Streaks App Alternative: Streaks vs LazyHabits

What is the Streaks app and how does it work?

Streaks is a paid iPhone habit tracker from Crunchy Bagel that describes itself as "the to-do list that helps you form good habits". You add up to 24 tasks, and your goal is to build a streak of consecutive days for each one.

According to its App Store listing, Streaks is an Apple Design Award winner and costs $5.99 upfront in the US. It is strong on the Apple ecosystem: it runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, syncs through iCloud, reads data from the Health app to complete tasks like steps or water automatically, and supports widgets, Siri Shortcuts and watch complications. You can choose how often a task repeats, create timed tasks, track negative tasks to break bad habits, add daily notes and share tasks with other Streaks users for accountability. It also offers 78 color themes and over 600 icons.

The approach is clear and honest: the streak is the motivator. You see your current and best streak for every task, and the app is designed around not breaking it.

What is LazyHabits and how is it different?

LazyHabits is an iPhone habit tracker built around a system rather than a chain. Instead of asking you to never miss, it asks you to check in on your habits regularly and fix the ones that are not working. The motto is "Fix the system, not yourself."

Each habit gets a day, a time, a place, a duration, a reward and something that makes it enjoyable, like a podcast. You start small (the app recommends 2 to 3 habits and warns you before you overload), park extra ideas in the Backlog, and can mark one habit as your High Impact Habit, the one with a ripple effect, such as a fixed bedtime, which earns extra points. You can schedule break days, and you earn points and levels while your Lazy Buddy grows from Seed to Mighty Oak.

LazyHabits also shows streaks, but they only count the days a habit is scheduled. A missed scheduled day restarts that habit's streak, and nothing else: your points, level and Lazy Buddy are never taken away. If you want the longer argument for this design, read streak apps vs forgiving habit apps.

How do Streaks and LazyHabits compare side by side?

The short version: Streaks is a polished chain tracker with deep Apple integration, and LazyHabits is a small, forgiving habit system with a built-in weekly review.

How does the Master Habit compare with how Streaks handles reviewing habits?

Streaks gives you data about your habits; LazyHabits gives you an appointment to act on it. That appointment is the Master Habit, "the habit of working on your habits".

The Master Habit is a recurring check-in, at least weekly (daily if you like), with its own day, time and place, for example Sunday at 6 pm on the sofa. In the app it is called Review My Habits. You rate each habit for consistency and enjoyment from 1 to 5 stars, note how you felt, your biggest win and what you will do differently. Then you tweak what is not working: move the time, change the place, pair it with something you already do, pick a better reward, or move a habit to the Backlog. The app suggests a first review after about 14 days.

Why does this matter? Most habit apps, Streaks included, are excellent at counting check-marks. But a habit that does not fit your life rarely fails loudly. It just gets skipped a little more each week until you stop opening the app. Research on habit formation (Lally et al. 2009) found that forming a habit took a median of 66 days, with a wide range, and that missing a single day did not materially hurt the process. So the long game is not about perfection. It is about noticing what is not working and adjusting it before you give up. Streaks shows you the statistics; deciding what to change is up to you. If you want help with the questions to ask, see habit review questions.

Who should choose Streaks?

Choose Streaks if a visible chain genuinely motivates you and a reset does not make you quit. It is a well made, long running app, and a one-time price is a real advantage if you dislike subscriptions.

• You want to track many daily tasks (up to 24) in one place.
• You use an Apple Watch and want complications, rich notifications and Health app tracking for steps, water or caffeine.
• You want the app on iPad and Mac as well as iPhone.
• You like customizing with themes and icons, or want to share tasks with a friend for accountability.
• You prefer paying once over a subscription.

Who should choose LazyHabits?

Choose LazyHabits if you have abandoned habit apps after a broken streak, or if you tend to start ten habits on a Monday and none by Friday.

• You want a system that plans a weekly check-in to fix habits instead of judging you.
• You want to start small with 2 to 3 habits and keep other ideas in a Backlog (see why too many habits backfire).
• You want misses to cost little: per-habit streaks restart, but points, level and the Lazy Buddy stay.
• You want planned break days and a playful, low pressure tone.
• You want to try it first: the free plan includes up to 3 habits with all core features.

If you are new to habit tracking in general, our habit tracker for beginners page explains how to set up your first habits.

How do I switch from Streaks to LazyHabits, or use both?

Move only your 2 or 3 most important habits, not all 24 tasks. A smaller list is the point of the switch.

1. Open Streaks and look at your statistics. Pick the 2 or 3 habits you care about most, or the ones you keep breaking.
2. In LazyHabits, add them with a specific day, time, place and reward. Mark one as your High Impact Habit if it affects the others, like a fixed bedtime.
3. Put the rest in the Backlog so they are not lost.
4. Set your Master Habit: choose a day, time and place for your weekly review, for example Sunday evening.
5. After about two weeks, run your first Habit Review and adjust what is not working.

You can also use both. Many people keep Streaks for automatic Health and Apple Watch tasks, like steps, and use LazyHabits for the few behavior habits they are actively building and reviewing each week. Just avoid tracking the same habit in both apps, which doubles the effort for no benefit. And if you miss a day in either one, read what to do after missing a day.