Whether you’re trying to drink more water, call your mom every week or break a harmful cycle, a habit app could help keep you accountable.
Thanks to the psychological power of journaling and a broad interest in self-optimization, the popularity of habit-tracking apps has been rising steadily the past two years.
As 2023 begins and Americans make New Year’s resolutions, habit apps could see an influx of valuable data about our daily lives and health concerns.
Once our data flies into the digital ad ecosystem, it’s tough to track where it ends up.
With that in mind, The Washington Post examined the cost, ease of use and privacy policies of some popular habit-tracking and sobriety apps.
Here’s what to know before downloading.
For the price and privacy, Streaks from developer Crunchy Bagel is the best of the bunch of habit-tracking apps. Streaks is a simple habit-tracker where you can log behaviors and view progress over days, weeks or months.
The only charge is $4.99 up front, and the setup process is fast and minimal.
Best of all, Streaks says it doesn’t share data with sketchy third parties.
Johnny Lin, founder of anti-tracking company Lockdown Privacy, said not only is Streaks not sending data to advertising companies, it’s also not regularly collecting any data if you don’t turn on iCloud backups in the app’s settings.
For a habit-tracker that’s easy to use, try Strides from developer Goals LLC. The interface is limited but clear, and you can add more habits and view progress reports for $29.99 a year.
If you stay on the app’s free tier and avoid setting up an account, the company says it will store your data on your device. (That’s good for privacy, as the data doesn’t get beamed to cloud storage.)
If you’re looking for a sobriety-tracking app, choose I Am Sober, which costs $39.99 a year. Unlike some of its competitors, I Am Sober doesn’t collect your location.
It also says it doesn’t share data with advertising or marketing companies. (It does, however, use Google for its analytics, though CEO Andrew Murray said the company is working to remove Google tools from the app completely.)
So, can these apps really help you break old habits or start new ones?
Tracking behavior helps break and establish habits, said Dana Litt, an associate professor of health behavior at the University of North Texas.
But research on the effectiveness of app-based tools is still emerging.
Some of these apps, though, go beyond simple habit-logging.
Reframe from developer Glucobit ($119.99 a year) comes with educational modules and homework assignments for people looking to reduce or eliminate their alcohol consumption.
The app Fabulous ($59.99 a year) also offers learning modules for “managing addiction.”
Be careful, though.
Both apps have relatively permissive privacy policies, and many people suffering from addiction require personalized treatment in a clinical setting.
Fabulous co-founder and CEO Sami Ben Hassine said the app is not a replacement for counseling, but it can help people grow, measure their progress and regulate their emotions.
If you’re evaluating habit apps on your own, keep in mind that a habit app probably doesn’t need your location, and it shouldn’t ask for more data than it needs.
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