Productive alternatives

Productive users often seek alternatives due to significant price increases, ranging from $15-$35 a year to $80-$99 a year, and issues with bugs and limited free features. Alternatives offer more flexible tracking, better pricing, or different goal-setting approaches.

Why users look for alternatives to Productive

Many users report substantial price increases, with annual subscriptions jumping from around $15-$35 to $80-$99, leading them to cancel or seek other apps.^R4^R7^R9^R10
Users experience bugs, such as the timer not working, changes not showing without restarting the app, or streaks breaking unexpectedly.^R10^R21^R22
The free version is very limited, often restricting users to only five habits, and frequent upsell screens are annoying.^R11^R18^R25^R30
Some users find the app lacks specific features, like setting routines for every other day, adding custom measurements for goals, or more flexible scheduling options.^R6^R8^R39
There are concerns about customer support, with reports of unanswered emails and issues with accessing data.^R42
Some users who purchased a 'lifetime' app or premium version years ago report being forced to repurchase a much pricier subscription or losing access to their data.^R1^R37^R40

The alternatives

Structured

4.8★ · 162,106 ratings · Free

Structured helps users plan their day and manage tasks, offering a visual timeline for daily activities. It aims to improve focus and organization by breaking down the day into manageable blocks.

Better for: Structured is better for users who want a visual daily planner to manage their time and tasks, especially those who benefit from seeing their day laid out in a timeline.

Head-to-head: Productive vs Structured

Habit Tracker

4.8★ · 143,588 ratings · Free

Habit Tracker helps users establish and maintain habits through simple tracking and reminders. It focuses on building consistency and achieving long-term goals.

Better for: Habit Tracker is suitable for users looking for a straightforward app primarily focused on tracking daily or regular habits without extensive planning or project management features.

Head-to-head: Productive vs Habit Tracker

Fabulous

4.4★ · 88,289 ratings · Free

Fabulous guides users through building healthy routines and habits, often starting with small, manageable changes. It uses a coaching-style approach to motivate and support users in their wellness journeys.

Better for: Fabulous is better for users who want a guided approach to habit formation, particularly those interested in building wellness routines and who appreciate a supportive, coaching-like experience.

Head-to-head: Productive vs Fabulous

Strides

4.8★ · 19,044 ratings · Free

Strides allows users to track various types of goals, including habits, projects, and average goals, with options to skip or pause tracking. It also features a Gantt chart for complex tasks and helps users focus on long-term objectives ^R52^R55.

Better for: Strides is better for users who need to track long-term goals, projects, or habits with more flexibility, such as the ability to skip or pause tracking ^R52^R55. It is also useful for those who want to track different types of goals and appreciate features like Gantt charts for complex tasks ^R52. However, the free version is limited to three goals ^R56^R57, and some users report issues with streaks not transferring to new devices .

Head-to-head: Productive vs Strides

Routine Planner

4.7★ · 17,267 ratings · Free

Routine Planner assists users in creating and managing daily routines. It helps organize tasks and activities into a structured schedule.

Better for: Routine Planner is ideal for users who prioritize structuring their daily schedules and want a dedicated tool to plan and adhere to routines.

Head-to-head: Productive vs Routine Planner

Stick with Productive if

You should stick with Productive if you find its UI simple and creative, it perfectly meets your needs for setting daily and flexible weekly goals, and you are willing to pay the current subscription price ^R11. It is particularly good if you appreciate its ability to track streaks and provide celebration screens for achievements .

Evidence note: Structured, Habit Tracker, Fabulous, and Routine Planner had too few reviews to judge their specific strengths and weaknesses from user feedback.

Frequently asked

Why are users leaving Productive?

Users are primarily leaving Productive due to significant price increases, with annual subscriptions jumping from $15-$35 to $80-$99, making the app too expensive for its features ^R4^R9^R10. Other reasons include persistent bugs, limited features in the free version, and annoying upsell prompts ^R10^R11^R25^R30.

What are the main complaints about Productive's pricing?

The main complaints about Productive's pricing are the drastic increases in annual subscription costs, with many users reporting prices more than doubling or tripling from $15-$35 to $80-$99 per year ^R4^R7^R9. Some users who purchased lifetime access or older premium versions report being forced to repurchase at these higher rates ^R1^R37.

Does Productive have a useful free version?

Productive's free version is generally considered not very useful by users because it limits the number of habits you can track, often to five, and frequently displays screens asking you to upgrade to a paid plan ^R11^R18^R25^R30.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 64 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

[R4] Productive 1/5 · US Huge price increase: The app developer owes an explanation for more than doubling the price of the annual subscription. What additional value will the app bring? What additional features will be added? Make it make sense. I’ve been a loyal subscriber for many years and am very likely to cancel my subscription unless I can justify the cost based on additional features.
[R7] Productive 1/5 · US Okay, but not $80 okay: The app was fine when I used it but I can’t justify paying $80 a year for a check the box app. I can write my own list and check a box truth be told.
[R9] Productive 3/5 · US Too expensive: The app was a 5 star before. It did everything I needed for $30 a year. But they recently changed prices to $80 per year, which is outrageous. Deleted the app. Sad to see it go, but I’m not paying that price :/
[R10] Productive 1/5 · US Has bugs. Too expensive.: They just more than doubled their yearly subscription and have not been fixing bugs or introducing new features. App looks the same after two years. Timer doesn’t work half the time. You have to quit and restart for your changes to show. Finally cut the cord and found a new app. So much happier.
[R21] Productive 4/5 · US Great App but Expensive: I have used this app premium version for two months now. It has been amazing. It is exactly what I need. A habit tracker where I can actually analyze the data to see which habits I still need to work on. I gave it 4 stars because I’ve been having issues with its timer feature. If I turn on the timer and move to another app, the timer stops working. If I play music or a v
[R22] Productive 2/5 · US Good app, but overpriced.: I used this app for a year and found it had a positive impact on my life. However, with the annual $80 renewal approaching, I reconsidered whether it was worth the cost. I discovered other apps on the App Store that offer a similar, if not better, experience for much less. While the app works about 85% of the time, it occasionally breaks streaks without reason, experienc
[R11] Productive 4/5 · US Great app, wish they didn’t upsell plans so much: I really enjoy using this app for its simplicity and creative UI. It’s exactly what I need. However, one part I find annoying is that everytime I open the app, they show me the screen asking me to upgrade to their paid plan. I’m on the free one and I wish I had more habits to track for free, but that’s okay. At least don’t show me this paid plan ev
[R18] Productive 1/5 · US Not free: Trail is 7 days. Waste of download space
[R25] Productive 4/5 · US Good but wish for more free: There’s a limit on how many you get before you have to pay. But overall very good app. Would be a five if there were 2-3 more free habits.
[R30] Productive 1/5 · US Doesn’t want to be free: The ad to purchase the subscription for the app (which is NOT cheap) pops up every time you open the app. It’s so infuriating I’m moving to something else. Ridiculous.
[R6] Productive 3/5 · US Needs improvement: While I enjoy this app, there are some updates that have long been needed that haven’t happened. For instance, not being able to set a routine at a regular regular interval (every other day). After years, they have not added this feature and it’s making it hard to continue to use this app. For the price I would have expected better updates. Won’t be renewing next year.
[R8] Productive 5/5 · US idea suggestion: i absolutely love this app. i’ve even using it and things i always wanted to be habits are now habits. one suggestion, and it’s really not a big deal, is to allow the user to add their own measurements. for example for a reading goal, the user could enter chapters scenes etc. many of the habits i have or want to have don’t fit well with the pre-determined list of measurements
[R39] Productive 2/5 · US Good app, but not worth price: I’ve used this app for a few years, but never understood why it cost as much as it did. It’s simple and easy to use, but has limits on the customization. I still had to use the Reminders app for a few tasks that required more specificity than Productive allows (for example, something that needs to be done on the 4th Saturday of each month). But now that the develops
[R42] Productive 1/5 · US Poor customer support: Great app, poor support. I’m a paid web-based user and iOS app stopped being able to access data recently and support emails go unanswered.
[R1] Productive 1/5 · US So much for lifetime: I purchased the lifetime app and am now being told I need to purchase plans.
[R37] Productive 1/5 · US Long time user: I bought the premium version years ago. Recently unable to log back back in without repurchasing a much pricier version. As a special Ed teacher I used to recommend this app to everyone. Now I’m looking for a new app but sad to lose 8 years of habit data!
[R40] Productive 1/5 · US Practically unusable since latest update: Bought the premium app years ago, now they want an exorbitant amount for the subscription. No thanks.
[R52] Strides 5/5 · US Love habit tracking features like the skip/pause; and I like the Gantt feature.: Love that the habit tracking allows the choice of yes/no/skip for tracking streaks. I just got the app, I’m still learning how to use Gantt project feature, but can’t wait to use that. Having a Gantt chart for complex tasks is a real gem to find in a personal task manager.
[R55] Strides 5/5 · US Living out my values: I’ve set goals for the things that matter most to me. I log my progress after I get a reminder, which keeps me on track. It has improved my focus and helped me achieve my goals!
[R56] Strides 3/5 · US Good app but..: Good app but having to pay just to have more than three things is greedy
[R57] Strides 2/5 · US in app purchases: there are in app purchases that basically limit everything

Synthesized from 64 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store