5 Best Fabulous App Alternatives in 2026 (Tested and Compared)
Short on Time? Here's the Quick Take
Looking for Fabulous app alternatives? You are not alone. Thousands of users are searching for apps like Fabulous that deliver habit tracking without the billing headaches and feature bloat.
Fabulous promises science-backed habit building. The price tag? Up to $100 per year. That might be worth it if the app delivered a flawless experience. But scroll through recent App Store reviews and a pattern emerges: billing confusion, auto-renewal headaches, and a bloated interface full of features most people never touch. In any honest Fabulous app review, the Trustpilot average of 3.4 out of 5 tells the story, with billing complaints dominating the conversation.
We tested over 10 alternatives to find apps that do what Fabulous does well (habit tracking, routine building, accountability) without the pricing surprises or feature bloat. We narrowed it to five.
Full disclosure: Habi is our app. We built it because we wanted something simpler. Every app on this list got the same honest evaluation. No affiliate links. No paid placements.
Here are the five worth switching to.
Quick Comparison
| App | Best For | Price | Platforms | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Habi | Best overall alternative | Free (optional Pro) | iOS, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | 4.9/5 |
| 2. Habitica | Best free alternative | Free / $4.99/mo | iOS, Android, Web | 4.0/5 |
| 3. Streaks | Best no-subscription option | $5.99 one-time | iOS, iPad, Mac, Watch | 4.5/5 |
| 4. Routinery | Best for timed routines | Free / $7.99/mo | iOS, Android, Web | 4.0/5 |
| 5. Habitify | Best cross-platform | Free / $3.33/mo | iOS, Android, Mac, Web, Watch | 4.0/5 |
Why People Leave Fabulous
We read hundreds of App Store reviews, Reddit threads, and Trustpilot complaints before writing this guide. Three problems came up over and over.
Billing confusion. This is the biggest issue by far. Users report being charged after cancellation, surprise annual renewals at $99, and difficulty finding a way to cancel through the app itself. "They charged me $99 after I cancelled," wrote one reviewer in January 2026. Another: "Cannot cancel subscription. Been trying for weeks." Trustpilot's 3.4/5 average is dragged down almost entirely by billing complaints.
Too much for too many. Fabulous started as a habit coaching app. It now includes wellness programs, journaling, B2B corporate features, friend invites, and motivational letter sequences. Most users signed up to build a morning routine. They didn't sign up for an entire lifestyle platform. The interface reflects this scope creep: too many screens, too many pop-ups, too many things competing for your attention.
Features behind a paywall. The free trial is short and quickly converts to a paid subscription. There is no meaningful free tier for ongoing use. At $40 to $100 per year (pricing varies and users report inconsistencies), you're paying premium prices for features you may not use.
If any of this sounds familiar, here's what to look for instead: transparent pricing, a clean interface that does a few things well, and features you will actually use every day. For our full Fabulous app review, see the Fabulous section in our best daily routine apps guide.
How We Evaluated These Alternatives
Every app was tested against five criteria:
- Ease of use. Can you set up your first routine and start tracking within five minutes?
- Value for money. What do you get for free? Is the paid tier worth the price compared to Fabulous?
- Habit tracking features. Does it cover the basics (streaks, reminders, progress history) without unnecessary bloat?
- Platform availability. Does it work on the devices you actually use?
- Unique strengths. What does this app do better than Fabulous and the other alternatives?
No affiliate links. No app paid to be here.
The 5 Best Fabulous App Alternatives
1. Habi - Best Overall Alternative
Where Fabulous overwhelms with guided coaching and corporate wellness features, Habi gives you tools and gets out of the way.
Habi bundles project management, a focus timer, habit tracking, and screen time blocking into one app. You can create projects with checklists, break goals into steps, invite friends to collaborate, and track progress together. It's built for people who want to manage their habits and their work without juggling five different apps.
The focus timer is worth highlighting. Fabulous offers meditation features as part of its premium tier. Habi includes a Pomodoro timer with ambient soundscapes (white noise, rain, forest sounds) for free. Pair that with screen time blocking during focus sessions and you have something Fabulous simply cannot match: active distraction prevention.
The drag-and-drop scheduling lets you rearrange your day based on energy levels instead of following a rigid coaching sequence. Your routine, your order. No waiting for the app to "unlock" your next habit.
What it does well:
- Projects and shared collaboration. Create projects with checklists, invite friends, track progress together. Fabulous has no project management at all. One reviewer described it as "accountability without the guilt."
- Focus timer with ambient sounds. Built-in Pomodoro timer plus white noise, rain, and forest soundscapes. Replaces the meditation features Fabulous locks behind its paywall.
- Screen time blocking. Block distracting apps during focus sessions or habit time. Fabulous does not offer this. It is the single biggest differentiator for people who struggle with phone distractions while building new habits.
- Drag-and-drop scheduling. Rearrange your day based on how you feel. Not locked into rigid coaching sequences like Fabulous's week-by-week unlocking system.
Where it falls short:
- No guided coaching. If you need hand-holding to build your first routine, Habi assumes you know what you want to track. Routinery is a better fit for guided sequences.
- Apple-only. iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. No Android or web version.
Pricing: Free to use. Optional Pro upgrade ($1.99 to $89.99) unlocks extras, but the core habit tracking, focus timer, and screen time blocking all work without paying.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple Silicon), Apple Vision Pro.
Bottom line: Habi is the opposite of Fabulous in design philosophy. Instead of coaching you through a curated journey, it hands you a toolkit and trusts you to build your own. If Fabulous felt like too much app, give Habi a try.
2. Habitica - Best Free Alternative
Everything Fabulous charges $40 to $100 per year for, Habitica gives away for free.
That is not an exaggeration. Habitica offers habits, dailies, to-dos, party quests, guild challenges, and accountability through group boss battles, all without paying a cent. The optional subscription ($4.99/month) unlocks cosmetic items like special pet hatching potions and unique equipment. Nothing gameplay-critical sits behind the paywall.
The motivation philosophy is completely different from Fabulous. Where Fabulous sends you coaching letters and motivational quotes, Habitica turns your habits into a game. Complete your tasks, earn gold and experience points. Miss them, and your character takes damage. Join a party and your missed habits hurt your friends' characters too. It's accountability through game mechanics instead of a virtual life coach.
For anyone leaving Fabulous over billing, Habitica is the nuclear option. You will never be charged unexpectedly. With 15 million downloads and an open-source codebase, it is one of the most established habit apps on any platform.
What it does well:
- Zero cost for full features. While Fabulous locks routines behind a $40-100/yr paywall, Habitica's habits, dailies, quests, and parties are all free. The subscription is cosmetic only.
- Built-in accountability without a coach. Party boss fights mean your missed habits hurt your friends' characters. It's Fabulous's coaching pressure, but peer-driven and free.
- Community with 15M+ downloads. Active guilds, challenges, and monthly content updates. You are joining a living ecosystem, not using a solo app.
- Flexible negative habit tracking. Track things you want to stop doing (doom scrolling, skipping meals). Fabulous only builds habits up, not down.
Where it falls short:
- No guided onboarding. Fabulous walks you through building a routine step by step. Habitica drops you into an RPG world and expects you to figure it out. The learning curve is steep for the first few days.
- Pixel art aesthetic. If you loved Fabulous's polished, modern design, Habitica's retro game look may feel like a downgrade. The interface prioritizes function over visual polish.
Pricing: Free (all core features). Optional subscription at $4.99/month for cosmetic perks and bonus gems.
Platforms: iPhone, Android, Web.
Bottom line: If billing was your primary frustration with Fabulous, Habitica eliminates that problem entirely. The RPG format is not for everyone, but for the price (free) it is worth a serious try. See our full Habitica review or our Habitica alternatives guide for more details.
3. Streaks - Best No-Subscription Option
Fabulous's number one complaint is billing. Users report auto-renewals they did not authorize, charges after cancellation, and a subscription that is difficult to manage. Streaks solves this in the simplest way possible: $5.99 once. That is the entire pricing model.
No subscription. No free trial that converts. No "manage your renewal carefully." You pay once, you own it forever. After the billing nightmare that many Fabulous users describe, that simplicity is the main selling point.
The app itself is deliberately minimal. Up to 24 habits displayed as large tappable circles. Tap to complete. Watch the streak number climb. Apple Health integration means habits like step counting and exercise complete themselves automatically. The Apple Watch app lets you log habits from your wrist without ever opening your phone.
With 27,000+ ratings averaging 4.82/5 and an Apple Design Award, Streaks has earned a decade of trust that Fabulous is actively losing.
What it does well:
- One price, forever. $5.99 and it is yours. After Fabulous's billing confusion, this alone might be worth switching for. No trial traps, no auto-renewal, no "manage your subscription carefully."
- Apple Health auto-completion. Walk 10,000 steps and the habit checks itself off. Fabulous requires manual logging for everything.
- Focused by design. 24 habits max. No coaching programs, no journey maps, no motivational letters. Just your habits and a streak counter. After Fabulous's feature overload, the simplicity is therapeutic.
- Best-in-class Apple Watch app. Log habits from your wrist in seconds. Fabulous's watch support is minimal by comparison.
Where it falls short:
- No routine sequencing. Fabulous walks you through a morning routine step by step. Streaks just shows circles. If you need structure, not just tracking, Streaks will not replace that part of Fabulous.
- Apple-only, no web. iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Watch. No Android, no web dashboard. If you need cross-platform, look at Habitify or Habitica.
Pricing: $5.99 one-time (iOS). $4.99 separate purchase for Mac.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro.
Bottom line: Streaks is the peace-of-mind pick. If Fabulous burned you with billing practices, Streaks proves that a great habit tracker can cost less than a coffee. See our full Streaks review for more.
4. Routinery - Best for Timed Routines
If what you loved about Fabulous was the guided routine format, Routinery is the closest direct replacement. Same concept, better execution.
Routinery walks you through each routine step with a countdown timer. "Brush teeth (2 min), meditate (10 min), breakfast (15 min)." Each step gets its own timer, and the app moves you through the sequence automatically. It is Fabulous's coaching format without the slow unlock system.
That last point matters. Fabulous makes you wait days or weeks to unlock new habits in your routine. The app layers habits gradually, which is backed by behavioral science—research on habit formation suggests it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic—but frustrates users who already know what they want to build. Routinery lets you create your complete morning routine on day one. No waiting. No unlocking.
The app won Apple's App of the Day recognition and is purpose-built for the exact use case most Fabulous users signed up for: structured morning and evening routines with timed guidance.
What it does well:
- Instant routine building. Fabulous makes you wait days or weeks to unlock new habits. Routinery lets you build your complete morning routine on day one with timed steps.
- Timer-guided sequencing. Each routine step has a countdown. The app walks you through each action in order. It is Fabulous's coaching format without the slow unlock.
- Morning and evening routine focus. Purpose-built for the exact use case most Fabulous users signed up for. No B2B wellness features, no journaling add-ons. Just routines.
- Cross-platform. iOS, Android, and web. Fabulous dropped web support, so Routinery actually works on more platforms now.
Where it falls short:
- Also expensive. $7.99/month or $39.99/year. You are escaping Fabulous's pricing but landing in a similar range. The free tier is usable but limited.
- Shrinking free tier. Features keep moving behind the paywall in recent updates. Long-time users have noticed, and the pattern feels familiar if you have used Fabulous.
Pricing: Free (limited). Premium at $7.99/month or $39.99/year.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Web.
Bottom line: Routinery is what Fabulous should have stayed. A focused, timer-driven routine app without the feature bloat. If Fabulous's guided routine approach worked for you but the pricing and complexity did not, Routinery is the most natural switch. See our full Routinery review for more details.
5. Habitify - Best Cross-Platform
Fabulous works on iOS and Android, but dropped web support. If you want one habit system that works on your phone, laptop, tablet, and watch regardless of which ecosystem you use, Habitify is the pick.
Native apps on iOS, Android, Mac, Apple Watch, and web. Everything syncs in real time. Start your morning check-in on your phone, review analytics on your laptop at lunch, and log an evening habit from your watch. No other app on this list matches that device coverage.
The analytics are also deeper than what Fabulous offers. Completion rates, streak analysis, time-of-day patterns, and area-based habit organization. Fabulous gives you coaching. Habitify gives you data. For people who prefer numbers over pep talks, that is a meaningful difference.
With 2.5 million users since its 2016 launch, Habitify has had eight years to work out stability issues. After Fabulous's billing instability and inconsistent pricing, that maturity matters.
What it does well:
- Every platform, one subscription. iOS, Android, Mac, Apple Watch, and web. Fabulous cannot match this. Switch between devices throughout the day and everything stays synced.
- Data you can actually use. Completion rates, streak analysis, time-of-day patterns. Fabulous gives you coaching. Habitify gives you data. For people who prefer numbers over pep talks, that is a meaningful difference.
- Automation integrations. Zapier, IFTTT, and Apple Shortcuts support. Connect your habit tracking to other tools in your workflow.
- 8 years of refinement. Since 2016 with 2.5M users. The bugs are mostly worked out. After Fabulous's billing instability, maturity matters.
Where it falls short:
- 3-habit free limit. Testing the app meaningfully requires paying. At $39.99/year, it is competitive with Fabulous's pricing, not cheaper.
- No coaching or guided routines. Like most alternatives, Habitify gives you a blank canvas. If Fabulous's guided approach was what you valued most, Habitify will not replicate it.
Pricing: Free (3 habits). Premium at $3.33/month or $39.99/year. Lifetime option available.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple Watch, Web.
Bottom line: Habitify is the practical choice for people who use multiple devices and want serious analytics. It is not the cheapest alternative, but it is the most versatile. See our full Habitify review for more.
Which Alternative Should You Pick?
Every Fabulous vs. alternative comparison comes down to what frustrated you most. Here's the short version:
- If you want a simple toolkit that does everything without the coaching bloat: pick Habi. Projects, focus timer, screen time blocking, and habit tracking in one place.
- If you are done paying for habit tracking entirely: pick Habitica. Full features, zero cost, and the RPG mechanics provide motivation that coaching letters cannot.
- If Fabulous's billing practices burned you: pick Streaks. $5.99 once. No subscription. No auto-renewal. No surprises. Ever.
- If you loved Fabulous's guided routine format but hated everything else: pick Routinery. Same timer-driven approach, build your full routine on day one.
- If you switch between iPhone, Android, Mac, and web throughout the day: pick Habitify. No other app syncs across that many platforms.
For broader comparisons beyond Fabulous alternatives, see our best habit tracker apps roundup and our best daily routine apps guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fabulous worth the price?
It depends on what you value. The guided coaching is genuinely effective for building your first routine, and the behavioral science backing from Duke University is real. But at $40-100 per year with widespread billing complaints, most users can get similar results from cheaper alternatives. Habi and Habitica both offer core habit tracking for free. Streaks is a one-time $5.99 purchase. If Fabulous's coaching format is what you want, Routinery offers a similar timed-routine approach.
What's the best free alternative to Fabulous?
Habitica. Every core feature is free: habits, dailies, to-dos, party quests, and accountability through group boss battles. The optional subscription ($4.99/month) is cosmetic only. Habi is also free for core habit tracking, focus timer, and screen time blocking.
Can I transfer my Fabulous data to another app?
Unfortunately, no. Fabulous does not offer a data export feature. You will need to manually recreate your habits and routines in your new app. The good news: most alternatives let you set up your full routine in under 10 minutes, since you already know what habits you want to track.
Which Fabulous alternative is best for ADHD?
Habitica works well for ADHD brains because the RPG game mechanics provide instant dopamine feedback that traditional habit trackers lack. The visual rewards (gold, experience points, pet hatching) create the immediate reinforcement that ADHD brains need. Habi's focus timer with screen time blocking is also useful for managing ADHD-related distractibility. For more strategies, see our guide on how to build habits with ADHD.
Do any Fabulous alternatives offer guided coaching?
Routinery is the closest match. It walks you through each routine step with countdown timers, similar to how Fabulous guides you through morning rituals. The key difference: Routinery lets you build your complete routine on day one instead of making you wait weeks for new habits to unlock. No other alternative replicates Fabulous's letter-based coaching, but most users find they do not need it once they have a clear routine structure.
Final Thoughts
Fabulous was a pioneer. The behavioral science approach to habit building, the guided onboarding, the beautiful design. It set a standard. But the market has caught up, and in many cases passed it. The billing complaints are not a minor issue. They are the dominant theme in recent reviews across every platform.
You do not need to pay $100 per year for habit tracking. You do not need coaching letters from a virtual mentor. You need an app that is simple enough to use at 6 AM and reliable enough to never surprise you with a charge.
If you want to start fresh today, try Habi. It is free, takes about two minutes to set up, and your data stays on your device. Want to understand the science behind lasting habits? Read our guide on how to build habits that stick.
