When it comes to reaching your health and wellness goals, consistency is key. But staying consistent can be easier said than done for many of us, whether you’re a strategist planning your workouts for the week, or someone who takes more of a wake-up-and-see-what-you’re-in-the-mood-for approach.
Either way, you’ll need clear, realistic goals to work toward, a way to track your progress toward them… and a little (or maybe a big) boost of motivation. Accountability apps can provide just that!
You might use one to help you to cross more off your to-do list, stay within budget to reach your savings goals, or track 10,000 steps per day. Regardless of your goal, it’s easy to input any information you’ll need, especially if you’ll be focusing on a specific goal.
Read on to learn how and for our top nine picks that will have you sailing into the end of summer with commitment to your health goals.
What Is an Accountability App?
Simply, an accountability app is a tool that helps you to meet your goals by giving you tools to track your progress and share your success with others. An accountability app can help you with any number of goals, from being more productive at work to reducing your screen time to losing weight successfully.
There are apps out there to help you improve your productivity, fitness, diet, and lots of other lifestyle habits. Some apps even allow you to connect with a community you wouldn’t otherwise have access to for an added boost of support.
While it’s true that accountability apps are just a tool to keep you on track, it’s not the app that will hold you to your goals — it’s yourself. And having the support of your accountability app of choice can serve as a guide and give you the motivation you need to keep going by displaying your progress.
How Do Accountability Apps Work?
So how does an accountability app help you to stick to your health goals? In general, accountability apps allow you to set goals, track activities, and measure your progress toward your goals.
Some also prompt you with nudges or allow you to share your progress with others. These kinds of accountability tools, especially ones that are visually appealing and spark curiosity, can also act as positive affirmations, giving you peace of mind and strengthening neural pathways that support your sense of self-worth.
Seeing a visual representation of your progress can remind you of your intention for making a change. With programmed reminders helping you keep your intentions top of mind, you’re more likely to stay on track with your goals.
Accountability Apps vs. Accountability Partners
To take this all to the next level, pairing your accountability app with social support from an accountability partner can make all the difference. There are countless benefits of social support.
Working toward your health and wellness goals alongside a friend, loved one, or coworker can be motivating and even preferable if your goals are similar. Some accountability apps allow you to share your goals and progress on social media or with a support network.
And even better, working with someone who knows how to help you reach your goals efficiently, like a Nutrisense nutritionist, can guide you along your wellness journey and help you reach your goals more quickly.
The Top 9 Accountability Apps for Your Health
There are so many choices out there if you’re looking for personal accountability support, so to help you out, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite apps that are suitable for both iPhone and Android so you can choose what’s right for you and your goals.
Here are our recommendations for the nine best apps for accountability.
1) Nutrisense
The cornerstone of the Nutrisense program is a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that provides 24/7 glucose data, which you can view directly in the Nutrisense app. Nutrisense gives you the tools to optimize your metabolic health and reach your unique health goals, no matter what they may be.
The app provides you with immediate feedback that can make your hard work feel more meaningful and enhance intrinsic motivation. But not only that, you’re also paired with a complementary nutritionist for your first month who will serve as your partner and accountability coach on your journey.
You’ll be able to check in regularly with your nutritionist, identify the changes you’ll need to make, and cut out any bad habits in your current lifestyle.
Features
- In-app support from a nutritionist whose specialty is matched to your unique wellness goals
- Real-time glucose insights
- Ability to track your daily food, sleep, exercise, and other symptoms of interest to discover how your daily habits affects you
- Ability to sync your data with other apps or wearables
Price
With plans starting at $225, you’ll gain access to the Nutrisense program and begin receiving two 14-day CGM sensors per month, plus free nutritionist support for your first month. The app is is available on the App Store and on Google Play. Find out how you can get started with Nutrisense here.
2) Noom
Noom is a weight tracker app grounded in behavioral psychology. After taking a behavior profile quiz, you’ll receive a plan customized in duration to your weight loss goals.
Features
- Tracking tools for food, exercise, and more
- Life coaches and support groups
- In-app lessons rooted in psychological principles of behavior change
Price
Pricing depends on the length of plan you opt into. A one-month plan starts at $70, a two-month plan $129, a three-month plan $159, and a four-month-plan $169.
3) Lark Health
Lark offers real-time digital coaching to help you create healthy habits and make them stick. You can choose to focus on wellness and prevention, diabetes care, or hypertension care.
Features
- Ability to track food, physical activity, sleep, blood sugar via finger-stick glucometers, blood pressure, and more
- Affordable, daily well-being coaching based on the data you log
- Health content personalized to you
Price
If Lark is covered by your insurance, there is no additional cost. Lark is only offered through health plans and employers at this time.
4) stickK
The stickK app was created by behavioral economists from Yale and is based on the behavioral economics principle of loss aversion. You’ll write a goal for yourself and invite a friend or family member to hold you accountable. The app also prompts you to sign a “Commitment Contract” together that sets a price on not following through.
Features
- You have complete freedom in defining your goal, so you can get creative and take the first step in holding yourself accountable
- If you don’t stick to your goal, your money will go to a good cause of your choosing
- The Commitment Journal provides a place to share posts related to your progress and for friends and family to cheer you on
Price
This app is free.
5) Habit Nest
Habit Nest is a self-improvement app that walks you through each day of your habit-building journey, which lasts 66 days (based on the finding that habits take an average of 66 days to become automatic).
Features
- Helps building the perfect morning and evening routines for you
- Daily guided meditations and gratitude journal prompts
- Includes tips, challenges, and celebration
Price
A monthly subscription costs $13.99 and an annual subscription is $49.99.
6) Strides
Strides helps you to track any goal or habit (ones you want to start and ones you want to break). It’s designed to help you create the perfect routine based on your own unique goals.
Features
- Includes four modes for tracking: go for a streak, set a goal date, measure averages (daily, weekly, monthly, annual, or rolling), or complete a project with milestones
- Has 150+ tracker templates and progress reports
- The app integrates with Apple Health
Price
A free version of Strides allows you to track what’s most important to you. Strides Plus unlocks unlimited trackers and additional features for $4.99/month or $29.99/year.
7) HabitShare
The idea behind HabitShare is all in the name — it’s a social habit tracker app that allows you to create habits, track when you do or don’t do them, and show your friends.
Features
- Gives you the flexibility to create habits that fit your specific goals, including daily and weekly habits
- Uses reminders to help you remember your new habits
- Privacy settings for what each friend can see
Price
The HabitShare app is free.
8) Habitat
Habitat is also a group accountability app in which you’ll track habits and goals in groups with your friends. You’ll work toward your individual goals, but you’ll do it in a group where you can motivate each other.
Features
- Includes group messaging
- Individual and group streaks (daily reminders help you to not break a streak!)
- Visualizations of individual and group stats
Price
Habitat costs $2.99/month.
9) Beeminder
Beeminder combines self-tracking and commitment contracts: it plots your progress with a Bright Red Line and charges your credit card if you cross it to hold you financially accountable. The graphs might appeal to you if you are mathematically, statistically, or economically minded.
Features
- Data Entry Companion App
- Plots daily data and shows trend lines so you see all of your data
- Integrations with Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin, Strava, and non-fitness apps
Price
You set the starting pledge amount. The first time you go off track is free; each time you go off track, the pledge amount increases.
Engage with Your Blood Glucose Levels with Nutrisense
Your blood sugar levels can significantly impact how your body feels and functions. That’s why stable blood glucose levels can be an important factor in supporting overall wellbeing.
With Nutrisense, you’ll be able to track your blood glucose levels over time using a CGM, so you can make lifestyle choices that support healthy living.
When you join the Nutrisense CGM program, our team of credentialed dietitians and nutritionists are available for additional support and guidance to help you reach your goals.
Ready to take the first step? Start with our quiz to see how Nutrisense can support your health.
Find the right Nutrisense programto help you discover and reach your health potential.
Heather is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN, LDN), subject matter expert, and technical writer, with a master's degree in nutrition science from Bastyr University. She has a specialty in neuroendocrinology and has been working in the field of nutrition—including nutrition research, education, medical writing, and clinical integrative and functional nutrition—for over 15 years.
