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Productivity · head to head

Habitica vs HEY

Habitica logo

Habitica

Productivity

Open source task manager that runs your habits, dailies and to-dos as a role-playing game

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HEY logo

HEY

Productivity

Flat annual subscription email service from 37signals, with its own hey.com domain and a distinctive Screener

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Habitica has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Habitica nothing verifies a completed task, so the entire reward economy runs on self-report, and the first time you tick a Daily you did not do, the health and gold mechanics stop meaning anything and the app becomes a checklist with a cartoon on it.; HEY there is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.
  • They diverge on capability: Habitica covers Three task types, HEY covers The Screener.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Habitica and HEY actually diverge.

Attributes where Habitica and HEY differ
AttributeHabiticaHEY
Starting priceFree$99/year
Pricing modelfreemiumPer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidMac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Habitica

  • Three task types
  • Health and damage
  • Parties and quests
  • Classes and skills
  • Pets and mounts
  • Challenges
  • Custom rewards
  • Group plans

Only in HEY

  • The Screener
  • Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
  • Reply Later stack
  • Focus and Reply mode
  • Screen sharing style clips
  • No tracking pixels

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Habitica

  • You have abandoned every plain to-do list and need an external consequence for skipping a routine.not HEY
  • A small group of friends or a study group wants mutual accountability without a project tracker.not HEY
  • Building daily habits such as medication, exercise or practice, where the streak matters more than any deadline.not HEY
  • You want a task tool you can export from and in principle self-host, rather than one that holds your data.not HEY

HEY

  • Someone who wants to replace Gmail or iCloud Mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inboxnot Habitica
  • A user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversationnot Habitica
  • A family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plannot Habitica
  • A small company wanting HEY for Work on its own domain with the Screener model for the whole teamnot Habitica

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Habitica

  • Nothing verifies a completed task, so the entire reward economy runs on self-report, and the first time you tick a Daily you did not do, the health and gold mechanics stop meaning anything and the app becomes a checklist with a cartoon on it.
  • Missed Dailies cost health whether you were ill, travelling or on holiday, so returning after a week away can mean death, a lost level and stripped gear, which is the point at which many users abandon the account rather than rebuild it.
  • The task features are thin next to conventional managers, with no subtask dependencies, no file attachments, no nested projects and limited recurrence rules, so anything more structured than a flat list has to be kept somewhere else.
  • Development is carried by a small core team with volunteer contributors, so mobile releases, sync fixes and platform updates arrive slowly and reported bugs can sit on the community boards for a long time.
  • There is no organisational layer at all, meaning no admin console, no single sign-on and no way to provision or remove members, so a company cannot adopt it centrally even where individual employees rely on it.

HEY

  • There is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.
  • Adopting HEY means changing your actual email address, not just installing a new client, which is a bigger migration than switching apps on an existing address.
  • The Screener and categorisation model is a real departure from a standard inbox, and some users take time to adjust or find it gets in the way for high volume mail.
  • Short vanity addresses carry steep additional annual fees, up to 999 US dollars a year for a two character address.
  • It does not connect to or manage existing Gmail, Outlook or iCloud accounts, so it cannot be used as a general client the way Mimestream or Apple Mail can.

Pricing, plan by plan

Habitica

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic habit and task tracking
    • Character creation
    • Community features
  • Membership$4.99/month
    • Premium items and gear
    • Extra experience
    • Pet and mount system

HEY

$99/year
  • HEY for You$99/year
    • One hey.com email address
    • Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
    • Billed annually only, no monthly option
  • HEY for Families$179/year
    • Covers up to five family members
    • Same features as HEY for You per member
  • HEY for Work$12/month
    • Per user, for organisations on a company domain
    • Admin controls for a team

Which should you pick?

Choose Habitica if

  • You need three task types.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want health and damage.
Habitica review

Choose HEY if

  • You need the screener.
  • You work on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want imbox, feed and paper trail.
HEY review

Questions people ask

Is Habitica or HEY better?
Neither clearly leads. Habitica starts at Free and HEY at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Habitica or HEY?
Habitica has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Habitica and $99/year for HEY.
Does Habitica or HEY run on more platforms?
Habitica runs on Web, IOS, Android. HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Habitica for free?
Yes. Habitica has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HEY starts at $99/year.
What is Habitica best used for?
Habitica is most often used for you have abandoned every plain to-do list and need an external consequence for skipping a routine., a small group of friends or a study group wants mutual accountability without a project tracker., building daily habits such as medication, exercise or practice, where the streak matters more than any deadline., you want a task tool you can export from and in principle self-host, rather than one that holds your data.. Of those, you have abandoned every plain to-do list and need an external consequence for skipping a routine. and a small group of friends or a study group wants mutual accountability without a project tracker. are not what HEY is typically brought in for.
What can Habitica do that HEY cannot?
Habitica covers Three task types, Health and damage, Parties and quests, Classes and skills. HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Habitica: Is Habitica actually free?

Yes. Every task feature is free with no time limit. The subscription buys gems, monthly mystery items and higher drop rates, so not paying never costs you access to your own lists.

HEY: Can I use HEY with my existing Gmail address?

No. HEY provides its own hey.com email address; it is not a client layered over an existing Gmail or other account.

Habitica: Can I get my data out?

Yes. Habitica exports your user data as JSON and your task history as CSV, and the code is open source, so the data is genuinely portable even though nothing else will import the game state.

HEY: Is there a free plan?

No. HEY offers a trial but bills annually only, with no free tier and no month to month option for individuals.

Habitica: Does it work offline?

Badly. The mobile apps queue some actions, but scoring, drops and party activity need a connection, and long offline stretches tend to produce sync conflicts.

HEY: What is the Screener?

A feature that holds mail from any new sender until the user explicitly approves them, before it appears in the inbox at all.

Habitica: Can a team at work use it?

There are paid group plans for parties, but no admin console, no single sign-on and no company billing, so it suits a group of willing colleagues rather than a managed rollout.

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