Once upon a time, a productivity app called Habitica turned the industry of productivity apps upside down. It turned routine tasks that people were bored with doing into a game. And voila! Millions of people found it saving!

I was one of them and have used Habitica for quite some time now. Not to lie, the app really works. But since it was launched, almost 15 years have passed! The industry evolved, and productivity apps are not limited to gamifying habits.

There are thousands of Habitica alternatives, but these 3 work for me like a charm. They’re cheaper, more comprehensive, and nicer to look at.

Why Seek a Replacement for Habitica?

Habitica is a pioneer in the industry of productivity apps. It became successful due to its strong concept. But user experiences on Trustpilot, Reddit, the App Store, and Google Play collectively report several problems with the app:

• Technical issues. There have been no significant updates to the app in years, and hence, many users experience slow loading, and the app simply turns off.
• Rude staff. User feedback on Reddit frequently highlights that moderators within the app are no help, to the point that staff were posting threatening messages. We’ll return to the matter of Habitica’s staff later.
• More distracting than helpful. Yes, tracking habits is important, but what’s more important is actually doing these tasks. Habitica users, including me, found it hard to exist without the app because the gamified interface pushed our dopamine buttons. For me, it meant more screen time and less productivity.
• Subscription issues. Several users reported that Habitica had charged them for a subscription without their consent. Not to mention that premium features are underwhelming, like buying outfits or some gems, in-app currency.

These are all valid reasons to look for Habitica alternatives, but for me, it was simply not enough. Productivity doesn’t depend on consistency or planning alone. Our health or life events significantly impact mood and energy, and it’s okay because we’re all humans. I would like my productivity to be healthy, and healthy productivity is born from being satisfied with your life.

The last straw for me quitting Habitica was their scandal over how they mistreated their employees and volunteers. I want to support businesses that treat their staff with respect (and not delete the best features within the app).

Top 3 Replacements for Habitica

1. Breeze Wellbeing

If Habitica focuses on what you do, Breeze Wellbeing focuses on why you do it. Breeze doesn’t force you to stay consistent through guilt or overworking yourself. It’s a comprehensive app that boosts productivity by improving your mental well-being.

Breeze also includes a habit builder that lets users create customisable tasks and set reminders/frequency. The features of the Breeze app also include:

• Mood tracker and analytics that show your average mood during a week/month/year and what events triggered what emotions.

• Self-discovery tests include an ADHD evaluation, a charisma level test, a love languages test, and 30 more quizzes.
• Guided journaling to process thoughts and behaviors.
• Community and knowledge base features are available only in the US, UK, and Canada (so far).
• Mindfulness exercises to reduce sensory overload and return to the present moment.

I’ve been using Breeze Wellbeing for two months primarily as a habit and mood tracker. It helped me significantly to finally see myself as a person who’s allowed to have bad days and be sad, not a productivity robot who has to keep up with everything. Habitica, in this case, would just erase my streak, and that’s demotivating.

Another advantage is that Breeze feels less distracting. There’s no game layer pulling attention away. This makes it especially useful for people who feel that gamification works short-term but doesn’t address deeper issues.

Breeze is particularly helpful if your challenges with habits are connected to:

• Burnout or low energy
• Anxiety or overthinking
• Difficulty staying consistent
• Confusion about what you should do

In that sense, it’s not just a productivity tool. It’s a behavioral self-discovery system that helps you build habits in a way that adapts to you.

2. Focus Friend by Hank Green

Hank Green’s “Focus Friend” isn’t a different type of productivity app. The concept is built around a virtual companion, Bean. When you set a timer, you and Bean “work” together. While you focus on your tasks, Bean knits socks and scarves, in-app currency that you can use to decorate Bean’s space.

This isn’t necessarily a gamification of planning but a gamification of a process. Shortly put: a timer on steroids.

Hank Green, as TikTok’s favorite science blogger, explains that his app works due to a straightforward reward system. Our brain loves dopamine, and it doesn’t see the difference between earning real or “fake” in-app money. The release of dopamine when you get something for free then motivates you to initiate and proceed with tasks more easily.

Oh, and have I mentioned that the app is completely free? There are no premium versions. It’s a fully free initiative with limited details that don’t distract users from the app’s initial aim.  

However, “Focus Friend” has limitations. Users complain about the app becoming repetitive quite quickly. Once you’ve decorated Bean’s space, the reward system loses its sense. This can reduce long-term engagement.

That said, as a short-term motivation tool, Focus Friend is extremely effective. Plus, it’s actively maintained. Hank Green listens to users and adds new rooms to keep the app relevant.

3. Todoist

Todoist is one of the most well-known productivity tools, and it offers a much more structured alternative to Habitica. Instead of gamification, Todoist focuses on organisation and prioritisation.

Some users call Todoist boring, and it’s valid. But its simplicity makes it highly customisable and accessible. Among the main features of Todoist are:

• Creating tasks
• Setting deadlines
• Organising tasks into projects
• Assigning priorities
• 80+ plugins to personalise your space
• Syncing across devices
• Creating public projects
• Visualisation

However, don’t forget that Todoist isn’t a productivity app. It’s a task manager whose main aim is to focus on what needs to be done. It doesn’t take nuances into consideration: your mental health, motivation, and reward system.

In my case, procrastination was driven by anxiety and overthinking, and lists with perfect structure in Todoist didn’t help me at all. So, this app will work best for people who are motivated but need a clear system to organise and execute tasks efficiently.

Habitica Alternatives in Short Comparison

Don’t have time to analyse which habit tracker is for you? Here’s a quick overview of three main Habitica alternatives: 

What to Consider While Choosing a Habit Tracker App

Choosing a habit tracker isn’t about finding the perfect app. It’s about finding the best fit for your needs. Here are some questions I asked myself before sticking to one productivity app:

• What do I need help with?

Are you trying to build discipline, stay organised, or improve your well-being? It’s okay not to know exactly what you need help with. In this case, I’d start with Breeze Wellbeing as a universal, comprehensive option. Depending on what features felt the most helpful, you can go into more niche directions.

Gamification works for some people, but not for everyone. Ask yourself what actually motivates you: rewards, inner feelings of satisfaction, social accountability, etc. For me, the best motivator was crossing off tasks from to-do lists and getting recognised for that. 

• What can I do so that the app sticks?

It’s a frequent experience that users start using productivity apps with the mindset “I’m starting a new life.” But it’s actually a toxic approach because it’s impossible to cram 5 new healthy habits in a day if you previously did nothing (speaking from experience).

Consider whether you can realistically keep using it when motivation drops. For example, determine the bare minimum or take breaks. But what I personally recommend is to treat these apps as supportive tools, not a must-do every day. It takes off some pressure.

Why Habit Trackers Work

One study found that when people simply wrote down what they ate, how many steps they walked, their weight, etc., 85% adhered to healthy habits, compared to 37% among those who didn’t self-monitor.

But why does simply seeing our accomplishments written down make us want to stick to them more? In psychology, this is called positive reinforcement: rewarding desired behavior. The human brain loves dopamine, and it will be motivated to repeat things that produce it. That’s why gamification works.

Another reason why habit trackers work is predictability. Once again, human brains are lazy. When there is a plan vs. unpredictability, they will choose to adhere to a plan. For example, that’s why some people don’t like weekends. They simply don’t know what to do without their work routine.

An important disclaimer: habit trackers don’t build habits on their own. Simply downloading the app doesn’t make a person more or less productive. These apps help to stay consistent and aware, but only when users invest some time and effort in them.

1) It may be beneficial for your joints

2) It can boost your mood

3) It could help you live longer

4) It’s really, really good for your heart

5) It can strengthen your bones

6) It’s a great way to get a good night’s sleep

7) It can make your legs stronger

8) Your endurance will improve

What about the downsides?

Qesser Zuhrah, the youngest member of the Filton 24 prisoner group, was re-arrested on Monday 30th March 2026, having been granted bail in February 2026 after 15 months on remand.

🇵🇸🔻Qesser, la plus jeune des prisonnier•es des #Filton24, qui a été incarcérée pendant 15 mois avant d’être libérée sous caution, a été de nouveau arrêté ! Elle avait lancé la grève de la faim historique des prisonnier•es pour la Palestine en Angleterre le 2 novembre dernier. pic.twitter.com/Mdgnw0swjM

— Samidoun Paris Banlieue (@SamidounPB) March 30, 2026

Counter-terrorism police raided Qesser’s bail address at 6:20 this morning while she was sleeping.

She has been booked into custody under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act and Section 44 of the Serious Crimes Act 2007.

🚨‼️ URGENT: QESSER ZUHRAH HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND IS CURRENTLY IN CUSTODY, MOBILISE OUTSIDE HATFIELD POLICE STATION NOW TO SUPPORT HER‼️🚨

‼️🚨At 6.20 am this morning whilst she was sleeping, counter terrorism police turned up at Qesser’s bail address and abducted her under the… pic.twitter.com/CefRw9SSYd

— The Crispin Flintoff Show (@CrispinShow) March 30, 2026

Zuhrah, speaking at a recent press conference, said Prisoners for Palestine “are the collateral damage of Britain’s immoral allegiance to the Israeli state.” She recounted being assaulted twice in prison, once for requesting help for a suicidal prisoner and once for the mere act of crying. During her hunger strike, she was left on her cell floor for 22 hours with the door open, unable to move, and was only taken to the hospital after public pressure.

🚨BREAKING — Declassified attended the Filton 24 press conference today, where five recently released Palestine Action activists revealed shocking details about their experience in prison.

Teuta Hoxha began by explaining that her mind is “not as sharp as it used to be before… pic.twitter.com/YnmRuOPQ4p

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— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) March 25, 2026

Last December, Qesser nearly died on a hunger strike inside HMP Bronzefield. Supporters, including MP Zarah Sultana, spent over 12 hours outside the prison demanding that an ambulance be called.

At Zuhrah’s release in February, she was greeted by MP Zarah Sultana.

Last December, Qesser nearly died on hunger strike, and we spent over 12 hours outside Bronzefield demanding an ambulance.

Yesterday, she walked out into the arms of friends and family.

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It has been beautiful to see videos of Palestine Action prisoners released across the UK… pic.twitter.com/Z2sfV0i6BU

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) February 21, 2026

Netpol’s recent report noted that repression has become routine in British protest policing. New and overlapping laws, combined with a growing tendency to treat protest as a security issue, have normalised surveillance, heavy-handed policing, and punishment, with harm concentrated on marginalised groups.

The report said:

As powers have proliferated, mechanisms to restrain or scrutinise their use have weakened. Accountability is being eroded through legislative and policy changes, undermining routes to redress. Alongside this, rising levels of surveillance mark an increasingly preemptive approach to protest policing that resists democratic scrutiny. Meanwhile, the environment for those documenting police violence and repression – namely, journalists and legal observers – is becoming increasingly dangerous. The result is a widening accountability gap in which violence and punitive outcomes multiply while meaningful checks and balances are hollowed out.

Featured image via the Canary

Italian port authorities and dockworkers have intercepted multiple shipments of raw materials and precision components heading for the weapon factories of the genocidal “Israeli” state.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement reported that three of four Indian shipments of military-grade steel were detained and placed under investigation in Italy.

This specialised steel is essential for the production of 155mm artillery shells, which are manufactured by the “Israeli” company IMI Systems, (formerly known as Israel Military Industries), a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, the Israeli occupation’s largest private defence contractor.

A BDS investigation identified approximately 600 tonnes of this steel, which was being transported from India to “Israel” via the Mediterranean using 23 Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessels.

These 155mm artillery shells have been used extensively by the Israeli occupation in its genocide in Gaza and were used by “Israel” in early March when it attacked the Southern Lebanese town of Yohmor with white phosphorus — a crime under international law.

According to BDS, there is enough steel in these shipments to produce up to 13,000 artillery shells.

Israel’s military-grade steel seized

The blockade intensified after 13 tonnes of weapon components were seized at the Italian port of Ravenna. These precision-machined cannon parts were produced by the Italian firm, Valforge, and heading for IMI Systems. However, investigators found the cargo did not have the mandatory “dual-use” export licences required by Italian law, which strictly prohibits the export or transit of military material to countries involved in armed conflict without explicit government authorisation.

The physical enforcement of this blockade is being led by the Italian trade unions, Collettivo Autonomo Lavoratori Portuali (CALP) and the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB). They have implemented a “Friday for Peace” schedule where, every week, workers refuse to service vessels flagged as carrying cargo for “Israel”.

The focus of their actions are on the Israeli-owned ZIM shipping line and MSC vessels like the MSC Vega and MSC Danit. These ships have faced protests and docking complications in Italy, Greece, and Spain, leading to the rerouting of several to other ports.

A national petition launched by BDS Italy, calling for a comprehensive military embargo and stricter checks on containers at Italian ports and airports, has so far gathered more than 10,000 signatures. The demand is based on Article 11 of the Italian Constitution, which “repudiate[s] war as an instrument of offence”.

Under Italian Law 185/1990, shipping companies and their directors face severe criminal and financial penalties for transporting restricted military goods without a valid licence. Individual directors can face between two and six years in prison, while corporate fines can reach up to 5% of global annual turnover.

Featured image via the Canary

Production on the upcoming TV adaptation of Tomb Raider is currently on hold after its leading star Sophie Turner suffered an injury.

A spokesperson for the production company Amazon MGM Studio confirmed on Monday that the former Game Of Thrones actor had “recently experienced a minor injury” leading to production being “briefly paused to allow her time to recover” on a precautionary basis.

“We look forward to resuming production as soon as possible,” they added.

Sophie previously enthused: “I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft. She’s such an iconic character, who means so much to so many – and I am giving everything I’ve got.”

Tomb Raider’s heroine Lara Croft has previously been played on the big screen by Oscar winners Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander, with Hayley Atwell also lending her voice to the character in a Netflix animated series.

Of her predecessors, Sophie added last year: “They’re massive shoes to fill, following in the steps of Angelina and Alicia with their powerhouse performances, but with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands. I can’t wait for you all to see what we have cooking.”

Phoebe also beamed: “It’s not very often you get to make a show of this scale with a character you grew up loving.

“Everyone on board is wildly passionate about Lara and are all as outrageous, brave, and hilarious as she is. Get your artifacts out… Croft is coming…”

What were the differences?

Ageing seemed to happen in stages

Researchers hope this will benefit humans

We think The Scotsman might have gotten a bit confused and/or carried away when it came to putting the clocks forward at the weekend. At 6am on Sunday morning they tweeted this:

But the link was a 404. We checked the print edition of Scotland On Sunday but there was nothing there. Finally, though, the article has shown up in today’s paper and on the website, and to be honest, readers, we still think it must be some sort of mistake, because it’s two days early for April 1st.

And this is too batshit crazy to explain any other way.

Fortunately it’s the end of the month and time for our latest election analysis piece, so let’s pick our way through the madness. Heaven knows we could all do with the laugh.

“Labour believes it has identified a route to forming the next Scottish government by flipping a dozen constituencies from the SNP and relying on a strong Reform performance on the regional list to deprive John Swinney’s party of the keys to Bute House.

Anas Sarwar’s team believe that in battlegrounds across the Central Belt, where constituencies can be framed as a straight fight between Labour and the SNP, turning 11 or 12 seats red would create three large party blocks, with an assumption Labour would be the only party able to form a government with the help of Reform.”

Good lord, where to even start? The first thing to note is that given all current polling figures, any constituency gains by Labour would be all but guaranteed to be wiped out by a corresponding loss of list seats, so the entire premise of this strategy is demented from the start.

If you look at the last 10 polls, Sarwar’s party is sitting on anywhere from 12% to 19% of the list vote, which ought to be good for 2-3 list seats per region, but if they picked up a few constituencies across the Central Belt that’d be slashed into single figures.

The definition of “Central Belt” is a matter of interpretation, but by any reasonable measure includes at least five regions and possibly six. West Scotland includes areas that anyone would class “Central Belt” – Clydebank, Milngavie, Strathkelvin, Eastwood.

Obviously Edinburgh And Lothians East counts.

Same goes for Central Scotland (clue’s in the name!) And Lothians West.

Ditto for Glasgow.

Mid Scotland And Fife is probably the most debatable, but Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy are hardly in the Highlands and are areas Labour has traditionally been strong in and will at least fancy a shot at. And remember, even picking up a single seat in (say) Kirkcaldy would be enough to halve Labour’s list vote for the whole region.

There can’t be much debate about South Scotland either, unless you’re going to seriously try to dispute that Hamilton and East Kilbride are in the Central Belt.

(Wikipedia defines it as including large swathes of Fife and the Borders.)

So even if Labour picked up “11 or 12” constituencies due to their concentrated vote – and that’s a very, very big ask unless their polling dramatically improves – the likely impact on their total seat count would be zero, because they’d lose the same number on the list.

What did the research show?

It could have benefits for bone quality, too