Introduction Atoms is a habit tracker app which is published by James Clear, James is known for his best selling book ‘Atomic Habits’ which; as of writing this has sold over 15 million copies. With his success in helping people build new habits or break bad ones, it was intriguing to say the least.
The Basics The app is a habit tracker at it’s core, when first opening the app you are taken through an easy to follow flow which sets you up with a habit (as of v1.0.4 you can setup 3 in this flow).
You aren’t limited to just one (this is for paid users - I’ll cover that more later), you can add up to 3 habits 6 habits which I think is more than enough. This is because one of James’ teachings is that you shouldn’t try to build more than a few habits at any single time as this can become anti-productive. A snippet taken straight form the Atoms app states:
“You should focus entirely on one thing.
Research has found that implementation intentions do not work if you try to improve multiple habits at the same time.”
So having 6 habits to track at a time is no issue for me as I am only focusing on 3 (max) at any given time.
Once you have your habit you are then able to start tracking it. To mark a habit complete you can open the app and long press on the given habit (they are laid out in circles). Each circle (habit) is colour coded which helps quickly find the habit you wish to mark, after long pressing and watching it the circle fill with colour, the screen is brought to life with different shapes which are accented by the colour of the habit. This playful design helps completing your habits more fun; it’s just a little dash of dopamine to help get those habits built.
The Good
Great design
Thought provoking articles
6 Habit limit
Don’t Miss Twice Suggestion
The Bad
Widgets are often unresponsive - this is the only app I have that does this.
Too expensive
Pricing It’s a really nice app, thoughtfully designed and packed with information. But it’s expensive, now I am aware that it costs to develop an app but for something like this, £17.99 a month is a little steep… and forking £120 in one lump sum is a tough pill to swallow.
*Please note that the pricing is now £9.99 a month or £69.99 billed yearly. This is a recent change and the value proposition is more palatable now. - it now also includes an Apple Watch app for on the go habit tracking.*
What you get for your money For starters you get the additional 5 habits to track at any given time (free users only get 1 habit to track) you also get access to daily lessons and the Mindset Content.
What are these? Well the daily lessons are short reads which popup daily (who would have guessed!) within the app, these are focused on giving you inspiration and information to help with your habit building. Whereas, the Mindset content is similar but they are longer reads. The mindset content is focused on helping you stay focused and disciplined on your habits and offer more insight into being both more focused and disciplined.
Atomic Habits But for me it begs the question: Couldn’t I just buy the Atomic Habits book? I would say yes, fundamentally the book will cover similar topics and will help you stay focused and disciplined. The book can be found on Amazon.co.uk for £9.50 which is a fraction of the cost when compared to the £17.99 a month or £120 annual subscription. So does spending £120 a year for a few more habits and similar content (based on what I have read as of March 2023 from the app) to the Atomic Habits book seem worth it? No. Not for me
Honourable mention Atoms offers a helpful feature called "don't miss twice," which provides a suggestion if you happen to miss a day of your habit. While the emphasis on streaks in other apps can sometimes feel overwhelming, the addition of a one-day buffer allows users to focus their energy on the habit itself rather than solely on maintaining their streak. For example, if you have successfully kept up with your habit for 20 consecutive days and then miss a day, it can be disheartening to see your streak reset to 0. However, Atoms simply reminds you of the importance of not missing two days in a row in order to keep your streak going.
Conclusion With that being said, I am enjoying my time with Atoms and I will continue to use the free version after my trial period ends, and for others; the paid tier will happily suffice for their needs. I am just not at a stage in my life where £120 in one lump sum or £17.99 a month is feasible.
*Please note that the pricing is now £9.99 a month or £69.99 billed yearly. This is a recent change and the value proposition is more palatable now. - it now also includes an Apple Watch app for on the go habit tracking.*
Thank you so much for reading my review, I hope to keep writing reviews on apps and services in the future - stays tuned!
