Comparison

Pulse vs Grid

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

Head to head
About

Pulse

This app helps you build and maintain daily routines with customizable tracking and Home Screen widgets. Monitor progress, set reminders, and view statistics without needing an account or dealing with ads. Your data remains private and on your device.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widgets for quick tracking
  • Flexible daily, weekly, and monthly goal tracking
  • Progress statistics and streak monitoring
  • Customizable reminders
  • Data export to CSV
  • Light and dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Check off habits without opening the app. Pulse is the private habit tracker built around interactive Home Screen widgets. See today's routines at a glance, check them off in one tap, and stay consistent without an account, ads, or data collection. GOALS THAT FIT REAL LIFE Choose the schedule that matches each routine: • Every day • Selected days of the week • A flexible number of times per week • A flexible number of times per month ONE-TAP HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add Pulse widgets to your Home Screen to: • Check off habits without opening the app • See what still needs attention today • Review your week at a glance • Stay focused without another distracting feed CALM, USEFUL PROGRESS • Current and best streaks • 7-, 30-, and 90-day completion rates • Activity history and consistency insights • Editable past check-ins • Gentle reminders at the time you choose PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account required • No ads • No data collection • Your habit data stays on your device • CSV export for a personal backup Pulse is ideal for morning routines, exercise, hydration, reading, study, meditation, journaling, and any goal that benefits from a simple daily check-in. Start with a free 14-day trial and build a routine that works in real life. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pulsehabit.app/privacy

About

Grid

Visually track your daily habits using colorful grids, similar to contribution graphs. Check in from widgets, receive smart reminders, and build motivating streaks. Perfect for establishing routines and making positive changes stick.

Highlights
  • Visual grid tracking
  • Home screen & lock screen widgets
  • Custom reminders
  • Streak counters
  • Unlimited habits
  • No ads
  • Data stays on device
Features
Read full description

Track habits with colorful grids—just like GitHub contributions. Tap circles to check in from widgets, get smart reminders, and watch your streaks grow at a glance. Perfect for building morning routines, fitness habits, reading goals, and any daily practice you want to make stick. Simple, visual, and incredibly satisfying. WHY GRID IS DIFFERENT Most habit trackers hide your progress behind menus and stats screens. Grid puts everything front and center with a visual grid for each habit—tap today's circle, watch it turn green, and see your patterns emerge instantly. Your habits appear as horizontal rows with scrollable grids showing the last 90 days. Green circles = completed. Gray = missed. It's impossible to ignore your consistency (or lack of it). STAY ON TRACK WITH SMART REMINDERS Set custom notifications for each habit—morning meditation at 7am, evening reading at 9pm, or water reminders throughout the day. Grid sends gentle reminders exactly when you need them, keeping you consistent without being annoying. CHECK IN FROM YOUR HOME SCREEN Grid's home screen widgets let you see and complete habits without opening the app. Glance at your progress, tap to check in, and keep your momentum going—all from your iPhone home screen or lock screen. Widget options: - Today's Habits - See all habits and check them off - Single Habit Focus - Track your most important habit with a mini-grid - Quick access from small, medium, or large widgets FEATURES - Unlimited habits (100% free) - Visual grid tracking for each habit - Home screen & lock screen widgets - Custom reminders for each habit - Satisfying check-in animation with confetti - Streak counters that motivate you daily - Share cards to celebrate milestones - Full calendar view with detailed stats - Dark mode support - No ads, no account required - All your data stays on your device PERFECT FOR Morning routines (meditation, journaling, exercise) Health goals (drink water, take vitamins, track sleep) Fitness habits (gym, running, yoga, stretching) Learning (read daily, practice language, study) Productivity (deep work, no social media, inbox zero) Self-improvement (gratitude, mindfulness, reflection) HOW IT WORKS 1. Add a habit with an emoji and name 2. Set a reminder time (optional) 3. Get notified when it's time 4. Tap the circle to check in—from the app or widget 5. Watch green squares fill up your grid 6. Build unstoppable streaks 7. Share your progress when you hit milestones NEVER MISS A HABIT Grid's notification system is designed to help, not harass. Set one reminder or multiple throughout the day. Snooze if you need more time. Dismiss if you're done. Each habit gets its own reminder schedule that works for your life. THE GRID APPROACH Inspired by GitHub's contribution graph, Grid makes habit tracking visual and immediate. You don't need to dig through menus to see how you're doing—your grids and widgets tell the story at a glance. Miss a day? You'll see the gap. Building consistency? The pattern becomes obvious. Unlike apps that hide broken streaks or make excuses, Grid shows you the truth. NO TRICKS, NO GAMES No points, levels, or virtual rewards. No AI coaches or premium features locked behind paywalls. Just you, your habits, honest visual feedback, and helpful reminders. Grid respects your time and privacy. No account required. No data collected. No ads interrupting your flow. Your habit data stays on your device. 100% FREE FOREVER Grid is completely free with all features unlocked. Unlimited habits, unlimited reminders, all widgets included. No feature gates, no subscription required. SHARE YOUR WINS Hit a 30-day streak? Grid lets you create beautiful share cards with gradient backgrounds to post on Instagram, Twitter, or send to friends. Celebrate your progress and inspire others. START TODAY Download Grid and build the habits that will change your life. One reminder at a time, one widget at a time, one circle at a time

Screenshots

Pulse4 screens
Grid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pulse at 100% against Grid's 50%. Pulse also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Grid's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Pulse sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Grid sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse ships an update weekly, Grid every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pulse versus Grid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseGrid
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAri AparikyanWes Thomson

Customer experience

Pulse

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Grid

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pulse

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99
1 purchases

Grid

Subscriptions1
  • Grid Pro - Yearly$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Pulse free?
Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grid free?
Grid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pulse or Grid have ads?
Neither Pulse nor Grid shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse or Grid?
Pulse ships an update weekly, and Grid every 5 weeks. Most recently, Pulse was updated on September 17, 2026 and Grid on September 28, 2026.

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