Continuing my quest to find the best free habit tracking app, I moved on to experiment with the Momentum app for over a week.
Momentum is a habit tracker app available on iOS and Mac. The app is available both free and paid. The free version of the app can track up to 3 habits while the paid version of the app can track unlimited habits. Overall, the app is simple and can only track basic habits.
| Pros of the free version of Momentum | Cons of the free version of Momentum |
| – It is easy to learn how to use the app – The app is minimalist – The app feels quick | – The app cannot track complex habits – The app can only track up to 3 habits – The free version of the app is only available on iPhone/iPad |
Key Takeaway:
The momentum habit tracking app as a free habit tracking app is most suitable for those who only want to track a few key habits and prefer basic habit tracking features as opposed to many customisations options. In order to use the app, having an Apple device is also a must.
I was at first dismayed by how basic everything in the app feels, but this feeling of dismay was soon transformed into an appreciation of how well and quick the app works. As I realised, more features on a habit tracking app don’t mean that the app is better.
Momentum – How An App That Can Only Track Basic Habits Helped Me
Simple interface
The first thing I realised about Momentum was how simple the interface looks. It was very similar to what I saw when I was reviewing the Strides app but the Momentum app is even simpler.
I get an overview of how I’m doing with my habits on the homepage.
There are also only 3 main pages as far as core functions of the app goes:
- The homepage
- The “New Habit” page (The plus icon on the top right)
- The monthly view of a habit (can be navigated by tapping on the name of the habit you are tracking)
If I wanted to, I can even use the app without losing much of its functionality with just the homepage and the “New Habit” page. The Momentum app is truly uncomplicated.
It can be hard to be consistently tracking my habits. A simple interface makes it easier for me to stay consistent.
Clear visual cues for the status of each habit
What I also like about Momentum is how clearly it shows my habit status – green for a successful day, red for an unsuccessful day, white for a day that is skipped, grey for a day that is left blank and light grey for a day that is yet to come.
This clarity comes in handy especially after a period of tracking. With 1 glance, I can see how well I’m doing for the habits I’m tracking.
Easy to create new habits
Yet another great thing about Momentum is how fuss free it is to create new habits.
Each new habit only requires 4 inputs.
This simplicity in creating new habits lowers the barrier whenever I want to track any kind of habit because I know exactly what to expect when I want to create a habit and because only 4 inputs are required, there is less thinking needed.
How To Use The Momentum App
Learning where the 5 main pages (edit page, add a new habit, my habits, more, monthly view) are and how to use them on the Momentum app will help one to use the app effectively.
I learned as I used the Momentum app that there are just 5 main pages on the app:
- Edit page
- Add a new habit
- My habits aka “homepage”
- More
- Monthly view
1 – Edit page
Main functions on this page: to delete or reorganise the sequence which the habits show in the “Add a new habit/homepage”.
2 – Add a new habit
Main functions on this page: here is where I can create a new habit and explore new habit ideas that might be worth tracking.
3 – My Habits aka “homepage”
Main functions on this page: here is where the main habit tracking happens.
A short tap on a box which denotes a day worth of habit building/breaking progress will mark that habit as being “successful” in green.
A long tap on a box will bring out the options to mark that day as “skip”, “fail”, or “add note”.
4 – More
Main functions on this page: settings and support.
There are other things you can do on this page, such as rating the app in App Store, or, joining their newsletter but the main functions on this page are for settings and support when required.
5 – Monthly view
Main functions on this page: similar to “my habits aka homepage” but over here, I will see my habit progress over 1-month plus.
The Disadvantages Of The Free Version Of Momentum
As mentioned at the start of this article, there are 3 main disadvantages I experienced while using the free version of Momentum:
- The app cannot track complex habits
- The app can only track up to 3 habits
- The app is only available on iPhone/iPad
The app cannot track complex habits
I cannot track habits where I have a certain target (ie. drink 3 bottles of water a day) because the app will only allow me to track a day as a success/failure/skip.
Although this simplicity is a strength of the app, I’ve come to see it also as a weakness. My life is not white and black and there are times when having the function to record the “greys” in my commitment to habit tracking can really help.
While I suppose I could work around this by recording the targets I’ve hit in the notes, it still limits the quantity and quality of the data that can be collected as it is difficult to make sense of the data in this way.
The app can only track up to 3 habits
While I’ve found that most of the habit tracking apps can only track up to 3 habits for free, realistically, I’m usually tracking and looking to change about 5-10 habits in my life.
The app is only available on iPhone/iPad
This is not much of an issue for me because my primary device are all Apple products. But I imagine it will be a inconvenience for people who own devices that operate on different platforms (ie. iOS, Mac, Android, Windows).
How Momentum Fared As A Free Habit Tracking App
As with the other free habit tracking app reviews that I’ve done, I evaluated Momentum based on 4 criteria that I thought will be important for anyone looking to track their habits.
- The number of habits the app 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 the app 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 an app is on, the better it is for a user.)
- The versatility of the app (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 Momentum can track for free: Momentum can track up to 3 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 | 10 |
| Data recording capabilities: Momentum can track basic habit history and allows manual recording of notes for each habit. 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 Momentum is available on: Momentum is available on 1 platform – iOS. 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 Momentum: Momentum can only track basic yes/no habits. Scoring rubrics Does the app allow you to track all types of habits? If no – 10 points If yes – 20 points | 10 |
| How well does the app help improve habits (On the scale of 1 – 10): 7. The simple interface of Momentum makes it easy for me to want to continue using it to track my habits. Although it can track only up to 3 habits for free, the premium version of the app is priced at less than 10 bucks as a one time purchase. Based on these 2 factors, I wouldn’t mind trying out the app for a period of time and then seeing if I want to switch over to the premium version in the future. 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 | 20 |
| Total Score | 70 |
