Way of Life: a red and green grid, running since 2010
Way of Life shows habits as coloured squares and has done so for fifteen years. We look at what the longevity buys and what the app still lacks.
Way of Life has been in the App Store since 2010 and still ships updates. For an app whose entire value is a record accumulating over years, that history is worth more than any feature.
What it gives you
A grid you can read in a second. Green for done, red for missed, grey for skipped. Months of behaviour visible without opening a chart — the pattern shows itself.
A skip state that is not a failure. Most trackers offer done or not-done, which makes a deliberate rest day look like a lapse. The third state keeps the record honest.
Longevity. Fifteen years of continuous releases in a category where apps appear and vanish within two.
What it costs
An interface that shows its age. It is clear but plain, and next to Finch or HabitKit it looks like what it is: a design from another decade.
A free tier limited to a few habits, with the rest behind a subscription.
English only, per the App Store listing.
Who it is not for
Anyone who needs motivating rather than recording. There is no game, no pet, no streak pressure — the app assumes you will show up and only wants to remember whether you did.