Comparison

Happier vs Homework for Life

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

Homework for Life

This app helps you capture meaningful daily moments to build a searchable collection of personal stories. It offers prompts, multimedia attachments, and insights into your emotional experiences, transforming everyday life into richer narratives.

Highlights
  • Daily story prompts
  • Multimedia story attachments
  • AI-powered search
  • Customizable reminders and streaks
  • Emotional insights and timelines
  • Export stories in Markdown or text
Features
Read full description

Capture one story a day. Change your life forever. Homework for Life turns Matthew Dicks’ bestselling storytelling method into an elegant, lightning-fast journal that helps you notice, remember, and use the moments that matter. Why Homework for Life? Every evening you jot down the most story-worthy moment from your day—just a sentence or two. Over time you build a searchable “story bank” you can tap for conversations, speeches, writing, or simply deeper gratitude for the life you’re living. Key features Daily Thought Starter – A fresh, tappable prompt appears each day to spark reflection—shuffle for more inspiration anytime. Tags & AI-Smart Search – Find stories by emotion, person, place, or keyword in seconds. Custom Reminders & Streaks – Gentle nudges and a satisfying streak counter keep your habit unbreakable. Multimedia Moments – Attach photos, audio, or video to enrich each entry (perfect for storytellers & parents). Insights & Timelines – Visualize how often you feel joy, growth, challenge, awe, and more. Export Anywhere – One-tap Markdown, or text export. Built with Matthew Dicks – Crafted in partnership with the storytelling coach behind the viral “Homework for Life” TED Talk. Transform Your Everyday. Sharper memory – Research shows we forget 90 % of our daily experiences; HfL locks them in. Richer stories – Speakers, podcasters, teachers, and parents all need fresh material; now you’ll never run dry. More gratitude – You’ll start spotting small moments of grace long before you open the app at night. End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Happier4 screens
Homework for Life4 screens

Verdict

The call

Happier and Homework for Life both sit at 3.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Homework for Life's written reviews are positive against 22% of Happier's. Happier's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (57 vs 10). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Homework for Life sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Happier holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Happier has 57 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of Happier's written reviews are positive against 71% of Homework for Life's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Happier ships an update every 4 weeks, Homework for Life every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Happier versus Homework for Life: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHappierHomework for Life
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (57 ratings) — better3.7 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews22.3% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings57 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKeyboard, LLCThe Resonance

Customer experience

Happier

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

Homework for Life

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

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

Homework for Life

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Happier

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$7.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$79.991 Year
2 purchases

Homework for Life

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • HWL Pro Annual$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Happier free?
Happier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Homework for Life free?
Homework for Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Happier or Homework for Life?
Happier is rated higher. Happier averages 3.9 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while Homework for Life averages 3.7 from 10 ratings.
Do Happier or Homework for Life have ads?
Neither Happier nor Homework for Life shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Happier or Homework for Life?
Happier ships an update every 4 weeks, and Homework for Life every 7 months. Most recently, Happier was updated on November 3, 2026 and Homework for Life on October 30, 2026.

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