Achieve goals faster: The best goal-tracking apps for 2024

We spend 28% of our time dealing with distractions and unnecessary interruptions, especially at work.² The average worker wastes 60 hours every month due to workplace distractions, and 80% of them are trivial.

These distractions either make us lose sight of our goals or make it too hard to keep track and achieve them. We need assistance for goal attainment, from goal setting to progress tracking to staying on the right path.

This is where goal-tracking apps, such as Fingerprint for Success, come into play. They provide effective step-by-step solutions to make the process easy and extra motivation to help us achieve our goals.

What are goal-tracking apps?

Goal-tracking apps are productivity apps that help you get organized. They allow you to set, track, and measure progress towards your goals.

For example, imagine you're working towards a fitness goal of running a marathon. You could use a goal-tracking app to break this objective into smaller tasks, like weekly mileage targets, monthly goals, strength training sessions, and dietary goals.

Goal-tracking apps help you segment your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks and let you visually track your journey. They are technology tools that make overwhelming task lists more achievable.

See your progress over time with visual progress charts and graphs. Get reminders and notifications to stay on track. Gain insights into your performance to identify areas where you excel and where you need improvement.

Whether you’re aiming for personal goals or professional, daily chores or long-term objectives, there are many free goal-tracking apps that can help you get started. A survey conducted in the US in Dec 2022,³ shows the top goals Americans planned to achieve.

• Personal health and fitness goals: cited by 80% of adults (most common). For example, weight loss, psychological well-being, or building stamina.
• Financial goals: cited by 69% of adults. For example, saving money, fundraising, retirement planning, or owning a home.
• Personal development goals: cited by 59% of adults. For example, time management, learning a new instrument, or running a marathon.
• Professional Goals: cited by 50% of adults. For example, become a better leader, gain a promotion, or network more.
• Relationship or social life goals: cited by 43% of adults. For example, get married, have children.

What features to look for in goal-tracking apps?

Your choice of goal-tracking app or habit-tracking app depends on the type of goals you want to set and your preferences. Remember, you can’t track a financial goal using a time-tracking app! However, there are certain key features you should consider that apply universally to most habit-tracking apps.

• User base/ user feedback
• Intuitive interface for efficiency and ease of use.
• Reminders and alerts to stay on track and for progress monitoring.
• To-Do list feature to break down large goals into smaller more manageable tasks.
• Progress reports over time to record milestones and measure performance.
• Visualization tools like visual progress charts, bar charts, and graphs to easily understand progress.  
• Habit tracking feature to create and maintain daily or regular routines and to promote accountability.
• Pricing options: does the app have a premium version with additional features?
• Is the app under active development, and are bugs promptly addressed and resolved?

Most effective goal-tracking apps in 2024

1. Trello (Good for tracking business goals)

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Trello is a task management and team collaboration app that can also be used as a goal progress tracker. It comes with an intuitive user interface.

Visual collaboration in Trello allows you to organize tasks and projects into boards, smart lists, and cards. Create boards for your goals, lists for different stages or categories, and cards for specific tasks or sub-goals.

Denis M. Client Relationship Manager finds Trello to be a highly effective self-management tool. He says:

“I am using Trello for self-management primarily, and for me, it works perfectly as the tool to set up goals for a week, track completion, and visualize your progress. It helps you divide complex work into smaller tasks and keep all the necessary reference material in one place, which makes things easier to accomplish.

It feels good to see how you complete these smaller tasks, which motivates you to go on and helps you achieve the goal without losing motivation. You realize there is nothing too complicated and eagerly take on new tasks and complete them promptly.”⁵

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Core Features

• Multiple views, boards, timelines, tables and calendars make goal-tracking simple.
• Ready-made templates for tasks.
• Kanban board structure allows you to organize your goals and daily tasks with cards and smart lists.
• Tailor boards, cards, and lists to fit specific goal-tracking needs.
• Checklists within cards to break down goals into sub-tasks.
• Color-code labels and tags to categorize and prioritize tasks.
• Time tracking, record and measure the amount of time you spend on individual tasks or projects.
• Butler automation to streamline repetitive processes.
• Automate tasks and workflows with predefined rules and actions to streamline the management of tasks and projects.
• Calendar integration for easy scheduling and planning.
• Advanced checklists greater control and functionality.
• Integrate with external apps and services like Google Drive, Slack, Evernote, and more.

How it works

Trello's goal visualization interface allows you to move cards through different lists as you progress. It provides a clear and customizable way to track and achieve goals. Depending on the type of goal, add due dates, descriptions, and labels, and collaborate easily with larger teams. Create lists (for different stages or milestones) and cards to represent individual tasks or actions needed to achieve the goal.

Why do people like it?

• Clear and intuitive interface
• Integrations with popular tools
• Abundance of features in the free version

Pricing options

Trello offers a free plan and 3 paid options. The Standard Plan costs $5 per user per month (billed annually), the Premium Plan is $10 per user per month (billed annually), and custom enterprise-level pricing starts at $17.50 per user per month (billed annually).

G2 rating: 4.4

2. ClickUp (Great for Business Goal Tracking)

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ClickUp is more than just a task and project management tool. Its goal-tracking app gives you a comprehensive platform for setting, managing, and achieving personal and professional goals. The intuitive interface combines goal-tracking, task management, time tracking, project management, and team collaborative features.

ClickUp enables you to align daily tasks with long-term goals, providing a clear view of how each task contributes to overall objectives. It simplifies the goal-tracking process with custom templates, deadlines, reminders, and easy progress tracking (in real-time) to keep you motivated.

Frances S., Global Talent Partner at FOU Management is a huge fan of the app. He says:

“ClickUp will literally slap your goals to your face and have every task or move you do impact that life or yearly goal… I can see my progress. I can see what I’ll be giving up if I stop now. It forces me to police myself to stay on track. It forces me to prioritize. It forces me to build a habit across the board from daily habits to monthly habits.”¹⁰

Core Features

• Choose from different target types (numbers, true/false, currency, tasks).
• Track real-time progress with goal dashboards.
• Get goal-tracking detailed reports for better insights.
• Reminders and notifications.
• Set triggers and automation for task updates, status changes, and deadline adjustments.
• Structure daily tasks and individual and team projects by task types (one-time or recurring), checkpoints, planning, and importance.
• Easy-to-use user interface with online and offline modes.
• Habit tracking templates to record and monitor daily habits and routines.
• Time tracking with built-in timers and time estimates.
• Third-party integrations with popular apps such as Google Drive, Slack, and Trello.
  

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How to use it

Create different spaces or goal folders. Break down each goal into actionable tasks or sub-goals. Assign due dates, priorities, and relevant details to these tasks. Regularly update the status (of your tasks). Use ClickUp's features like custom fields, labels, and dependencies to track progress (online or offline). You can also track goals by viewing goal-related analytics and reports for a deeper understanding of your achievements.

Why do people like it?

• User-friendly interface
• Powerful automation tools
• Easy integrations with third party apps

Pricing options

ClickUp offers a free plan and 3 paid plans. Their Unlimited Plan costs US$7 per user per month, Business Plan costs $12 per user per month, and custom pricing is available for Enterprise-level solutions.

G2 rating: 4.4

3. Todoist (Best App for Personal Goals)

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Todoist is an all-encompassing goal-setting app that simplifies your daily schedule and streamlines your workflow. It empowers you to create comprehensive to-do lists and manage multi-level goals according to daily tasks, subtasks, priority levels, due dates, and other important details. Get an overview of what your day or the next 7 days look like. Its collaborative features make it an ideal tracker type for both individual and group goal tracking.

Core Features:

• Pre-designed templates for common tasks or projects.
• Synchronize tasks with your calendar.
• Easy to manage to-do lists.
• Create, organize, and prioritize tasks.
• Group related tasks into projects to keep your work and goals organized.
• Receive task reminders and notifications.
• Add comments and notes to tasks for additional details and discussions.
• Assign due dates and deadlines.
• Collaborative features allow you to share tasks and projects with others.
• Track recurring tasks to build and maintain daily or weekly habits.
• Third-party integrations with apps and productivity tools such as Google Calendar, Slack, Trello, and more.
• Access to-do lists across your iOS, Android devices, or the desktop version.

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How does it work?

Create separate projects within Todoist for each of your professional and individual goals. Within each project, add specific goals as tasks. Break each goal down into smaller, actionable tasks or sub-goals. Assign due dates and set priorities for better organization. Use labels, filters, and reminders to stay organized and ensure you're on track to reach your achievable goals efficiently.

Why do people like it?

• Intuitive interface
• Advanced customization
• Natural language processing

Pricing options

The Beginner Plan is free. The Pro and Business plan cost US$4 per month (billed annually) and US$6 per month per user (billed annually)

G2 score: 4.4

4. Clockify (Best for Goal Tracking)

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With Clockify you can monitor an unlimited number of individual and professional goals. Gain free access to a wealth of goal-tracking features. Clockify provides cross-platform availability across browsers, web versions, desktop, and mobile apps.

Enhance focus and productivity with the built-in Pomodoro timer, to streamline activities, reduce distractions, and keep personal and team goals in sharp focus. Monitor progress with reports, summaries, weekly updates, and detailed insights.

Nyambura M. social media marketing specialist says:

“It’s an incredible time tracking tool that will help you seize every second. Clockify gives me control over my working hours. I am able to track every second of my day and ensure that I am productive enough at work. Also, it helps me tick my goals by setting time limits on them and ensures I don't miss any task or even a scheduled appointment.”¹⁹

Core features

Clockify features can be divided into 3 categories:

Timekeeping:

• Auto tracker to monitor dedicated time manually, or log it in a timesheet.
• Log weekly activities quickly with a timesheet.
• Goal visualization to manage time and activities using an inbuilt calendar.
• Set estimates for task duration, so you can monitor progress.
• Use the Kiosk to clock in with your PIN code from a shared device.

Reporting:

• Dashboard for goal tracking, time optimization, and task organization to enhance productivity.
• Align tasks with your most productive periods and minimize time wastage.
• See what you worked on as the timer was running.
• Obtain comprehensive performance insights, including team achievements with reports.
• Keep an eye on your budget.

Management:

• Plan an unlimited number of goals.
• Plan projects in detail and visualize capacity and progress with visual progress charts.
• Get to-do list templates.
• Seamless synchronization with Trello, Asana, Quickbooks, and more.

How to use it?

Start by creating an account and setting your goals as projects. Break them down into smaller tasks. Track your goal's progress, with Timer mode for real-time tracking, Manual mode for logging time manually, and Timesheet view for a more detailed breakdown.

Estimate task time frames to compare against tracked durations to gauge performance. Easily access details like total tracked time, earnings, and task-specific time breakdowns. Filter your data by project, task, or tag, to observe weekly changes. Export your detailed reports in various formats like PDF, CSV, and Excel.

Why do people like it?

• Very productive and easy to use.
• Unlimited users allowed.
• All essential features are available in the free version.
• Keeps you focused.

Pricing options

Get started for free and upgrade to get extra features. There are 4 upgrades available. The Basic Plan costs US$3.99 per user per month (when billed annually), the Standard Plan costs US$5.49 per user per month (when billed annually), the Pro Plan costs US$7.99 per user per month (when billed annually) and the Enterprise Plan costs US$11.99 per user per month (when billed annually).

G2 score: 4.5

5. Fingerprint for Success (F4S) (Best for Goal Tracking)

F4S is more than just a goal-setting app, it's an AI coaching technology that equips you with the tools to achieve long-term goals. Whether you aim to enhance soft skills, embark on personal development or professional development, or reach business and financial milestones, F4S provides a holistic platform for setting, managing, and monitoring your objectives.

Its intuitive interface and robust essential features streamline progress tracking and keep you on the path to success. Pinpoint growth opportunities and improve personal and team efficiency. Access more than 1,000 coaching programs for personal and team development.

Core Features

• Work towards multiple goals.
• Detailed insights into 48 work style motivations.
• Use human cognitive and behavioral data for insights.
• Gain insights into aggregated data on successful leaders and entrepreneurs.
• AI coaches and certified human coaches for help and advice.
• Track coaching progress on the F4S dashboard.
• 5-10-minute coaching sessions to keep you motivated.
• Add personal insights through a journaling feature.
• Benchmark work and personal motivations against proven success factor models.

How does it work?

Once you take the F4S free assessment you're invited to set your personal goals and F4S' AI Coach Marlee will recommend personalized coaching programs to help you achieve your goals, based on your assessment motivations.

F4S dashboard

You get one free coaching program and track your progress towards achieving your goals.

F4S coaching programs

Why people like F4S

• Engaging and effective
• Keeps you motivated
• Helps understand progress and setbacks
• Provides clear benchmarks to evaluate your performance

Why do people like F4S?

I found the importance of setting goals, It's a mindset

Awesome and effective coaching program of helping to increase motivation for goal challenged people. Fallen in love with goals and looking forward to more BHAGs. Highly recommend the coaching for Goal Catcher!

This program has totally changed my relationship to goals!

I really struggled with the idea and concept of my own power and it was getting in the way of my work, my relationships and my happiness. This program with Marlee has helped me understand why, develop a deeper relationship with my own power and as a result, I’m feeling more confident and competent as ever!

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Pricing options

F4S offers a Free Starter Plan. Our Personal Boost Pack offers additional benefits such as unlimited personal insights and AI coaching programs, all for a monthly fee of $9.60 per user.

6. Habitica (Best for Tracking Habits)

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Who says chasing goals has to be boring? Habitica is a gamified task management app that makes habit-building fun with avatars and gameplay. The game rewards you with incentives, punishments, and level upgrades.

Use the goal-monitoring and habit-tracking features to receive daily reminders (on all devices), write notes as you track your progress, and view daily or weekly improvement with visual progress charts.

Core Features

• Transforms your daily tasks and larger goals into a role-playing game, making productivity and personal growth more enjoyable.
• Goal visualization and time tracking.
• Personalize your in-game character (avatar) to represent yourself, adding a fun and personalized touch.
• Four offerings: Habits (to build positive habits or break bad ones), Dailies (daily tasks and routines), To-Dos (one-time tasks), and Rewards (for self-motivation).
• Receive task reminders on all your devices to stay on top of daily and weekly goals and to help with tracking goals.
• Tasks and streak counters are color-coded to indicate your progress.
• Rewarding system for completing tasks for customizing your avatar or improving your character.
• Take notes and record your thoughts and insights as you progress—making it a reflective and learning tool.
• Sync data seamlessly across all your devices.
• Self-improvement program through social accountability.
• Create groups and share goals to compete with friends.
• Join challenges and events within the Habitica community to stay motivated.
• Available on web and mobile.

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How does it work?

The app turns your Habits, Dailies, and To-Dos into monsters that you have to conquer. Check items off and gain perks like pets, armor, gold, and experience. Your avatar gets health damage when you fail to complete an item on your to-do list. If this doesn't keep you motivated, what will?

Why do people like Habitica?

• Helpful and effective
• Simple and easy-to-use
• Gameplay makes it engaging

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Pricing options

Habitica can be fully enjoyed for free but has in-app purchases and subscriptions. There are 4 types of subscriptions: $4.99 per month, $14.99 for 3 months, $29.99 for 6 months, and $47.99 per year.

G2 score: 4.5

Capterra score: NA

7. Way of Life (Best for Habit Tracking)

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Way of Life is a goal-tracker app designed to help users establish positive habits and break free from unwanted routines and bad habits. Its user-friendly interface has a reputation for simplicity and attractive design.

Way of Life's approach to categorizing daily actions acts as a powerful tool for accountability. It compels you to be honest with yourself and confront your choices head-on. By visualizing productivity trends, the app reveals how frequently you're making good and bad decisions.

How does it work?

Add positive habits or create goals and specify the habit or goal you want to track. Choose an existing category or create a new one to organize your habits. Color code your habits to visualize your progress. Assign colors (like green for positive habits and red for negative ones) to your goal.

Track and review daily progress with one-click actions. See trends and statistics over time and gain insights into your habit patterns.

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Core Features

• Simple and intuitive interface.
• Different themes to choose from.
• Goal visualization and time tracking.
• Categorize your daily actions for structure.
• Track daily goals and routines using a color-coded system.
• Get reminders until a positive habit is formed or a bad habit is broken.
• Take notes using the diary function to identify triggers.
• Gain insights with charts to spot positive and negative trends ranging over weeks, months or even years.
• Accountability graphics that report your activities.
• Positive habit tracking functionalities.
• Interactive walk-through.
• Custom tagging, which allows for in-depth analysis.
• Ability to set streaks and rewards to help you stay motivated.
• Available for multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Mac.

Why do people like it?

• Simple and clean design.
• Easy to use.
• Encourages personal accountability.

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Pricing options

Way of Life has a free version and a premium version that costs US$4.99 per user per month.

G2 score: NA

Capterra score: NA

8. Strides (Best for Habit Tracking)

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Strides is a versatile and user-friendly goal-tracker app that allows you to track positive behavior and other goals effectively. Set target dates for multiple goals and get granular about tracking your progress. Use different tracking tools like completion percentage, and time spent, or track by day, week, month, year, or on a rolling average.

Set SMART Goals and see your progress with intuitive visual progress charts and graphs. Sync data with other devices to stay up-to-date with comprehensive progress reports. Reward yourself once you've achieved a goal.

Core Features

• Intuitive interface with flexible task management.
• Dashboards for viewing all goals and work habits.
• Set SMART Goals with a simple 3-step process, or use a tracker template.
• 4 unique tracking screens to pick from: habit streaks, target goal values, time-bound goals, and project milestones.
• Create your own template or choose from more than 150 templates.
• Set flexible reminders.
• Goal visualization and time tracking.
• Track your goals according to your preference ( by day, week, month, year, or through a rolling average).
• Gain insights into your progress through visual progress charts, bar charts, streaks, success rates, calendars, line charts, and other informative visuals.
• Progress reports capture all tasks (completed and in progress).
• Highlight successful and unsuccessful goals.
• Add additional context by including notes in your logs.
• Fully sync across all your IOS devices.

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How to use it?

Simply create a goal or choose from the suggested goals. Set a target for each goal and specify the action required to turn it into a habit. Create a clear timeline for achievement

Track short and long-term goals and view progress bars over streaks, success rates, calendars, line charts, and lots more.

Why do people like it?

• Flexible task management and customization feature.
• Goal-tracking capabilities.
• Useful for getting organized.

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Pricing options

Strides has a generous free version. Its paid plan starts from US$4.99 per user per month.

9. Toodledo (Best for Goal and Habit Tracking)

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Toodledo is a flexible goal-tracker app centered around to-do lists. It helps you monitor progress with smart lists and task assignments. It offers many customization features (which users love) for task organization to stay on course. Collaborative features allow you to easily share your smart lists and notes with others.

Align your to-dos with personal and professional goals, write long notes, set due dates, and assign tasks to track your goals and habits. Monitor the number of completed subtasks for each goal, providing a tangible way to measure your progress and stay motivated.

Toodledo has been helping Brigette G. since 2009.³⁶ Brigette started using the app to manage her dissertation with other aspects of her life and 15 years later she continues to use it for her business, running her household, volunteering, and more.

Now, isn't that something?

Core Features

• Set your goals with custom to-do lists.
• Flexible task management.
• Attach files and documents to tasks for comprehensive tracking.
• Monitor time spent on each task to assess productivity.
• Automate recurring tasks, saving time and effort with scheduled reminders.
• Get reminders based on your current location, enhancing task management on the go.
• Visualize your tasks on a calendar, providing a clear overview of your daily, weekly, and monthly commitments.
• Organize using folders, and tags.
• Advanced search filters for efficient task organization.
• Set up alarms and flexible reminders.
• Use custom widgets to suit your unique preferences.
• Import and export existing data from other applications.
• Sync your data across all your devices.

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How does it work?

Define your goals, (personal life, work, health, or any other). Break down your goals into manageable tasks and specify the actions needed to achieve each goal type. Set due dates, and create custom lists to organize your tasks effectively.

Use metrics like completion percentage, time spent, and more to monitor your goals on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or rolling average basis. Organize tasks in folders, tags, and hotlists, to maintain structure and so they are easily accessible. Monitor progress with intuitive, visual progress charts and graphs.

Why do people like it?

• Flexible task management
• Simple, yet powerful, goal-tracking app
• Easy to use interface
• Third-party integrations

Pricing options

Toodledo has a free plan with comprehensive features. The Standard Plan costs US$3.99 per month, (billed annually), the Plus Plan costs US$5.99 per month (billed annually) and there is custom pricing available for the Business Plan.

G2 score: 4.4

Getting the best out of your goal-tracking app

You’ve got your heart set on the right habit-tracking app, so how do you make sure you get the best results?

1. Create clear and SMART criteria and have a good picture of what task completion looks like. Develop manageable, practical, and actionable steps for achieving your goals.
2. Prioritize your tasks and set daily or weekly plans. Allocate time for goal-related activities and ensure you stay focused on what matters most. Set a deadline for each goal.
3. Use reminders to keep track of goals and prevent procrastination.
4. Allocate a regular time to log goal progression and monitor progress visually. Look at daily reports and insights to analyze data and understand trends. Identify areas for improvement, and refine your strategies accordingly.
5. Update your goals to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with your evolving priorities.
6. Hold yourself accountable and remember to celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Recognizing progress will keep you motivated.
7. Make sure your data is regularly backed up or synced to safeguard it.

FAQs

How to set the right goals?

Evaluate your present situation and assess the things you want to change. Decide what you want for the future. Clearly define specific objectives that align with your current situation and priorities.

Can my goals change with time?

Yes, you can absolutely change your goals. It's entirely normal for a person’s priorities, interests, circumstances and types of goals to evolve over time. As you gain new insights or experience different life stages, you may find that your existing goals are no longer a good fit.

The key is to be adaptable and open to reassessing and modifying your goals to better align with your current aspirations and needs.