Comparison

Gradualist vs Vane

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

Head to head
About

Gradualist

Features
Read full description

Gradualist is not a habit tracker. It's a structured approach to building real capability through intentional, staged progression. Most productivity apps treat every day the same — you either check the box or break your streak. This creates anxiety, not growth. Gradualist is fundamentally different. HOW IT WORKS Instead of repetitive tasks, you build Practices. Each practice follows a structured Blueprint that defines how your habit scales over time. You start at Stage 1, master the foundation, then evolve through stages until you reach your final goal. If you miss a day, you don't lose anything — you simply resume your current stage. BLUEPRINTS & TEMPLATES Every practice is powered by one of four Blueprint types (or combined for complex needs): • Linear — Track a single metric that grows each stage. Perfect for meditation, running, or reading goals that scale gradually. • Sequential — Break a list of items into expanding chunks. Ideal for memorizing speeches, learning vocabulary, or mastering recipes. • Rotational — Rotate through themed days with targets that scale over time. Built for gym routines like Push/Pull/Legs splits. • Habit — The simplest blueprint. No numbers, no sequences — just consistency tracking for practices like journaling or stretching. Choose from curated Templates to get started instantly, or build your own Blueprint from scratch and customize it to fit your lifestyle. KEY FEATURES • Stage-based progression that compounds your capabilities over time • Four distinct Blueprint types for different kinds of growth • Curated template library to start without guesswork • Hold-to-Log gesture with progressive haptic feedback • Time-aware interface that adapts to your daily rhythm • Beautiful, minimal design with zero visual clutter • Fully offline — all data stored locally on your device • No ads, no trackers, no accounts required Compound interest applies to capabilities too. Start your journey.

About

Vane

This app helps you build positive habits with a focus on privacy and simplicity. Track daily or weekly goals, visualize your progress with beautiful statistics, and stay motivated with streaks and reminders. It includes a focus timer for dedicated work sessions.

Highlights
  • Daily & weekly habit tracking
  • Daily dashboard view
  • Calendar view for habit completion
  • Last 4 weeks consistency visualization
  • Streak counter
  • Built-in focus timer
  • Reminders
Features
Read full description

Vane is a calm, no-account, privacy-first habit tracker built around two simple ideas: log your day, watch your progress. No leaderboards. No social feed. No accounts. Just you and the habits you care about. Whether you want to drink more water, work out, read every night, meditate, or finally start journaling, Vane gives you a clean daily dashboard and beautiful statistics that make showing up feel rewarding. FEATURES DAILY & WEEKLY HABITS Track habits that should happen every day, or X times per week (e.g. "Run 3x/week"). Each habit can be a simple check-off or a counter with a target value. DAILY DASHBOARD Your day at a glance. Log progress, edit any day, all in one place. CALENDAR A month-at-a-glance view for each habit, color-coded by completion. LAST 4 WEEKS A pretty visualization of your consistency across the past month, with a percentage so you know exactly how you're doing. STREAKS Keep your fire alive, counted strictly on consecutive successful days. No fudge factor. FOCUS TIMER Built-in Pomodoro timer for habits that need dedicated time, like meditation, study, or deep work. Rings even when the app is in the background. REMINDERS Pick a time and Vane will nudge you. 100% PRIVATE Everything stays on your device. No accounts, no servers, no syncing your data anywhere. VANE PRO Unlock everything Vane has to offer: • Unlimited habits • 6 home-screen widgets in multiple sizes • Yearly statistics • Multiple reminders per habit • Import & export your full history • Restore archived habits • Family Sharing, share Pro with up to 5 family members • Support an independent developer Vane Pro is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription. The annual plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; you won't be charged until the trial ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase (or at the end of the free trial). The subscription auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel anytime in Settings, [your name], Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://vaneprivacypolicy.carrd.co/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Gradualist4 screens
Vane4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gradualist at none against Vane's 3. Vane's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Vane sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Gradualist asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Gradualist against 5.0 for Vane. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Gradualist versus Vane: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGradualistVane
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCache TechnologiesFINLEY ALSCHWEIG

Customer experience

Gradualist

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Vane

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

In-app purchases

None

Gradualist

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Vane

Subscriptions2
  • Vane Pro monthly$1.991 Month
  • Vane Pro annually7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Vane Lifetime Pro$29.99

Questions

Is Gradualist free?
Gradualist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vane free?
Vane is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gradualist or Vane?
Gradualist and Vane are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Gradualist or Vane have ads?
Neither Gradualist nor Vane shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gradualist or Vane?
Gradualist ships an update weekly, and Vane weekly. Most recently, Gradualist was updated on October 27, 2026 and Vane on October 14, 2026.

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