Apps like Finch
An app like Finch, built around adult habits and goals.
Finch has earned its fans. It is kind, it never scolds, and it makes small acts of self-care feel good. Rewarding Habits shares that spirit. Where it differs is what it is built around: the specific habits and goals of adult life, rewards that surprise you, and privacy you never have to think about.
How they compare
| Topic | Finch | Rewarding Habits |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Caring for a virtual pet bird that grows as you take small steps for yourself | Your ocean is your journey, and your habits are its waves. |
| A completed step earns | Energy that sends your bird on adventures | A surprise, every time: an ocean moment, a quote, or a reward you wrote yourself |
| Also includes | Mood tracker, reflections, breathing exercises, soundscapes, a focus timer, and “good vibes” between friends |
|
| Price | Free core app; Finch Plus is an optional subscription, $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year | Free to start (one habit, one goal and one quit habit, with no time limit); $49 once for unlimited everything, yours forever. No subscription |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS |
Finch details are from finchcare.com, Finch's pricing help page and its App Store listing, checked in September 2026. Prices can change, so check the store.
Rewarding Habits may suit you if
- You are cutting back on something and want help riding out the urge when it hits.
- You would rather pay once than subscribe.
- You want your habits to stay private. Everything stays on your device: no account, no servers.
- You like the idea of a reward that still surprises you months from now.
Finch may suit you better if
- You want a companion to care for, and the pet is the part that keeps you coming back.
- Journaling, mood tracking and breathing exercises are the heart of what you are looking for.
- You enjoy sending and receiving encouragement from friends inside the app.
Both are good choices. They are built for different days.
Why surprise rewards, and never streaks
Every completion in Rewarding Habits is rewarded, right away. What you get is the surprise: an ocean moment, a quote, or one of the rewards you wrote for yourself. Dopamine is more responsive to unpredictable rewards than predictable ones (Schultz 1997), which is why the surprise keeps working long after a checkmark stops feeling like anything.
And there are no streaks, anywhere. Research finds that a broken streak lowers people's willingness to keep going (Silverman & Barasch 2022). In Rewarding Habits a missed day breaks nothing. You simply pick up where you are. The research page cites the studies behind every claim.
We are Aspen and Brandon, the husband-and-wife team who make it. We both have ADHD. We built the habit app we wanted and needed. If you miss a day, it's okay. Your waves are still there, waiting to build again. No pressure, no judgment: waves ebb and flow, like life. Zoom out, and your ocean, your journey, is still beautiful. Rewarding Habits is not a treatment for ADHD; talk to a healthcare provider about ADHD care.
Is Rewarding Habits free, like Finch?
Yes, to start. The free version gives you one habit, one goal and one quit habit, with no time limit. One payment of $49 unlocks unlimited habits, goals and quit habits, yours forever. There is no subscription.
Does Rewarding Habits have a pet?
No. Your progress shows up as your own ocean, which grows from night toward full daylight as your habits take root. A missed day breaks nothing.
Can I use it on my watch?
Yes. Rewarding Habits runs on Apple Watch and Wear OS, and you can complete a habit and see your reward right on your wrist.
Where is my data stored?
Only on your device. There is no account and no server, and the coaching runs on your phone, so nothing you log leaves it unless you choose to share it. If you share your Ocean Story, you choose what it includes, and your quit habits are never part of it.
Also compared: Rewarding Habits and Habitica.