Loop Habit Tracker has a loyal following for good reason: it is open source, free, and one of the cleanest habit trackers available. If you have used Loop on Android and switched to iPhone, or if you found Loop in an article and tried to download it, you have already discovered the problem. Loop is Android-only. It is not available on the App Store.
This post covers what Loop does, why iPhone users look for alternatives, and which iPhone apps solve the same problem.
Why Loop is Android-only
Loop Habit Tracker is built on Android’s open ecosystem. The developer published it through Google Play and F-Droid, the open source Android app store. The app uses Android-specific libraries and UI patterns that do not port directly to iOS.
There is no iOS version and no indication one is planned. The developer has maintained the Android version for years, but the skill set and platform requirements for iOS development are different. For iPhone users, this means Loop is not an option regardless of how good the app is.
The Android-only limitation creates a specific frustration. Loop appears in “best habit tracker” articles, productivity lists, and recommendation threads. iPhone users find it, get excited, and hit a wall. The app is real, the praise is deserved, and the platform is wrong.
What Loop Habit Tracker is
Loop is an open-source habit tracker available on Android and F-Droid. It’s free with no subscription and no in-app purchases. The developer has maintained it since 2015, and the app has accumulated a large, active user base.
The core feature set:
Loop tracks habits using a score system rather than a simple streak counter. Each habit gets a strength score based on how consistently you complete it over time. A missed day reduces the score but doesn’t reset it entirely, which means a single bad day doesn’t erase weeks of progress.
The visual design shows habit frequency across a calendar grid. Each habit displays its score and a pattern of completions, giving a clear picture of how consistent a behavior has been over time.
Why Loop has fans:
The score model is more forgiving than a strict streak counter. Missing one day damages the score rather than resetting to zero. For people who found streak-based apps too punishing, this feels significantly more reasonable.
The app is completely free and open source. No subscription, no ads, no freemium limits. For a tracking app you’ll use daily, that pricing structure is genuinely attractive.
The problem for iPhone users:
Loop is Android-only. There is no iOS version and no indication one is planned. iPhone users searching for Loop find the app on the Play Store but can’t install it.
What iPhone users need instead
The apps that serve Loop’s use case on iPhone fall into two categories: habit trackers with a similar philosophy to Loop, and milestone trackers for goals with a specific target.
The key thing to understand is that Loop’s appeal is not just the feature set. It is the philosophy. Loop respects the user by being free, open source, and honest about what it does. iPhone alternatives that match that philosophy are rare. Most habit trackers on iOS use subscription pricing or lock features behind paywalls.
The options below all use one-time pricing, which puts them closer to Loop’s model than the subscription-heavy App Store norm.
Loop vs iPhone alternatives: feature comparison
| Feature | Loop (Android) | Streaks (iPhone) | HabitKit (iPhone) | Notch (iPhone) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Android only | iPhone only | iPhone only | iPhone only |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pricing model | Free | One-time | One-time | Free · $9.99 one-time |
| Tracking model | Score-based habits | Streak-based habits | Dot grid habits | Milestone tracker |
| Handles missed days | Score drops slightly | Streak resets | Gaps in grid | Count unchanged |
| Finish line support | No | No | No | Yes |
This table shows the gap clearly. No iPhone app replicates Loop exactly. The closest matches in pricing and philosophy are Streaks and HabitKit for habits, and Notch for goals with a finish line.
Streaks: habit tracker for iPhone, one-time purchase
Streaks is a focused habit tracker for iPhone that limits you to a deliberate set of habits and tracks completion frequency.
Pricing: One-time purchase.
How it works: You define habits with a target frequency (daily, weekly, custom), and Streaks tracks whether you complete them. The app uses a streak system rather than Loop’s score model, which means a missed day breaks the streak.
Similarity to Loop: Both track recurring behaviors. The difference is in how they handle misses. Loop’s score model softens the impact of a bad day. Streaks resets the counter.
Best for: Routines where consistency matters and breaks are uncommon. Medication, daily language practice, sleep schedules.
HabitKit: dot grid habit tracker, one-time purchase
HabitKit tracks daily habits using a dot grid. Each dot represents a day you completed the habit. The grid fills over time, creating a visual record of consistency.
Pricing: One-time purchase.
How it works: Add habits, check them off each day, watch the grid accumulate. The visual is clean and the model is simple.
Similarity to Loop: HabitKit shares Loop’s philosophy of building a consistent visual record. The model is habit-first, and the satisfaction comes from watching the pattern fill.
Best for: Daily habits with no specific endpoint. Morning routines, exercise frequency, reading habits.
Notch: milestone tracker for iPhone, $9.99 one-time
Notch is different from Loop in a fundamental way: it’s not a habit tracker. Notch is a milestone tracker built for goals with a finish line.
Pricing: Free to download. The full app unlocks with a one-time $9.99 purchase.
How it works: You set a target (500 km, 20 books, 100 sessions), log completions, and track progress toward the number. Each logged entry adds a dot to the grid and brings the total closer to done.
No streaks, no scores. Notch doesn’t measure consistency. It measures distance to a target. Take a week off and the count stays exactly where it was. Resume any time.
When Notch fits Loop users: Some people use Loop to track goals that have a specific endpoint. “Exercise 100 times,” “meditate 60 sessions,” “run every week for a year.” These goals end. When the endpoint matters, Notch is purpose-built for that use case in a way Loop is not.
For a fuller explanation of how these two models differ, see habit tracker vs milestone tracker: what’s the difference.
Comparison: Loop alternatives on iPhone
| App | Platform | Model | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loop Habit Tracker | Android only | Habit tracker (score-based) | Free, open source |
| Streaks | iPhone | Habit tracker (streak-based) | One-time |
| HabitKit | iPhone | Habit tracker (dot grid) | One-time |
| Notch | iPhone | Milestone tracker | Free · $9.99 one-time Pro |
Choosing based on what you’re tracking
For recurring daily habits with no endpoint: Streaks or HabitKit both run on iPhone without a subscription. Both use different approaches, but both cover the same category Loop covers.
For goals with a specific finish line, a target number you want to reach: Notch fits that use case more precisely. The tracking model is built for progress toward a target, not for measuring daily consistency.
The best habit tracker alternatives for iPhone covers more options in both categories if neither of these fits.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Loop Habit Tracker on iPhone?
No. Loop is Android-only and there is no iOS version. The alternatives listed above cover the same use cases on iPhone with one-time pricing.
Why is Loop so popular if it is Android-only?
Loop fills a specific niche: a free, open source habit tracker with no subscription. On Android, that combination is rare. The app does one thing well and charges nothing for it. The recommendation appears frequently in productivity articles, which drives iPhone users to search for it.
What is the closest iPhone app to Loop?
HabitKit is the closest in visual design. Both use a grid-based interface that shows habit completion over time. Streaks is the closest in focus. Both track a limited set of habits with frequency targets. Neither replicates Loop’s score model exactly.
Why would I use Notch instead of a habit tracker?
If your goal has a finish line, a habit tracker gives you the wrong information. A habit tracker tells you whether you showed up today. A milestone tracker like Notch tells you how close you are to done. For goals like “run 500 km” or “read 24 books,” the progress toward the target is the measurement that matters.
Is there a free habit tracker for iPhone?
Most free habit trackers on iPhone use subscription models or limit the number of habits. Notch is free to download with a one-time $9.99 Pro unlock. Streaks and HabitKit both use one-time pricing. None of them are fully free like Loop, but the one-time model avoids recurring charges.
Download Notch on the App Store — free to download, $9.99 one-time Pro unlock.
Try Notch
Every notch counts.
A milestone tracker without streaks, guilt, or subscriptions.
Download on App StoreFree · $9.99 Pro · No subscription