Apps Like Finch: 5 Cozy Habit Apps, Picked by What You Love

Finch is one of the most loved apps on the App Store: a 4.9 rating from more than 760,000 US ratings. You look after a small bird by looking after yourself. Quick check-ins and self-care goals give it energy, and it goes off exploring. There’s no punishment for a bad day, which is exactly why so many people stick with it.

People still go looking for something else, usually for one of three reasons: they want a different kind of pet, they want more help with mental health, or they want to track habits more concretely and be rewarded with something real. So here are five apps, picked by what you love about Finch. One of them is ours, Habit Rewards; we’ve tried to describe the others fairly.

1. Habit Rabbit: a pet for your habits

Habit Rabbit is the closest swap if it’s the pet you’re after but you want the app to be about habits. Your rabbit’s home gets cleaner and more colorful as you complete habits, and you earn carrots to dress the rabbit and decorate its house. It also asks how you’re feeling, tracks your mood, and cheers you on when you finish something. There’s a leaderboard if you like seeing other people’s rabbits. It’s on iPhone.

Good for: people who want Finch’s “my progress shows up in my pet” feeling, aimed at habits rather than self-care.

Less good if: you don’t care about competing or about decorating.

2. Amaru: the cozy game

Amaru is more of a game than Finch: you feed, pet and dress up Amaru, play minigames, and explore a world called Enso to unlock collectibles and his story, all earned by doing goal-setting, mindfulness and journaling activities. Goals are customizable, with presets to get you started. It’s on iPhone.

Good for: people who liked Finch’s adventures and want more game around them.

Less good if: you want a quick check-in and out, not a game to play.

3. Quabble: more help with mental health

If Finch’s breathing exercises and reflections were what you came for, Quabble goes further. With a duck as your companion, it offers therapist-backed practices: CBT-inspired grounding, gratitude, affirmations, meditation and journaling, plus daily mini-routines with a habit tracker and a 15-day starter program. It’s on iPhone and Android.

Good for: people using a self-care app mainly to manage anxiety, stress or low mood.

Less good if: you want to track habits like workouts or reading in detail.

4. Forest: gentle focus

Forest is about one habit: staying off your phone. You start a timer and a tree grows; leave the app to scroll and the tree dies. Finished sessions earn coins, and the app has a long-running partnership with Trees for the Future that turns them into real trees planted. Like Finch, it gives you something to look after, just with a timer.

Good for: study and deep-work sessions.

Less good if: you want to track habits like water, workouts or reading. Many people use Forest next to a habit tracker.

5. Habit Rewards: rewards you choose

This one’s ours. Finch rewards you with things for your pet; Habit Rewards rewards you with things for you. Every habit pays coins by how hard it is (1, 4, 8 or 16). You write your own list of rewards, like a bubble tea, a new book, a movie night or a lazy Sunday, each with a coin price, and claim one when your balance covers it. One-off to-dos go in as tasks and pay coins too.

It’s gentle in its own way. Nothing is taken away for doing nothing, and if you need a day off you can spend 10 coins on a Skip that keeps your streak alive. It’s on iPhone and Android, free for three habits, with a Pro subscription for more.

Good for: people who already treat themselves and would rather the treat be earned, and anyone who wants a clear count of what they did this week.

Less good if: you want a pet, mood check-ins or guided exercises: we don’t have those, and Finch or Quabble do them well.

How to pick

Think about the moment you open Finch. If it’s to see your bird, try Habit Rabbit or Amaru. If it’s to calm down, Quabble. If it’s to put your phone away, Forest. And if what you actually want is to do the thing and then enjoy something you’ve been looking forward to, try pricing your treats in coins: that’s what Habit Rewards is for. Plenty of people keep Finch for self-care and add a habit tracker next to it.

Need reward ideas? Here are 70 ways to reward yourself. Want more of a game? See apps like Habitica. Leaving Fabulous? See Fabulous alternatives. The whole field, grouped by what motivates you: the best habit tracker apps.

Habit Rewards is free on iPhone and Android. Finch is a product of Finch Care Public Benefit Corporation; we’re not affiliated with it or with the other apps mentioned.

Using Notion?

Build better habits and achieve your goals with this nice Notion Habit Tracker template.