Guide
What is a public habit tracker?
A public habit tracker is a habit tracker that puts your progress on a page people who know you can check, so a missed day isn’t something only you know about. You check in and build streaks the same way you would in any tracker. The difference is who can see the result.
Private vs. public habit trackers
Almost every habit tracker is private. Your check-ins, streaks, and calendar live in an app only you open. That works on the days you’re motivated. The trouble is the day after you miss: nobody sees the broken streak, nobody notices when you stop opening the app, and one skipped day quietly turns into a skipped week.
A public habit tracker changes one thing. Your record lives on a page other people can open, so a missed day is something someone who knows you might see. Skipping gets a lot harder when someone might be looking.
| Private habit tracker | Public habit tracker | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees your progress | Only you | People who know you, through your link |
| What a missed day costs | A broken streak only you see | A blank day on a page people can check |
| What happens if you quit | Nothing. Nobody notices. | Your page stops filling in, where people can see it |
| What keeps you going | Your own motivation | Knowing someone might look |
What “public” means
Public doesn’t mean posted for strangers. It means your record is on a page anyone with your link can open, and you decide who gets the link: your partner, friends, family, coworkers, or your audience on social media. What matters is that they’re people whose opinion of you matters.
What makes a habit tracker public
Posting a screenshot of your streak isn’t the same thing. A screenshot shows the days you chose to share. A habit tracker is public when people can see your whole record, misses included, without you posting anything. That takes four things:
- A page people can check anytime
- Your habits, streaks, and calendar live on one page that stays up to date on its own. People look whenever they want, and you never know when they will.
- Nothing for viewers to install
- The page opens in any web browser, with no account or download, so you can share it with people who would never install a habit app.
- An honest record
- Missed days stay blank where people can see them, and every day you’ve logged stays too. Your commitment is written down, and changing it leaves a dated note, so you can’t quietly lower the bar.
- You decide who sees it
- Nothing is shared until you turn sharing on. Only people with your link can see your page, and you can turn it off anytime.
PublicHabits is built around all four.
Why a public habit tracker?
Many people find it harder to skip something when they know someone might be watching. This is called the Hawthorne effect, and a public habit tracker is built around it. Nobody has to check your page every day. The thought that someone who knows you might look can be enough to make “I’ll skip just today” a little harder to say.
It can also change what a missed day means. In a private tracker, a broken streak resets to zero and nobody sees it, which can make giving up tempting. In a public habit tracker, every day you’ve logged stays on your page, and the people who check it can see you come back the next day. Visible streaks and progress history explains how that works.
How it compares with other habit apps
Other habit apps add stakes in other ways. Gamified trackers like Habitica use points and gear, and virtual pet apps like Finch give you a pet to look after. Commitment contracts like stickK and Beeminder charge you money when you fall short. Social habit apps like HabitShare only work with friends who install the same app.
A public habit tracker uses stakes that don’t wear off: people who know you seeing whether you showed up, with nothing for them to install. PublicHabits vs. other habit apps compares them side by side.
How PublicHabits works
PublicHabits is a public habit tracker for iOS, Android, and the web.
- Create a habit and write a public commitment. Say what you’re committing to in your own words, like “Run at least 1 mile every day this month.” Track habits to build with a streak, or habits to break with a days-free count.
- Check in each day. One tap logs the habit, and your calendar fills in as you go.
- Share your link. Turn on sharing and send your link to people who know you, or put it in your social media bio. They can open your page in any web browser, without an account.
Frequently asked questions
What is a public habit tracker?
A public habit tracker is a habit tracker that puts your progress on a page people who know you can check, so a missed day isn’t something only you know about. You check in and build streaks as you would in any tracker, but your record is visible to anyone with your link.
How is a public habit tracker different from a regular one?
A regular habit tracker is private: only you see your progress, so a missed day, or quitting altogether, costs nothing. A public habit tracker keeps the same check-ins and streaks and adds a page other people can open, so showing up each day matters to someone besides you.
Does public mean anyone can see my habits?
No. Only people with your link can see your page. Sharing is off until you turn it on, PublicHabits doesn’t list users anywhere, and you can turn sharing off anytime.
Is posting my streak on social media the same thing?
No. A post shows the moment you chose to share, and the days you skip never appear. A public habit tracker shows your whole record, misses included, and stays up to date without you posting anything. You can still put your link in your social media bio.
Do the people I share with need the app?
No. Your page opens in any web browser, with no account or download.