Strides App Review 2026: Pricing & Alternatives

The Strides app is a flexible habit and SMART-goal tracker with 4 tracker types and a 4.8-star App Store rating across 19,000 ratings. The free tier caps you at 3 active trackers, and while there is now an Android app, Strides is built Apple-first — its Apple Watch, Mac, and iCloud sharing extras don't carry over. Here is the honest verdict, the real pricing, and how Strides stacks up against three trackers in a side-by-side table.

Last updated: June 2026.

Most reviews you will find for Strides are either the company's own pages or app-store listings. This one is different: an independent look at what Strides does well, what it costs, and the limits nobody mentions up front — a 3-tracker free tier and an Apple-first feature set.

What is the Strides app?

Strides is a goal and habit tracker built around the idea that you should track behavior and outcomes, not just check off a box. It was designed by Kyle Richey for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac, and it now has an Android app on Google Play too. What sets it apart from a simple checkmark app is its four distinct tracker types.

• Habit — a yes/no daily action you log with a swipe (meditate, no soda, floss). This is the classic streak-style tracker.
• Target — a goal value by a date, with a "pace line" that shows whether you are ahead or behind (save $2,000 by December, read 24 books this year).
• Average — a rolling or period average (sleep 7+ hours, drink 8 glasses of water per day).
• Project — milestones and checklists with percentage progress (launch a side project, train for a 10K).

That flexibility is Strides' real strength. Habit-science authors make the same point: in Atomic Habits, James Clear argues you should focus on the systems and small behaviors that produce results, while BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits stresses tracking the action itself. Strides lets you do both — log the daily behavior with a Habit tracker and watch the long-term outcome with a Target or Average. Few habit apps give you that math.

The trade-off is a learning curve. Deciding whether your goal is a Target, an Average, or a Project takes a minute of thought, which is more setup than a tap-to-check tracker asks for.

Strides pricing: free tier vs Strides Plus

Strides is free to download, and the free plan is genuinely usable — but it has a hard cap. Here is what you actually get.

The free version lets you track your top 3 goals and habits forever. That is enough to test the app or run a tight routine, but anyone tracking a full slate of habits will hit the ceiling fast.

Strides Plus removes the limit and unlocks the rest. According to the App Store listing, Plus comes as a monthly or annual subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase for people who would rather pay once, with US in-app prices starting at $4.99 and a $39.99 yearly plan. Plus adds unlimited trackers, sync between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, tags and filters, a Today list, data export, and goal notes.

The honest read: the free tier is a 3-tracker demo, and the features most habit-tracking enthusiasts want — unlimited trackers, sync, and export — sit behind Plus.

What Strides does well — and where it falls short

After weighing the feature set against the price and platform, here is the balanced picture.

What Strides does well:

• Four tracker types that handle habits, numeric goals, averages, and projects in one app — rare flexibility.
• Clear visual charts with pace lines that show whether you are on track for a deadline, not just whether you logged today.
• A strong 4.8-star rating across roughly 19,000 App Store reviews, which signals a polished, well-loved app among its users.
• Apple-ecosystem sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac (on Plus), plus an Apple Watch app.

Where Strides falls short:

• Apple-first extras. Strides now has an Android app, but the Apple Watch and Mac apps, Apple Health integration, and iCloud-based accountability sharing are Apple-only.
• The free tier caps you at 3 trackers, so building a full routine means subscribing.
• A learning curve on the four tracker types that simpler apps avoid.

If you want serious goal math, none of these are dealbreakers. If you want a simpler tap-to-check app or a different pricing model, the next section is for you.

Strides vs HabitBox vs Streaks vs Habitica

Here is the side-by-side comparison the rest of the SERP is missing. All four are popular habit trackers, but they make very different trade-offs on platform, price, and privacy.

The table makes the split clear. Streaks is Apple-only, and Strides is Apple-first with an Android app. HabitBox and Habitica are cross-platform too — and they take opposite approaches, one minimalist and private, the other gamified and social.

Best Strides alternatives in 2026

If Strides is not the right fit — usually because the four tracker types feel like more setup than you need, or you want a different pricing model — these are the alternatives worth a look, ranked for the cross-platform crowd first.

1. HabitBox — the best pick for anyone who wants simple, private tracking on iOS or Android. It needs no account, keeps your habits on your device (with optional iCloud sync on iPhone), and is free to start with optional Plus. You get a calendar heatmap, current and longest streaks, and count-based goal habits for things like "read 20 pages" or "drink 8 glasses." It does not try to do Strides-style Target-and-Average math — it is deliberately simpler — but for quick daily check-ins on either platform, it is the lighter option. See our best habit tracker app roundup for how it compares to the wider field.

1. Streaks — a polished iOS-only option with a one-time $5.99 price and no subscription. Great if you are on Apple and dislike recurring fees, though it caps you at 24 tasks. We cover it in depth in our Streaks alternatives guide.

1. Habitica — turns habits into a role-playing game with avatars, quests, and rewards. Cross-platform and free to start, it works well for people motivated by gamification. If that sounds like you, see our Habitica alternatives comparison.

1. Loop Habit Tracker — a free, open-source, Android-only app with a clean interface and a smart "habit strength" score. No iOS version, but a strong choice for privacy-minded Android users.

For people who want the numeric goal side of Strides specifically, our goal tracking app guide digs into outcome-based tracking, and the free habit tracker breakdown compares the no-cost options. And if you would rather be coached through a routine than track one yourself, the Fabulous app review weighs that approach against a plain tracker.

Who should use Strides vs an alternative

Pick the app that matches your phone and your priorities.

Use Strides if you are all-in on Apple devices, you want genuine goal math — pace lines, averages, project milestones — and you do not mind paying for Plus to track more than 3 things. For a goal-obsessed iPhone user, Strides is one of the most capable trackers available.

Use an alternative if you prefer a simpler tap-to-check experience, you would rather pay once (Streaks), or you want a gamified approach (Habitica). If you are tracking several habits at once and want to see them all in one calendar heatmap, a cross-platform tracker like HabitBox keeps your progress in view without an account. You can also keep a daily habit tracker on your home screen with a habit tracker widget for one-tap check-ins.

The good news is that the habit you are building matters more than the app you choose. Pick the one that fits your phone, start with two or three habits, and let the streaks do the motivating.

Strides app FAQ

Is the Strides app free?

Yes, Strides is free to download and lets you track your top 3 goals and habits forever. To track more than 3, or to unlock unlimited trackers, sync, and data export, you need Strides Plus, sold as a monthly plan, a $39.99 yearly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase.

Is Strides available on Android?

Yes. Strides is built first for Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac — but it also offers an Android app on Google Play, linked from its official site. Some extras, like iCloud-based accountability sharing, stay Apple-only, so check the Google Play listing before you commit.

What is the best Strides alternative?

For anyone who wants simpler, private tracking on iOS or Android, HabitBox is the closest fit — it needs no account and keeps your habits on your device, with optional iCloud sync on iPhone. iPhone-only users who prefer a one-time fee may like Streaks, while fans of gamification often choose Habitica.

Is Strides better than Streaks?

It depends on what you track. Strides offers more flexibility with four tracker types and goal math, but charges a subscription for more than 3 trackers. Streaks is a one-time $5.99 purchase with a cleaner, simpler design but a 24-task cap. Streaks is iOS-only, while Strides also offers an Android app.

What are the 4 tracker types in Strides?

Strides has four tracker types: Habit (a yes/no daily action you log with a swipe), Target (a goal value by a date with a pace line), Average (a rolling or period average like sleep hours), and Project (milestones and checklists with percentage progress). This mix is what lets Strides track both daily behaviors and long-term outcomes.