As a habit tracker, I tested out the free version of HabitBull and almost all of its features for more than a week. In this article, I will review how the app fared as a habit tracker and share as much helpful information and tips as I’ve discovered while testing out the app.
HabitBull is a freemium habit tracking app on iOS and Android that helps build good habits. It can track up to 5 habits or 100 habits in the free and paid version respectively. Beyond tracking habits, the app can also be used to review your habit history data and record down notes about a habit.
| Pros of Free Version of HabitBull | Cons of Free Version of HabitBull |
| – It can track 5 habits – There is not much difference between the free and paid versions of the app | – The interface of HabitBull feels old – It can be confusing for new users when setting up HabitBull |
Key Takeaways:
HabitBull works well as a habit tracking app even if one only intends to use the free version of the app. Although the interface of the app feels old and can be confusing for new users, getting used to the interface can be accomplished in 1-2 days.
As part of a series of articles where I review different free versions of habit tracking apps, I scored HabitBull based on 4 criteria that I thought to be crucial to ensure habit tracking works. But first, let’s go into how the app helped me build good habits.
How HabitBull Helped Me Build Good Habits
I used to carry a notebook around with me to track the habits that I want to build and break. HabitBull helps me track my habits without me ever needing to pull out my notebook anymore.
I can see clearly how well I am doing with the habits I am tracking in the daily, weekly and monthly view. The different views give me micro and macro perspectives that help me evaluate how I could improve.
Take for example – my goal to drink more water
The data collected shows that I cannot keep to my goal of drinking 5 bottles of water daily.
Based on the data collected, for the past 6 days where I have been tracking this habit, I averaged 2 bottles of water a day.
To improve on this habit, I can reduce the difficulty of the goal to 3 bottles daily. Get a successful streak, and then maybe increase the goal up to 5 bottles daily again.
Besides the helpful display of data that can help improve my habits, HabitBull also allows the recording of notes.
The recording of notes can be helpful to note down why I did not engage in certain habits.
It can also be helpful to note down triggers for bad habits you may want to break.
To top it all off, I found HabitBulls’ discussion section under the weekly and monthly views when I scrolled all the way down.
This section shows how others are making progress in building up good habits and breaking up bad habits.
It gives me a lot of encouragement when I look at how others are making progress and how strong the community is.
Although the interface looks primitive, It makes me feel like I’m not alone in my journey to building good habits.
The Cons Of HabitBull
I found very few limitations in the free version of HabitBull that will hinder the apps’ ability to track habits.
Nonetheless, there are still some limitations:
- It can only track up to 5 habits. (The ability to track 5 habits is just enough for my use)
- There is no multi-device sync. (Doesn’t matter to me as I only use 1 device)
- You cannot export your habit history data into a CSV file. (Doesn’t matter to me as viewing the data on my device is sufficient for me.)
I also found an overall con about the HabitBull app – its’ interface is not the most aesthetically pleasing and can be confusing to new users. While this can be a deal-breaker for some, I found myself getting used to its’ interface after using it for a few days.
How HabitBull Fared As A Free Habit Tracking App
Let’s get real. Most app creators create apps in the hopes that it will bring in some form of money.
With freemium apps, I’ve found that there is always a paywall involved before I get to experience all the awesome features of the paid app. HabitBull is no exception.
The big question is how different is it on the other side of the paywall?
I think that a good free habit tracking app should not be that much different in terms of “awesomeness” between the free and paid version. Or at least, the free version of the app should be at least usable in a wide range of situations.
To determine this, I used 4 criteria to score the free version of HabitBull:
- The number of habits HabitBull can track for free (If the app can only track 1 habit, it is unlikely to be useful to me because I want to track more than 1 habit. The more habits that the app can track, the better it is for a user.)
- Data recording capabilities of the app (It is difficult for me to improve if I cannot see where I am succeeding and failing with my habits. The more useful habit data that can be collected over time, the better it is for a user.)
- Platforms HabitBull is available on (If I am on iOS and Mac, it would be ideal if an app I frequently use is on both platforms. Therefore, the more platforms that HabitBull is on, the better it is for a user.)
- The versatility of HabitBull (If I can track whether or not I woke up on time today, a yes/no habit. And I can track how many bottles of water I drank today, a number habit, then I consider a free habit tracking app to be versatile.)
- How well the app can help to improve habits (Even if the app scores well on all other aspects, I would be unlikely to continue using it if it is designed in a way that doesn’t really help me to improve my habits.)
| Criteria | Score |
| The number of habits HabitBull can track for free: HabitBull can track up to 5 habits for free. Scoring rubrics If the app can track 1-3 habits – 10 points If the app can track 4 or more habits – 20 points | 20 |
| Data recording capabilities: HabitBull automatically tabulates some habit history data and allows the manual recording of notes for each habit for free. Scoring rubrics If the app can view automatically recorded habit history – 10 points If the app allows manual recording of notes for each habit – 10 points If the app can view recorded habit history and record down notes for each habit – 20 points | 20 |
| Platforms HabitBull is available on: HabitBull is available on 2 platforms for free – iOS and Android. Scoring rubrics If the app is available on 1-2 platforms – 10 points If the app is available on 3 or more platforms – 20 points | 10 |
| The versatility of HabitBull: HabitBull can track yes/no habits and number habits for free. Scoring rubrics Does the app allow you to track all types of habits? If no – 10 points If yes – 20 points | 20 |
| How well does the app help improve habits (On the scale of 1 – 10): 5. All things considered, HabitBull is good at helping me improve my habits. But considering that the app only allows up to 5 free habits to be tracked, it does reduce the helpfulness of the app as a free habit tracker. Scoring rubrics Subjective and based on personal opinion. Take it with a pinch of salt, if the app seems good to you, try it out yourself and decide for yourself. If 1-5 – 0 points If 6-10 – 20 points | 0 |
| Total Score | 70 |
