ChallengeUp vs Present Day
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChallengeUp
This app helps you build new habits, improve self-care, or break bad ones with a structured, short-term challenge system. Focus on achieving goals within 7 to 60 days to experience lasting change without the pressure of lifelong commitment.
- Short challenge system (7-60 days)
- Create custom challenges
- Track progress visually
- Receive goal reminders
- Share progress on social media
- Access useful challenge tips
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A challenge isn't about "changing your life in a month." It's about "trying 30 days and seeing what happens." ChallengeUp is an app for short challenges: ready-made ones from 7 to 90 days, custom ones for any length. No endless "lifelong" trackers, no promises of a "new you." Just a clear format: pick a challenge, cross the finish line, see the result. WHAT'S INSIDE 10 ready-made challenges, free. From "no sugar" to "sleep before midnight," from "read every day" to "learn a foreign language." Each one comes with a clear description — what to do, why, and what to expect. Build your own in 30 seconds. Name, duration, frequency, reminders — and you're ready. No required fields, no endless setup screens. A finish line that motivates. Every challenge ends. It's not the "forever habit" that wears you out by week three. It's a defined distance with a finish — and the feeling of "I did it." Progress cards for social media. Share your wins with people who matter — close ones, friends, followers. Get support when you need it, and lock in the result by saying it out loud. The cards are drawn so they're a pleasure to share. No ads. Ever. Not in the free version, not anywhere else. ChallengeUp Plus When the free version isn't enough: — Unlimited active challenges (up to 3 in free) — Expanded catalog of exclusive challenges, with more added over time — Duration up to 1000 days — nearly three years of practice, for those who want to go long — Home screen widget — Additional colors and customization — Support for an independent dev team WHY A CHALLENGE Most habit trackers are built on the idea of a "forever" habit — you should brush your teeth or meditate every day for the rest of your life, and a single miss breaks everything. This rarely works, because the brain isn't built for infinite distances. According to Lally et al. (2009), a stable habit forms in about 66 days, not the often-cited 21. A short challenge is a way to cover that distance without burning out: with a visible finish, and the right to stop if it's not for you. ChallengeUp is an independent app. We're not building "another habit tracker." We're building the app we'd want to use for our own challenges: no fluff, no features for the sake of features, no pointless push notifications. Just what works. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://challengeupapp.com/privacy2026
Present Day
This app visualizes your year as a grid of dots, encouraging you to 'show up' daily by checking in on your chosen pillars. It includes focus sessions based on the Pomodoro method and home screen widgets to keep your progress visible.
- 365-dot year grid visualization
- Daily pillar check-in
- Focus sessions with hourglass animation
- Home and lock screen widgets
- Multiple themes and customizable styles
- Night mode
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Your whole year fits on one screen. A simple grid of dots. See how short it is. That's your year - 365 dots, each one a day you get exactly once. Present Day is not a habit tracker. It's not a journal. It's just proof you showed up. -- HOW IT WORKS Each day gets one question: did you show up? If yes, tap the dot. It's yours. Set your pillars - the 2 or 3 things that make a day count. Physical health. Family time. Deep work. Creative practice. Whatever "showing up" means for you. Check in on them. That's it. -- FOCUS SESSIONS Start a focus session and watch dots fall like sand through an hourglass - each one a minute of deep work, claimed. Built on the Pomodoro method, but it feels like presence, not a countdown. Choose your duration (5, 15, 25, 40, or 60 minutes), pick your pillar, set an intention, and begin. -- YOUR YEAR ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Put your year where you can't ignore it. Multiple widget sizes fit any home screen layout. Lock screen widgets keep the grid visible without even unlocking. Night mode dims everything down for late check-ins. Watch it fill, week by week. -- DESIGNED FOR PRESENCE 365-dot year grid - your whole year at once Daily pillar check-in - show up on your terms Focus sessions with hourglass animation Widgets in multiple sizes for home screen and lock screen Night mode for late-night glances Themes: Midnight, Paper, Ocean, Sunset, Cyber, and make your own Customizable dot shapes and styles No social features. No streaks to break. No guilt. Just you and your year. -- Present Day won't remind you to drink water. It won't gamify your morning routine. It just asks one thing: were you here today?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Present Day at none against ChallengeUp's 2. ChallengeUp's advantage is ratings volume (45 vs 1). On price, rating, monetization model and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. ChallengeUp sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Present Day asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ChallengeUp against 5.0 for Present Day. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChallengeUp has 45 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | ChallengeUp | Present Day |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (45 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 89.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 45 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LIKE WRONG LLP | Joseph Dearman |
In-app purchases
ChallengeUp
- Plus (Annual)$14.991 Year
- Plus Lifetime$39.99
Present Day
No in-app purchases









