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Task management apps enhance productivity in both personal and professional endeavors. They make it easier to organize and prioritize your everyday duties. I’ve reviewed many task management tools to help readers make the best choice, and today’s highlight is Habitica.
Habitica is a task management app with a twist. It’s a gamified tool that treats your tasks like game quests to be completed. Users receive in-game rewards for completing quests and virtual punishments for missing them. I tested this app extensively to help you decide if it’s an ideal choice. Read on to learn what this gamified task management app offers.
Habitica: Plans and pricing
Habitica offers a straightforward pricing system, with distinct plans for personal and collaborative use.
I like that there’s a free version that helps you get familiar with the app. However, it significantly limits the volume of tasks you can manage.
To unlock advanced features, you can subscribe to the individual premium plan for $5 per month, $15 for three months, $30 for six months, or $48 for a year. Notably, the annual plan includes a 20% discount on the month-to-month pricing.
There’s also a group plan suited for teams, friends, or families needing a shared task management app. The cost is $9 per month for the first account, with an additional $3 per month for each group member. Suppose you want a workspace for five office colleagues; it will cost $9 for the admin and $3 each for the remaining four accounts, totaling $21 per month.
I consider Habitica’s pricing fair, given the features it provides. It offers an interactive app that makes task management a gamified, fun experience.
Habitica: Features
As mentioned, Habitica offers a unique, gamified twist to task management apps. After registration, users are prompted to choose a unique username and avatar. Then, you can begin adding tasks to your Habitica dashboard.
Habitica gamifies tasks using the “carrot and stick” approach. You can set virtual rewards for completing tasks, such as a sword, a helmet, or a health potion. Completing the task earns you this reward, and incompletion means losing out on this valuable reward.
But, what’s the use of virtual rewards that are not worth anything in reality? The answer is a lot, at least in the game. You can compete against colleagues in a leaderboard, jockeying for who can amass more points than the other.
Likewise, you can use rewards to purchase customizations for your dashboard (e.g., custom background images and avatar skins) and complete in-game quests. The appeal of Habitica is earning points by completing tasks in a gamified, competitive environment. It leverages the gaming thrill to help users stay alert about their real-world tasks.
You can set three main types of tasks on Habitica: dailies, to-dos, and habits. Dailies are tasks that are incorporated into your daily routine, so Habitica will send reminders to keep you aware of them.
To-dos are the tasks you’ll do once and claim your virtual reward. As expected, Habitica will send timely reminders as requested. Over time, incomplete to-dos turn redder and will earn more rewards upon completion; this system encourages you to handle your pending tasks.
Habits are exactly like real-life habits; you can create an unlimited number of them on this app. They can be Good, denoted by a “+” sign, or Bad, denoted by a “-” sign. Good ones bring virtual rewards, while Bad ones cause a loss of in-game health. The idea is to use this system as motivation to cultivate good habits and abandon bad ones.
Using Habitica in group settings feels even more fun. It’s like playing a video game, but with players competing against themselves with real-world quests.
Group members can share the same task board, monitoring each other’s tasks and ensuring everyone fulfills their end. As an admin, you can assign tasks to specific group members and monitor their progress status. Completing tasks earns team members virtual rewards, encouraging people to meet deadlines.
The gamified experience makes Habitica a double-edged sword. While it may seem enjoyable to some, many others may not find it pleasant, especially in corporate settings. Many users prefer a boring corporate app over a gamified one that adds more complexity.
If adopting Habitica for personal use, you can easily decide whether you like the gamified experience. However, if adopting it for a workplace, it’s advisable to ask employees if they want the gamified experience. You can use the free plan to give them a feel of the app. If most employees object, Habitica might not be the best fit for your workplace.
Habitica: Interface and in use
Habitica’s gamification enhances its sleek, intuitive interface. The app offers an interactive experience with quick and easy navigation. You can access it from a web interface or download the mobile app on iOS or Android. There’s no official desktop app, which is a competitive disadvantage.
Habitica: Customer support
Habitica offers reasonable customer support. It has an official Help Center with detailed manuals, FAQs, and guides. Creatively, this Help Center is hosted on Fandom, a popular wiki platform for games. Hosting a Help Center on Fandom enhances the gamified experience, and this Help Center is notably easy to navigate.
You can also send email inquiries to Habitica’s support team and get answers within 48 hours (the support system wasn’t as fast as I expected). Likewise, you can ask questions on Habitica’s official help forum and get answers from other users.
Habitica: The competition
Remember The Milk is the main competitor I’d like to highlight. It doesn’t offer the gamified experience of Habitica, but it does provide an interactive interface that’s enjoyable to navigate. It’s competitively priced at $50 annually and offers similar task management features.
I consider Remember The Milk the go-to alternative for people who don’t want the gamified experience of Habitica but need an intuitive tool with similar features.
Habitica: Final verdict
Habitica is ideal for individuals who want to combine task management with a gamified experience. It motivates users to complete tasks and earn rewards, setting it apart from competitors. It’s not designed for everyone, but Habitica is excellent for its target audience.
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