Life or Habitica. A number to reach (save $3,000, read 20 books) fits Strides targets. A project with steps fits Griply, Todoist or Start From Done. A team target fits ClickUp.
Check that it tracks progress, not just ticks. A streak shows consistency. A target or a milestone shows how far you are from done. Many goals need both.
Look for the next step. A goal stalls when nobody knows what to do on Tuesday. Pick an app that shows today's action, or plan one yourself with a free reverse planner.
Match your devices. Strides and Streaks are Apple only. Way of Life, Habitica, TickTick, Todoist and Griply (Android in beta) reach Android.
Start free. Every app here except Goalscape (a 14-day trial) and Streaks ($5.99) has a free way in.

Habit trackers and goal plans do different jobs. Our comparison of a habit tracker and a done list explains when each helps, and SMART goals vs reverse journaling covers how to write the goal itself.

Questions

What is the best goal tracking app?

For flexible tracking on iPhone, Strides. For goals linked to habits and tasks across platforms, Griply. For daily habits at a one-time price, Streaks. For a game, Habitica. For a goal that keeps slipping, Start From Done plans it backward to one step for today. We make Start From Done.

What is the best free goal tracker?

Habitica, Way of Life, TickTick, Todoist and Start From Done all have free plans. Strides is free for three goals and habits, and Griply for two goals and two habits.

What is the difference between a goal tracker and a habit tracker?

A habit tracker counts repeated actions, such as a daily run. A goal tracker measures progress toward a finish, such as a race date or a savings target. Many apps, including Strides and Griply, do both.

Is there a goal tracking app for Android?

Yes. Way of Life, Habitica, TickTick, Todoist and ClickUp have Android apps, Griply has an Android beta, and Start From Done installs from the browser on Android.

Which goal app works for teams?

ClickUp Goals and Goalscape are built for teams and shared targets. The others here are designed for one person.

Sources

Each page below was read on October 17, 2026. Prices change; the store or pricing page has the final word.

App names are trademarks of their owners. Start From Done is not affiliated with any of them.