Apps Like Finch: 7 Picks by What You Want (2026)

Levla is our app. We've tried to describe every app here fairly, including where Levla isn't the best fit.

Which Finch alternative fits you

Want a different pet to look after? Voidpet Garden or Amaru.
Want more of a game, and a proper planner? Levla. You level up a hero instead of a pet.
Want a game with stakes and parties? Habitica.
Just want a mood journal, without the pet? How We Feel (free) or Daylio.
Want a coach to structure your day? Fabulous.

App	Best for	Platforms	Price
Voidpet Garden	Emotion journaling with creatures to collect	iPhone and Android	Free, with an optional Giga subscription
Amaru	Another self-care pet, without a subscription	iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android	Free; one-time unlocks from $9.99
LevlaOur app	A hero who levels up instead of a pet, plus a full planner	iPhone and Android, plus a web app for habits and to-dos	Free; membership $5.99 a month, $49.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime
Habitica	A classic RPG with real stakes and parties	Web, iPhone and Android	Free; optional subscription $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year
How We Feel	Free emotion tracking from a nonprofit	iPhone and Android	Free, with no ads or in-app purchases
Daylio	Two-tap mood and activity journaling	iPhone and Android	Free; optional Premium subscription
Fabulous	Guided routines and coaching	iPhone, Apple Watch and Android	Free to start; Premium subscription

What Finch does well

Finch is one of the most loved self-care apps around, with a 4.9 rating from over 750,000 App Store reviews. Its loop is gentle: completing small daily goals gives your bird energy for an adventure, with reflection prompts, mood check-ins and breathing exercises alongside. The core app is free, and Finch Plus ($9.99 a month or $69.99 a year) unlocks more content.

People usually look for an app like Finch for one of four reasons: they want another pet to look after, more of a game, a proper habit and to-do tracker, or a simpler mood journal without the pet. The apps below are in that order.

1. Voidpet Garden

Best for: Emotion journaling with creatures to collect

Platforms: iPhone and Android
Price: Free, with an optional Giga subscription

Voidpet Garden turns emotions into collectible creatures that live in a garden, which grows as you check in. It's built around mood tracking and short journaling exercises, which the developer says draw on CBT and DBT techniques, with creature evolutions and battles on top. It won Google Play's Best for Personal Growth award in 2023.

Strengths

Journaling and mood tracking at its core
Lots of creatures to collect and evolve
Free to start

Trade-offs

Reviewers say a lot sits behind the Giga subscription
Some find the battles distract from journaling

2. Amaru

Best for: Another self-care pet, without a subscription

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android
Price: Free; one-time unlocks from $9.99

Amaru is the closest thing to Finch's premise: you care for a small, anxious magical creature, and completing daily self-care goals, voiced breathing sessions and journaling helps it calm down and grow. It's hand-drawn and story-driven, and its extras are one-time purchases rather than a subscription.

Strengths

A gentle pet-care loop, like Finch's
Guided breathing and mindfulness sessions
One-time purchases instead of a subscription

Trade-offs

A limited number of active goals
Slow updates; the studio is crowdfunding an Amaru 2 remake

3. Levla

Our app

Best for: A hero who levels up instead of a pet, plus a full planner

Platforms: iPhone and Android, plus a web app for habits and to-dos
Price: Free; membership $5.99 a month, $49.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime

Levla keeps Finch's idea that looking after yourself should feel rewarding, but swaps the pet for an RPG character. Habits, to-dos and daily reflections earn Stamina and XP, and your character spends them on idle adventures of up to 12 hours: leveling 18 skills, collecting gear and pets, and trading with other players.

It's much more of a planner than Finch, with to-do lists, priorities, timers, counters and stats. It has fewer self-care tools: there are daily reflection prompts, but not Finch's breathing exercises, soundscapes or self-check quizzes. See Levla vs Finch.

A hand-drawn Levla hero in a crown and robe standing on a hillside with a pet raven, above the Choose Adventure button — Instead of a pet bird, you raise a hero. This one has a pet raven.

Instead of a pet bird, you raise a hero. This one has a pet raven.

Daily reflection with the prompt of the day, What's one thing you want to accomplish tomorrow?, above a private journal entry — Daily reflection prompts, though Levla has fewer self-care tools than Finch.

Daily reflection prompts, though Levla has fewer self-care tools than Finch.

Strengths

A real RPG, with skills, gear, dungeons and a player economy
A full habit and to-do tracker with daily reflections
Unlimited habits and to-dos for free, with no ads

Trade-offs

Fewer self-care tools than Finch
Newer, with a smaller community
Members-only regions and quests need a membership

Featured on Google Play in November favorites (US, 2026)

App Store Google Play More about Levla

4. Habitica

Best for: A classic RPG with real stakes and parties

Platforms: Web, iPhone and Android
Price: Free; optional subscription $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year

Habitica is the opposite of Finch in tone. Your habits, Dailies and to-dos power a pixel-art RPG character, and missed Dailies cost health, so there are real stakes. You can join a party to fight bosses, where your missed Dailies hurt your friends too. If Finch felt too soft, Habitica may be what you're after; if pressure makes you quit, it isn't. See Habitica vs Finch.

Strengths

Free, with a large community
Parties, quests and challenges
Works on the web as well as on phones

Trade-offs

Missed Dailies damage your character
Retro pixel art isn't for everyone

5. How We Feel

Best for: Free emotion tracking from a nonprofit

Platforms: iPhone and Android
Price: Free, with no ads or in-app purchases

How We Feel is a free emotion journal from a nonprofit, with a science team led by Marc Brackett of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Each check-in asks you to name a specific feeling and what was going on, and the app shows your patterns over time. There's no game at all, and it describes itself as a wellbeing journal rather than a therapy app.

Strengths

Completely free
Helps you name feelings precisely
Share check-ins with close friends

Trade-offs

No game or rewards
The Android app is rated lower than the iPhone app

6. Daylio

Best for: Two-tap mood and activity journaling

Platforms: iPhone and Android
Price: Free; optional Premium subscription

Daylio is a micro-diary: pick a mood and the activities you did, and it builds charts, a Year in Pixels and stats on how your activities relate to your mood. Goals come with streaks and achievements, but there's no pet or story, and your entries stay on your device.

Strengths

Logging takes seconds
Strong stats and correlations
Private: entries stay on your device

Trade-offs

No real-time sync between devices
No game elements

7. Fabulous

Best for: Guided routines and coaching

Platforms: iPhone, Apple Watch and Android
Price: Free to start; Premium subscription

Fabulous builds morning, afternoon and evening routines and adds habits one at a time through multi-week guided Journeys and short audio coaching. It started at Duke University's Center for Advanced Hindsight, and it suits people who want structure more than play.

Strengths

Structured, step-by-step habit programs
Audio coaching and routine alarms

Trade-offs

Reviewers report confusing trial billing
A busy interface with many prompts

How we chose

We picked apps that people who like Finch actually move to, checked each one's platforms and prices against its store listing and website in September 2026, and left out apps that are no longer maintained. Levla is ours. The list runs from other pets to games, then mood journals and routines. None of these apps replaces professional mental-health care.

Common questions

FAQ

Is there an app like Finch for adults?

Yes. If you want more depth than Finch, Levla swaps the pet for an RPG character with skills, gear and a player economy, and adds a full habit and to-do tracker. If you want structure rather than play, Fabulous offers guided routines and coaching.

Is there an app like Finch where you level up a hero instead of a pet?

Yes. In Levla, completing real habits and to-dos powers a hero on idle adventures instead of a pet bird, with 18 skills to level, gear to collect and pets of its own. Habitica is the classic alternative, with pixel art and penalties for missed Dailies.

Is there a free app like Finch?

Finch's own core features are free. Among the alternatives, How We Feel is completely free with no in-app purchases, and Levla, Voidpet Garden, Amaru and Daylio are free to use with optional upgrades.

What's the difference between Finch and Levla?

Finch is a self-care app where your goals look after a pet bird. Levla is a habit tracker and to-do app where your habits power an RPG character with skills, gear and a player-run economy. Finch has more self-care tools; Levla has more planning tools and a deeper game.

Can an app like Finch replace therapy?

No. Apps like Finch, How We Feel and Levla can help with routines and self-reflection, but they aren't a substitute for professional care. If you're struggling, talk to a doctor or a mental-health professional.