Best of
The best gamified productivity apps
Gamified productivity apps differ in what they score. Cutline gamifies your calendar: finished time blocks earn XP, levels, streaks and a weekly board. Habitica turns habits and to-dos into a role-playing game. Forest rewards staying off your phone. Beeminder puts money on your goals.
A game layer helps when it rewards the real thing. The question to ask each app: what exactly earns the points, and would you be proud of that number in a year?
At a glance
| App | Best for | Free to start? |
|---|---|---|
| Cutline | Gamifying your real week | Yes, free forever |
| Habitica | Habits and to-dos as a role-playing game | Yes |
| Forest | Staying focused and off your phone | Varies by platform |
| Beeminder | Putting money on a goal | Yes, you pay if you fail |
| TickTick | Light streaks for habits inside a to-do app | Yes, with a paid tier |
The apps
1. Cutline
XP for every finished time block (10 per 15 minutes), cleared days, levels and ranks, honest streaks, and the Arena, a weekly board of finished hours. The score follows hours you planned and did. Learn more.
2. Habitica
Known for its pixel-art RPG: an avatar, gold, quests and parties with friends. Strong for people motivated by game worlds.
3. Forest
Known for growing a virtual tree while you focus; leave the app and the tree dies. Good for single focus sessions.
4. Beeminder
Known for commitment contracts: track a number and pay when you go off track. Powerful for people motivated by loss.
5. TickTick
Has a habit tracker with streaks and a focus timer alongside lists.
How to choose
- You want your calendar to keep score: Cutline.
- You love game worlds: Habitica.
- You struggle to stay off your phone: Forest.
- Only money motivates you: Beeminder.
Questions
Does gamification really help productivity?
It helps when it makes progress visible and rewards the behaviour you want. Monitoring progress is linked to reaching goals (Harkin et al., 2016). It backfires when points reward busywork.
None
Free forever for planning, XP, streaks and the Arena. Reserve your @name now.