Comparison

Happier vs Ridwell

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Happier

Discover personalized tools and daily guidance to cultivate a happier life. This app helps you identify what brings you joy and build sustainable habits through flexible tracking methods and fun challenges. It adapts to your unique personality and goals for lasting self-improvement.

Highlights
  • Daily content and reflection prompts
  • Flexible habit tracking methods
  • Personalized recommendations based on personality
  • Fun, quick challenges
  • 7-day habit Jump-Starts
  • Self-improvement and personal growth focus
Features
Read full description

The Happier app gives you the tools, tips, and insights to build a happier life—based on the research of happiness expert Gretchen Rubin. Apps that tell you what to do will never work for everyone. Happier is designed to help you figure out what actually makes you happier, then gives you the tools and guidance to make it happen. WHAT YOU GET: Daily content to keep you moving forward: Learn from fresh tips, reflection prompts, quick challenges, and insights every day. Habit-building tools that match how you work: Try different tracking methods to find what clicks: streaks, photo logs, journal entries, number tracking, and more. Track any habit you choose—exercise, reading, sleep, relationships, creativity, organization, whatever matters to you. Personalized recommendations based on your personality: Take the Four Tendencies quiz to discover whether you’re an Obliger, Questioner, Upholder, or Rebel–then try the tools and approaches that fit your tendency, so you’re working with your nature instead of against it. Fun challenges when you need a boost: There’s always room for a bit of fun. Spin the Challenge Wheel for instant prompts you can complete in minutes—clear a drawer, text a friend, take ten deep breaths, try something new. Or, dive into a 7-day Jump-Start, designed to help you break out of old patterns. Whether you're focused on self improvement, personal growth, or simply building better daily habits, Happier gives you a flexible approach that adapts to your life. TRY THE HAPPIER APP FOR FREE: Download Happier for free and start building a new happiness habit. Subscribe to unlock unlimited habit tracking and full access to all tools and daily content. ABOUT GRETCHEN RUBIN Gretchen Rubin is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers on happiness and habit formation, including The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies. WANT TO LEARN MORE? For resources and support: https://thehappierapp.com Terms of Service: https://thehappierapp.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://thehappierapp.com/privacy-policy

About

Ridwell

Easily dispose of hard-to-recycle items with convenient doorstep pickups. Schedule collections, track your impact, and feel good knowing your items are being reused or recycled by trusted partners.

Highlights
  • Schedule doorstep pickups
  • Collect hard-to-recycle items
  • Receive real-time notifications
  • Track community impact
  • Transparent item destinations
Read full description

Get rid of your stuff the right way with Ridwell. Seamlessly schedule your upcoming pickups, receive real-time notifications, and see the impact you’re making with the Ridwell community! Collect hard-to-recycle items in your Ridwell bags. We give you bags to store your plastic film, threads, and other hard-to-recycle things that might otherwise go to waste. Easy pickups from your front door. We come to your front door to pick up your stuff every two weeks. Just let us know when you have stuff to pick up! Feel great about where your stuff goes. You’ll always know where your stuff is going to be reused or recycled with one of our partners. Together, Ridwell members save tons from the landfill every year to support our community, keep our oceans clean, and build a brighter future. If you're in need of any support, please contact us at app@ridwell.com.

Screenshots

Happier4 screens
Ridwell3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ridwell at 73% against Happier's 22%. Ridwell also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Happier's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Happier sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Ridwell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ridwell holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ridwell has 8.2K ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Happier's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ridwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Happier ships an update every 4 weeks, Ridwell every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Happier versus Ridwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHappierRidwell
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (57 ratings)4.9 (8.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.3% of reviews72.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings578.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB17 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKeyboard, LLCRidwell, Inc.

Customer experience

Happier

All ratings57 ratings
Positive64.9%
Neutral14.0%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive22.3%
Neutral20.2%
Negative57.4%

Ridwell

All ratings7,684 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral7.0%
Negative20.2%

User reviews

Happier

From 57 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎡 Fun spinning wheel feature for 5-minute challenges
  • 📱 Beautiful and intuitive design
  • ✍️ Multiple tracking methods (photos, journals, numbers)
  • 💡 Personalized content based on Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies
  • 🎯 Effective habit tracking and accountability tools

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription pricing ($7.99-$10/month or $80-$100/year)
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing issues
  • 🔐 Persistent login and authentication problems
  • ❌ Cannot edit or backdate entries after creation
  • 🚫 Limited free version (only 1 active aim allowed)

Ridwell

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💚 Excellent for the environment
  • 🙌 Convenient pickup service
  • 🤗 Helpful customer service
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🎉 Reduces waste

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Missed pickups
  • 🤔 Inconsistent service
  • 💰 Overcharging for extras
  • 🏢 Inaccessible for apartment buildings
  • 🤷‍♀️ Unclear communication

Bugs and requests

Happier

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Login screen freezes and prevents app access
  • App stuck on subscription page in endless loop
  • Password validation rejects valid passwords
  • App crashes repeatedly on launch
  • Daily quote doesn't update to new day
Show 12 more
  • Wheel spin challenges show as used when not completed
  • Don't Break the Chain shows false X marks for completed tasks
  • Blank white screens that cannot be closed
  • App doesn't recognize new day for daily challenges
  • Subscription not recognized despite successful payment
  • Error message 'Something went wrong' blocks access
  • 5-minute challenge instructions don't display fully on screen
  • App only fills small portion of iPad screen
  • Request timeout errors when accessing aims
  • Data loss after app updates
  • Inconsistent time zone handling causing broken chains
  • App won't accept valid password combinations during signup

Requested features

15 requests
  • Ability to backdate or edit entries for past days
  • Calendar view to see progress over time
  • Support for multiple tracking methods simultaneously (journal AND photo)
  • Ability to edit aims after creation
  • More flexible aim scheduling (specific times, days of week)
Show 10 more
  • Photo captions for tracked images
  • Community features to connect with other users
  • Lower subscription pricing
  • More diverse 5-minute challenges (currently repeats)
  • Integration of Neglected Senses quiz into app
  • Recording one-word themes within the app
  • Ability to track yearly lists and accomplishments
  • Better organization/grouping of aims
  • More substantial free version with multiple aims
  • Email notifications when app issues are resolved

Ridwell

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Incorrect pickup status notifications
  • Drivers unable to access buildings

Requested features

3 requests
  • Advance scheduling for pickups
  • More recycling categories
  • Proactive notifications for missed pickups

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Happier

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$7.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$79.991 Year
None

Ridwell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Happier free?
Happier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ridwell free?
Ridwell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Happier or Ridwell?
Ridwell is rated higher. Happier averages 3.9 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while Ridwell averages 4.9 from 8.2K ratings.
Do Happier or Ridwell have ads?
Ridwell shows ads; Happier does not.
Which is updated more often, Happier or Ridwell?
Happier ships an update every 4 weeks, and Ridwell every 2 months. Most recently, Happier was updated on September 14, 2026 and Ridwell on September 25, 2026.

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